The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1893-12-02

The Farmers Get Left, as Usual.

The annual report of First Assist
ant Postmaster General Jones will
disappoint the millions of jewellers
in the rural districts who demand
free mail delivery.
Mr.. Jones says that free delivery
has been tested in forty six small
towns and villages during the past
two and half years. When the nov
city wore off, the village residents
preferred to- call at the postofflce for
their mail, and the temporary in
crease in postal receipts settled down
to moderate ratio, the result of
natural growth. The report, there
fore, recommends the suspension of
experimental free delivery, and de-
clares against rural free delivery on
the ground that it would require an
appropriation of $20,000,000 a year.
So the farmers get left again. The
improvements and conveniences in
the mail service are for the benefit
of the people who live in the cities.
The 100000 citizens who live out
in the country and bear the heaviest
burden of taxation must get along
with system which is practically
just what it was a century ago.
Mr. Jones treats the subject from
a very narrow point of view. An APP
preparation of $2o,000,000 year to
give 45 per cent of our population
the postal privileges now enjoyed by
the inhabitants of cities would be
mere trifie. In the course of few
years the improved system would in
crease the volume of mail matter
and probably defray the expense of
delivery.
But this question should not be
measured by the standard of dollars
alone The government has never
yet been controlled by it in its man.
agement of the mail service, and it is
not controlled by it. in its admins
tration of any branch of the public
service. There never was govern
ment building erected in our history
that could not have been built for
half the money expended in a manner
that would have answered every
practical purpose. The fact is, our
government pours out millions like
water wherever cities are concerned,
but the moment the farmers ask fol
equal justice in the matter of priv
leges the federal officials straig htway
begin to talk about economy.
In England and other European
countries their governments estab-
lished free rural delivery about half
century ago. The rulers of those
countries saw that it was grossly un-
just to pet and pamper the cities and
force the dsellers in the country dis
tricts to shift for themselves. The
United States is he only great civ
ilized country that has had the i'm
pudence to give tree mail delivery to
the cities and deny il to the country
on the alleged ground of economy.
There is no economy in it, Free de-
livery would save the farmers mil
lions of dollars every year in the
shape of time, labor and wear and
tear of stock and vehicles now vast
ed in frequent journeys to distant
postoffices. In point of fact, the cit
les could get along better without
free delivery than the country, be-
cause their populations are compact,
residing within few minutes walk
of the postoffices.
We are not prepared to admit that
the improvement demanded would
require an appropriation of $20,000,-
900 year, but we believe that this
amount would be well spent in de-
livering the mail at every farmers
door. Such policy would make
people better satisfied to live on the
farms. and their increased facilities
of communication with the outside
world would advance their intelli-
gence, culture and prosperity, and
under these conditions agricultural
life would be far happier and more
independent.
Our American farmers should let
their congressman hear from them in
this tldRta Constitution.