Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-09-03
RaIlfoads ana pontof,aau.

EDfToR JoURNAL:--I have no desire
to take Mr. Buckmhu's job on bis
hands but, begging bis pardon, would
like 70 "ehip inn
fthe"RepIy TO Thomas Buckman by
3. w. Bard" published In Thursdays
JOURNAL, Is a specimen Of what can
be said against governmental owner.
ship Of the railroads, then give me gov
erDment ownership OF railroads. Speak.
ing Of the postofiice, s. w. Bard says,
"did the gentleman stop to think that
the pOstoffice is run on the great con-
tract system and that the greatest
scandals, and that wholesale robbery
has been and h continually being perpe
trated in and through the postoffice
system~ II the gentleman stopped
70 think about anything Of the kind
he would much better have kept right
on instead of stopping. Is 8. w. Bard
SO ignorant as to suppose that there is q
postoffice In the United States that is
run ON the contract system? IL 90, he
ought to inquire about It Of the Rext
postmaster he sees. True, the mails
are carried, On st,r routes, al least, by
contract--but there IL where Uncle
Sam makes his mistake. He ought TO
carry them himself. scandals and
wholesale robbery" must be a refer
eDce to the "Star route frauds" of fit-
teen or twenty years ago. That is the
only time when scandal or any suspi-
cion of boodling has eyrr, In the re-
motest degree, touched the. postctfice
department during the time Of it's ex-
istence. The department should be
proud of it's record. and Mr.. Bard's
charge Is simply the Wild assertion Of a
person who hasn't the slightest idea
what he is talking about. He says,
"the receipts Of the postofiice has never
paid expenses by good many millions
Of dollars" The system Is not intend
ed to be quite self.suppOrting, but the
deficit does not amount 10 q nickle q
year out OF Mr.. Bard's pocket. Dses
anyone suppose for an instant that, II
the postal system was 10 private hands
as is the railroad, he could mail letter
In the suburbs of Salem and have 1t do
livered in the remotest corner of the
United States, inside Of week, for two
cents, or that the DAILY CAPITAL
JOURNAL could be delivered in the
Wilds of Florida at total cost to the
subscriber Of 25 cents per month?
The idea that the Office patronage is
such terrifying aud invincible ad-
vantage in the hands of the party In
power is an exploded theory. 1t was
Jared in '84, badly shaken up in 's8,
and busted wide open in 1872. The
point is that where one man works
during the campaign for fear Of losing
his Office twenty men. work against
him in the hope of getting 1t. Mr..
Bard says that In case of Ulcle Sam
taking the railroads "thousands of
working people East who own their
railroad stocks would suffer-" Even
supposing that these highly imaginary
poor laboring stockholders existed, how
would they suffer- They would be
paid for their stock If it was worth
anything, wouldn't they? But his
parting shot stakes the cake" He
says Uncle Sam has not as much money
as either:Gould (wonder II he knew THE
Gould Is deadly or Vanderbilt. Has
the man any idea what he means when
he says that? Perhaps he thinks that
those people each keep their little old
500, 600, 900 Of gold reserve always in
tact.
Now why does not some one who is
opposed TO the government running
the railroads, and who has some really
plausible reason III such there be) for
the faith that Is in him, get In and talk
to us? This is one Of the live questions
Of the day. There are thousands of us
open TO conviction, but we do not care
to be fed on any such mental pubulum
as s. w. Bard dishes up. X.
SALEM, September LIST.