The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-12
POST OFFICES UNDER BoYCoTT.
A Struggle Between the Department ana Some
Farmers In Nebraska.

Farmers In Nebraska.
OMAHA. Dec. s.-Tho Post Office Department
Is trying to suppress a peculiar form of boycott
enforced by farmers against certain fourth.class
Postmastcrs. These officials are paid according
to the number of stamps cancelled.
As far back MS 1885 the old Grange
took advantage of this method Of compensation
to punish Postmastcrs in small towns in west
ern Nebraska who had offended the organization
or prominent members of 1t. At that time there
was more or less friction etwccn Postmasters
and members OF the grange. The quarrels grow
chiefly out Of the refusal Of the Postmastcrs to
accept the official papers Of tho county organ
~izations as third.class matter or out OF political
differences. Most Of the oranges gradually do
veloped into tho quasi-political organization
known as the Farmers Alliance, and toward
1890 the power Of the order in the smaller towns
was, supreme. II the local leaders became Of
stopped depositing their letters in the Post
Office. They. would take them TO the railroad
mailed on the trains. In this manner tho com
pensation of the boycottod Postmaster was do
creased 30 that he was generally forced to aban.
don the office. Some Of tho boycotted Post
masters undertook to go to the railroad station
ana cancel the stamps on the letters there. Tho
virtue Of this decision the Farmers Alliance
was made practically supreme In the matter Of
fonrth.elass Post Offices In Nebraska. Kansas,
" tAIo NhO
Western States.
In the last few months the boycottinR of Post
Offices has reached such proportions that the
PostmG ster has been forced to reverse
his previous order to protect the department..
The matter WAS brought up by Senator Thurston
OF Nebraska, to whom many complaints were
made by fourth-class Postmastcrs in western
Nebraska while no was touring the State Just
before the last election. At Adelia, Dix,
Ravenna, NoticK. and other towns he learned
that where the Postmasters should have earned
from $50 to $50 a month their income had been
reduced by from 81 to $50 q month by the sys-
tematic boycott of tho Farm ers' Alliance,
known to-day as tho Farmers Independent
Political Party. The boycotted officials begged
the Senator to see IL the Federal Government
could not give some relief. Senator Thurston
explained the situation in Washington, and the
Postmaster-General has issued nm order per-
hitting Postmasters to cancel stamps at the
railroad stations.
As soon as this order was published the farm
ers adopted new tactics and now deposit the
mail in the mail cars direct. Usually most Of
the letters are handed to one man. who meets
all trains and sees to 1t that the Postmaster
does not get an opportunity to cancel the
stamps. The Postmaster.General has taken
notice OF this feature of the case by notifying all
fourth class Postmasters In the State that IL the
new order is not sufficient to stop boycotting
further relief can DO had by applying to the
Superintendent of Railway Mails for this Terri
tory. who will order the mail boxes on all mail
cars closed when the trains are to stop at a town
where a boycott IL in effect. This remedy has not
been applied. and there is a suspicion that the
farmers Will find some Way of evading 1t.