The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-04-20

as now, and not only could letter pos
tage be reduced to one cent and postal
cards to one half cent, but even the
postage on books and newspapers and
pamphlets could probably be somewhat
reduced. There could be no further at
tempt by a Loud bill" to stop the Cir
culation of free silver and anti monop'
oily literature under the pretext of g
necessity to increase postal rates tc
prevent a deficit. They way to pre-
vent a deficit is for the government tc
own its own postal cars and pay the
railroads the anne rates only for haul
ing them that others pay.
The second great defect in the postal
service is that the swift mail service,
the electric mail, is illegally turned
over to private companies who operate
it at 1.-THE highest figure that trhm will
bear" and furnish offices at the points
which will pay handsomely, thus Civ.
ing the smallest possible benefc to the
great mass of the people and the larg.
est possible profit to the multi-million,
aires who have conf1scated the light
ming to their sole profit. This is done
illegally as the constitution places the
postoffce in the exclusive control OF
congress, and no one but the govern
ment has a right to operate this best
part of the mail service. What would
be our condition if the steam mail ser,
vice had been turned over to private
companies as the electric mail has
been!
In practically every country except
the United States and Canada the tele-
graph and telephone is a part of the
mail service. The average rate for
kilograms in Europe is 10 cents for 20
words and the average cost is Is cents
each. The average charge for tele-
grams in this country is 81 cents each.
Then, too, in other countries the post.
Office department has a telegraph or
telephone at nearly every p~ostofice in
the country as well as in the town. 1t
should be 80 here. 1t would go far to
destroy the isolation of farm life and
would enable those living in the coun,
try to procure the services of physi-
clans in less than half the time and
with less expense than sending a mes
senger. The market prices in towns
would be known daily and whether it
would be we'll to carry in produce or
not. Then many a useless trip to the
railroad station for freight that has not
come, or to the county as witness in a
cause that has been postponed could
be avoided. Then, too, by increasing
the number Of p~ostoffces most of the
advantages Of country free delivery
could be had, as messages requiring
dispatch could be telephoned.
The Western Union Telegraph Com
pany has a nominal capital stock of
$l2O, 900, 900 on which regular dividends
of s and 8 per cent. are paid, besides
800, 900 salary to the President and
large salaries to other high officials.
Yet the stockholders of that company
have never paid into it's treasury but
$40, 900. The other $119, $780, 900 (or SO
much of it as is not water has been
created by exorbitant rates. This has
been raked out Of the public by high
in.addition to the annual dividends
on it's watered stock, high salaries to
high officials and lobbying expenses
and franks to public officials. The
plant of the Western Union is eetima,
ted to be really worth $50, OLO. 900, so
an 8 per cent. dividend on it's nominal
Of elk times that amount is, in
48 per cent. A firm in New
York offered the government a few
ears ago to put up a thoroughly
equipped line for $35, 600, OCO, not only
j. the 81, 900 select points the Western
now operates, but to each of the
Is, 900 postc hces throughout the Union.
AS every postmaster could use the
probably that instrument
could be put in at each of the rs. 900
0ostC mces using the telegraph in addi
ion at Is, 900 of the postcfices to for
ward long distance messages. With
he vastly Increased number of mes
ages which would follow low rates
md the extensi n of the service to
every postofice, experts express the
'pionion that a uniform 5 cent rate for
o body words between any two points
n the Union would be profitable to the
government. In England, when the
telegraph passed from private hands to
he government with a reduction of
to IL cents for 30 words the meg
ages promptly increased thirty fold in
lumber. Other countries had similar
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