The representative., 1897-10-13
MAIL BOXES ON OUR STREET CARS.

Special Agent Massen of the postoffice depart
ment at Washington. is considering PROPOSE
tion from the Twin City Rapid Transit Com
pany to carry mail collection boxes all Of the
cars operated in Minneapolis and st. Paul. The
plan contemplates the use Of about 200 con-
stantly moving mail boxes.
Anent the practicability Of the scheme. Post
master Holbrook says: II do not believe It IS
mind when the matter first talked Of The
original plan. l understand It, was 10 nave
only. That plan seems to feasible and all
right: but 1t does not seem to me at all prac-
ess Of to se sve two Cities. IN
right to carry mail matter Such plan would
haye not asked for the boxes and do not
know anything about this plan II ! under
it DO Mp
this system the street car company would have
the right to y, label car in 'ne service WIN
Il do not think 50. and will SO construe II
there is any dseFtionary power LEFT with isa m, me
partment would probably have to pass an
opinion At all events we have tHs not asked i0f
The foregoing throws flash light
upon another upe lof those smooth
schemes by which gmonopoly In the
name of "law and order" crushes Ia
bor. We have a. very stringent law
against the Interference in any way
with the carrying Of U. s. mail. 1t Is a
United States law and its infringement
furnishes a most plausible excuse for
calling out United States troops to
shoot down a few hundred street car
employees in event of street car strike.
This discloses the methods by which
railway, street car and other corpora
ticn magnates put up law and Or
der" job on the laboring man. In
times of peace they are preparing fol
war. The real responsibility for tn.
murders perpetrated at Pullman, Home
stead and Lattimer does not rest with
the men who handled the Winchesters.
It rests with the scheming heads Of
corporations who planned the ambus-
cade
So behind this application to carry
mail collection boxes lies a scheme, a
man trap, an ambuscade for the en-
ployes of the Twin City Rapid Transit
Co. When mail boxes are placed upon
the cars and each car labled "U. s.
Mail" and the man trap Is thus nicely
adjusted for it's game, wages will be
cut, a strike will follow, mail cars will
be obstructed and U. 8. troops will
shoot the strikers into submission. This
is a neat little game, dead sure thing,
and sooner or later the masses will be-
gin to imagine whether in such occur
rences there is any one to blame, any
thing premediated, anything really saw
oring of malice prepense. 1t may be
weeks, it may be months or years be-
fore this trap is fully adjusted and
does its deadly work. The sands c.
time will cover over the chain of events
between this application and the final
tragedy. Time will blot from memory
the relation that exists between the act
of today and it's sequel weeks hence.
When in the beautiful and peaceful
city of Minneapolis occurs repetition
Of the shooting at Homestead and Lat
timer the Twin City Rapid Transit Co.
employees will wonder how it all hap
pened, they will clamor for the hanging
of the irresponsible tools Of plutocracy
who man the Winchester, and blinded
with excitement and the smoke Of the
deadly conflict will be unable to SEQ
what connection a =. s. mail box on
street car has with murder. Meantime
the true Populist will be scoffed at and
ridiculed and hated by the plutes ana
their satellites because he sounds the
alarm and points to, this apparently in
necent application 1l2H II for mail boxes as
the shadow of eomgilng events
Men act from motives, those motives
Will usually be found eentering around
the interests oftttae pocket book. II