Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-24

service, but because all incorporated
towns cannot have free delivery is no
good reason why cities where it is a
business necessity should be deprived
of it. All communities do not have
banks. colleges, railroads or telegraph
lines. but no one would be so unfair as
to wish to deprive the world of these
great commercial and educational adj
vantages. because all cannot be equally
served by them. Others urge the great
cost of the service and the inability Of
the government to maintain it. This
would suggest the inquiry as to the
best and wisest use to be made of the
public revenues and whether or not the
application of it in free rural delivery
OF mail would not be a much more Just
and proper use than many ways in
which it is now freely and lavishly eN-
pended. In my judgment one-half OF
the millions annually given to rivers
and harbors could be much better en-
ployed in 4 practical service to the peo-
pie by means of rural free delivery of
mail. Should service of prime adj
vantage and general benefit to the
great farming population be postponed
or denied when millions are being an
nually appropriated for less beneticent
and less useful ends? Can the govern
ment afford to withhold so valuable an
agency from the people! To my mind
it is not so much a question whether
the government can afford to give the
people free rural delivery as whether it
can afford 10 Withhold from them a
service of such inestimable benefit.
Every community served by rural
Il L.. ~
forward in the scale of civilization and
brought into closer touch with the life
and progress of the world. The mon
otony and isolation of farm life are
greatly relieved from the discomfort so
noticeable on the increase with the
| farmer youths of the country is al
layed. 1t is not only business advan-
tage, but 4 social benefit of even great
CT value than any commercial consid-
GRAFTON.
AS to your inquiry in regard to in
creased use of the mails by reason of
the rural service. the universal testi-
mony as shown by the records of the
various routes is that letter correspon-
dence is greatly stimulated and that on
every route scores of daily papers are
now taken where there was none be-
fore the service was established. On
one route I find Al daily papers are
now being taken. and the number is
constantly increasing, where not one of
them took n daily paper before the
route was established.
In the southeastern portion OF my
district, where there are some twenty
or more rural routes, the postmasters
have joined hands With county boards
of supervisors to hold a great Good
Roads convention at Burlington. Des
Moines county. Iowa. in October of
this year. l might further say that the
postmasters at Burlington and Mt.
Pleasant, where we have rural mail
routes established, are officers OF. The
good reads organizations in their coun-
ties (Des Moines and Henry counties,
respectively. and are doing all in their
power to aid in the making OF better
roads.
In the inspection of the routes which
/ have personally traversed with the
mail carriers find a universal
satisfaction with the service and have
met With frequent expressions such rs
these:
81 would not have the route changed
$50 as TO pass my farm for $780,
4 Another patron said 10 me: 81 con
sider NY land worth SIS per acre more
since the establishment OF our rural
free delivery route"
Such statements as these are very
frequent and 100 numerous To mention,
and are made 10 me by patrons of near
Nv every route over which l have trav-
eled.
On Nav - l was assigned 10 work
lin the state of Iowa, since which date
Il / have investigated fourteen proposed
routes and recommended their estab-
IliSh.nent. | have personally gone over
and inspected seven routes i'll this dis
trict. Wherever have inspected routes
4 find a universal sentimen. in favor OF
4 the service. Indeed the people along
i these routes express the gravest alarm
lest the service be taken away from
them. Their appeals for its contn-
uance is the index of its appreciation
by and value TO them. do not find
The peonle critical about the method
Of conducting the service. They are
satisfied with it as it is and ready at all
times to demonstrate their fidelity to it
w. Il. Conger, Special Agent.