The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-27
RURAL FREE MAIL DELIVERY.
Thanks to Mr.. Heath, Indiana Has Sc
cured the Lions share.
W. f. Curtis, in Chicago Record.

The action of the recent Congress in in
creaSing the appropriation Tor the Tree ueo
livery or mail IN rural districts from Sl5O,oVO
to S300000 q year indicates that this mover
branch OF the postal service Il a success, ana
is 10 be permanent institution. WneIeVes
II has been tried IN tie Mlddie ana Eastern
States ii has been satisfactory 10 the ON
Gals and TO the people In the Southern
States ii is more or less of a failure. Inc
population in that section Is scattered and
the percentage OF illiteracy among the WHITE
as well negro population reduces the
amount of correspondence and newspaper
reading, making an increased postal service
unprohtable Nevertheless the rural dellv-
cry is being keenly sought after Ter It's
political ERECT upon the FARMERS VINO can
appreciate il. One Republican district III
| Tennessee and one Democratic district iii
South Carolina are now receiving the bene-
| fits of the service.
The rural postmen are given wide latitude
| by the department. They are paid only 500
| a year and are required to provide their own
| horses. To CounterbalanCe this they are al
| lowed TO engage in all kinds of outside bust
ness denied to regular carriers. one enter
prising rural poStman in "A Western State re-
| Gently sent tho department copy of cir
cular he had distributed to his patrons in
| which he offers to supply them with choice
brands of cigars and tobacco, to take sub
scriptions for magazines and newspapers, TO
| tune pianos and repair musical boxes
Bad reads are the great impedlment to the
| extension of the service III the Western
States. Even though ut the crossroads hlgh-
way letter boxes are provided into which
| the mail is dropped, to be collected by tiose
who live of the main thoroughfare, 1t is
|
a route OF from twenty to twenty-five miles
| a day-as prescribed by the regulate ms of
| the department-Which ore horse can cover.
| Illinois is of the worst States in this re-
| spect because of its bad roads ana deep
mud. Two special agents of the depart
ment recently spent an entire week trying
| to establish routes from Murphysboro Jack
| son county Their report reached the Ce-
! partinent this morning. They name six
| routes which they think can he managed.
| but declare that the condition OF the roads
would make angel indulge in profanity.
| ever rural free delivery has been estab-
| lished from the following eight points in
Pripceyile and Victoria The Orion route
| goes into effect on he Sd Of April Senator
Cullom is strongly urging free delivery from
| Duquoin as center and special agent
| is now on his way there.
Iowa shows up better than Illinois in the
matter of roads This Is parucularay tne
| service has been started from Brooklyn,
Burlington. Eldora. F-uitland. Mount Pleas,
ant, Morning Sun, New providence ana
senator Gear has been particularly ener-
getic in pressing the establishment OF the
! service in the neiehborhood of Burlington
his home. At the instance of Senator Alli-
| son special agent Is now lnqulrlig li:to
the practica bility of extending the service
| in Nrscatine county Representatives Hen
| derson Updegraff and Cousins have been
equally persistent in behalf of their con-
Indiana has secured lions share of the
| service which is probably due 20 the fact
that Assistant Postmaster General Heath
! knows the needs of his State and supplies
| them so far as he IS able. The service in
| Indiana has been efficient. 1T was the first
| State in which the star route carriers were
| utilized to deliver the rural mails, and that
| arrangement has succeeded so well that the
| experim INT will be extended both in Indiana
| and in other States.
The distributing points for rural delivery
in Indiana are Albany CrawfordsylLle; pale
| vile, Delphi Darlington. Eaton. FRANKFORT,
| Hope. Lebanon. Muncie New Castle, Mobiles
Vile New Richmond. Parker. Richmond,
Selma. a new service was ordered from
| Darlington yesterday 10 commence April 3.
Investigations now going on in Michi-
gan, and after the new appropriation be-
comes available on the first of next July
| there will be a considerable increase in that
State, The present points of distribution are
Benton Harbor, Climax, OwoSSo, RtdgeWay.
South Haven, Upton and the marine deliV-
cry through vessels from Detroit.
The prevailing impression that rural free
delivery il inordnately expensive Il mis-
take In nine out Of ten districts in which ii
has been introduced IL pays its way; in some
of them il yields profit. If the opposition
of fourth-class postmasters to the abolition
of their Offices could be overcome and If
members OF Congress were less timid as 10
the political effect of abolishing petty fourth
class offices. the rural delivery might be ex-
tended in many sections at less than the cost
of the existing service The department pro-
poses TO select some particular county and
try the experiment.
The revival of the service Is due to First
Assistant Postmaster General Heath. who
when he entered the department found il
discredited and discarded. An examination
of the reports and applications which ac-
| cumulated under the operations of the serv-
ice convinced him that in well-selected dis
tricts il was not only practicable and could
be made sef-supporting. but that there was
a demand among the people for il. The sen
| timent in agricultural communities wher1
the experiment has been tried is now ss
discontinue ii would excite widespread OPP
position.