Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-10-14

otis been requested from Washington
| to try to do something that will fire
1.-THE patriotic American heart to the tune
of McKinley's western speeches?
| The demand OF the express compa-
MES that the government go out OF the
business of carrying small parcels is
stirring up public sentiment in favor OF
an extension Of the parcels post. There
are no signs that the Postoftice Depart
ment will give any heed to this de-
mand. The department has frequently
gone on record in favor of larger par
GELS post facilities. notably when John
Wanamaker was at the head of it. In
his report for 1891, Postmaster General
Wanamaker said: There is no mis-
taking the fact that the parcels post
is success wherever it is in operation,
and that the vast majority of people
greatly appreciate at, and to deny 1t to
millions of people in this country be-
cause it is charged that it will benefit
less than a score of tradesmen is a
great injustice to the people at large.
This objection is even more trivial
in the
LIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE
of traders in other countries. In point
of fact, there are but four strong OBJ
jections to the parcels post and they
are the four great express companies,
who would be just as well off with an
eight or eleven pound parcel post of the
heavy freight Of the executive depart
ments and the immense packages of
bogus serial books that are now thrown
upon the mails were shut out and turn
ed over to the express companies, where
they belong" Probably there is no
good reason why the government should
not carry It's own freight, but there is
certainly no reason why II should carry
other peoples, at the public expense.
The parcels post is a perfectly feasible
project and would come much nearer
paying fer itself than some of the mail
that the postofEees are compelled to de-
liver under present laws.
While the administration people are
glcating over the enormous exports Of
our manufactured products, the farmer
may well ask where he comes in as a
factor in trade expansion. So far this
Nyear the expectation Of agricultural
products, according 0 the bureau of sta
tistics. has been below that of the cor
responding months OF 1898, when the
shortage in crcps abroad gave unusu-
ally high prices as well as an unusual
demand.
THE AVERAGE PRICE OF WHEAT
exported in the eight months ending
with August, 1899, has been rs cents
bushel, against an average of over 81
bushel in the corresponding months
of 1898 lii the eight months ending
with August, 1898, the exports of wheat
amounted to S1,373.323 bushels, with a
valuation Of $S1,527,S31, while in the
eight months ending August, 1894 the
expectations of wheat were II, 150.S43
bushels, valued at $53.S52, 1922; and in
corn there has been a slight reduction
in quantity exported, though no ma
terial change in price, while in cotton
the average price has been slightly in
excess of that CT last year., Exports Of
raw cotton have fallen off from $4,000
600 in value during the period above
mentioned, though cotton manufactur-
ers have grown about S4,000,000 as a
partial compensation. Is it possible
that what we are gaining in exports of
manufactures we are losing in exports
of agricultural products? Such posi-
bility is full of i'll omen to the farmer.
THE NAVAL ESTIMATES
for the next fiscal year may well give
the American taxpayer pause. An in
crease in appropriations will be asked
for amounting to s24,597, 1S7, of which
one-half is for public works and docks
and the other half for increase OF the
navy. The total amount asked for will
be $73,045,1S3, or considerably more
than twice our naval expenditure before
the war with Spain. At this rate 1t
will not be long before the imposition
Of more federal taxation will be neces-
sary. 1t costs a pile of money to be a
world power according TO the imperial
istic idea. MACkAf.