The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-30
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 80, 1893.
RURAL FREE DELIVERY.

Post office officials in Washington are
in hot water as a result of their effort
to extend the rural free delivery sys-
tenn over Carroll county, Maryland.
The people favor the innovation. The
fourth-class postmasters oppose. Car
roll county is rent into two warning
factions, and Washington is besieged
by the lobbyists of both.
The first rural free delivery postal
route was established at Winchester,
the county seat of Carroll county, April
Sd last. 1t was selected for the purpose
on account of it's proximity to WASH
ington, in order that the experiment
might take place under the immediate
eyes of congress. At first, nothing but
praise was heard of the free delivery
system. Farmers and jewellers in the
region remote from towns grew to look
forward to the daily visit of the post
man with the same regularity as do
the jewellers in a city fiat. The ser
vice became indispensable, and was
continued Press and public sounded
it's praises.
Then Postmaster General Charles
Emory Smith, looking upon his work
and seeing that it was good, determined
to extend the system over a Target
area. He gave free delivery system
to the whole of Carroll county, supply
ing population of 10000. And right
there the trouble began.
There were SO fourth-class post offices
in Carroll county. Orders were given
to close SO of them. The SO ex-fourth
en- masse with their influential friends
and the influential friends of their in
fiuential friends. Trouble began in
earnest for the department, but the de-
partment was firm. Then the three
and sixty jobless ones banded together
to arouse public sentiment against the
tyranny to which free@born citizens of
Carroll county We're being subjected.
They were even denied the privilege of
walking to the post office for the mail,
a privilege their fathers had cherished
and held dear. 1t was an outrage not
to be endured. Carroll county would
not stand it. Mass meetings were
called, fish horn brigades were insti-
tuted to boot Uncle Sans wagons as
they numbered through the red Carroll
they would ditch the obnoxious vehi-
cles rather than accept a letter from
one of them.
Manchester, former rival Of Win
chester for county seat honors, became
the storm centre. The Vaccinations
of Winchester residents were said to
be responsible for the whole difficulty
Notwithstanding the agitation against
the free delivery there remains a
large percentage of citizens, probably
a majority, who prefer the new re-
gime to the old. These presumably
have at one time or another been
snubbed by the fourth class postmas-
ters aforementioned.
And thus the situation stands today
Post Office officials admit it is one of
the hardest nuts they ever had to
crack. On the outcome of the Carroll
county fight depends the decision of in
Producing the free rural delivery sEs-
tenn throughout the entire country.
Free delivery has long been in opera
ton in every corner of England, with
conspicuous success. The brief expert
ment made in Maryland was entirely
gratifying until a few minor politicians
with axes to grind stirred up discord
The issue of the squabble will be
watched with interest. 1t is greatly
to be hoped that the government can
in time extend the free delivery system
from Atlantic toPacific and from Maine
to the Gulf.