The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-03-16
THE POSTAL SERVICE.

1 oEnNt1L
! Representative Hull. Of Iowa, Is In
favor OF a domestic parcels post on one
| condition. Speaking of the pending
measure intended to introduce this al
legged reform in our postal service. he
| says: II favor Ii IL IL can be made
| self sustaining. but I do not care to
load down the mails with parcels IL the
government must defray the expense
I OF carrying them" The Chicago Chron-
F icle sSys that Is right" and that Mr..
/ Hull is also right in his general propo-
sition that there Is no reason why
the postal service should not be put
upon a paying basis The Chronicle
adds:
The proper course IL to put the en-
| tire seryice-that il. every separate
branch OF it-on a paying basis III
congress will do that a parcel post ser
| vice can be rendered at satisfactory
rates. the capacity Of express compan-
| les can be checked. the free delivery
| system extended and letter rates can
| be reduced. But no gratuitous class
| service must be the founds ton OF gen
| uine postal reform
| Whatever OF "gratuitous class ser
| vice" there Is In our postal system
should be eliminated There are tons
| OF printed matter carried In the mails
| every day at n loss to the government
| which has no claim TO favorable con-
4
| printed only for advertising purposes.
| and have no regular subscription list.
! are distributed by millions OF copies at
postal rates far below the cost M the
| service. Were this abuse reformed and
/ the franking privilege confined TO rea-
! sonable limits. there would be no deficit
! OF postal revenues. But the publishers
! OF fake weeklies and monthlies appear
| TO be so strongly backed In congress
| that there is little hope OF iooseninE
I grin fn he hfiSl
ness. il bids fair. IL not checked, TO
cover the free printing and free distri-
! button OF anything and everything that
! can possibly be utilized in n political
I campaign
But how does il happen that Ths
| Chicago Chronicle, paper that pro-
iesses TO be an exponent Of Jefrer-
sonian and Jacksonian democracy.
comes out In advocacy OF the extreme
| paternalism embodied in the parcels
post bill? There is quite enough Jf
that in the law as IL stands. For many
years the government has been doing
an express business scarcely justified
by sound principles. and by no means
in harmony with the old-time demo
cratic creed. But now IL Is proposed to
copy the methods OF the paternat gov
ernments OF Europe and make our pos
tai cars freight cars and our postal
clerks express messengers. The Chron-
icle intimates that this radical depar-
ture from the original intent OF the
postal service. this enormous injection
Of paternalism into a department ne
! cessarily, to some extent, paternal. IS
necessitated by the exactions OF ex-
press companies. Is it the business OF
our democratic government to regulate
prices by entering into a cut-throat
competition with men engaged in all
sorts OF occupations? No man or set
of men, no firm, corporation, or asso-
citation can compete with the United
1 SfaS ka2 a
form the work in which he or they are
engaged, for congress can employ the
taxing power, and thereby make up for
losses incurred. And where is the log
ical end of such competition? Why not
meet the complaints of high freight
charges by going into the general
freight business? Why. when COM
plaint is made OF exorbitant passenger
rates, should not the government y,
into a general passenger business?
The mails carry packages from
Washington to Sitka at the same rate
charged for carrying them from Wash
ington to Alexandria. Extension OF
the limit as TO weight of mailable pack
ages would bring all freights into mail
cars. How long will IL take TO reach
that degree Of pateranlism IL We under
take to remove complaint by compe
tition? And, having done that. why
should the squelching power OF the
government halt there? Having an
why not go into the producing indus
tries? Is there any logical line of de-
markation between governmental CON
troll of distribution and the same reta-
ton between government and produc-
ton?
Whatever the people can do for them
: selves reasonably well, the government
should not do for them. The postal ser
vice, the transportation of letters.
newspapers and magazines, is a busi--
he xryaIl {rs
all parts Of the country by private en-
terprise. But this Is not true of the
transportation business. And unless
q | we desire to enter into and push on in
=. a course that will logically lead right
on to communistic paternalism we
n should not adopt the parcels post sys-
n tenn Of continental Europe. However
: well IL may comport with conditions In
y Germany, where the government owns
y the railroads and makes a bungle Of
n their management. IL is not in bar
: mony with our plan of government
Washington Post.