The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-19
noMEsTIC PARCELS POST.

The proposition to establish a domestic
parcels post, which has received the
strong Endorsement of the Postmaster Cen
eral, has been followed up with a second
proposition, indorsed by the same Official
to still further facilitate shopping by
mail. The latter plan is to permit mer-
chants and others to send out return pos
tai cards and return envelopes that are not
prepaid, but entitled to passage through
the mails, the postage upon them TO be
collected on their delivery, just as post
age due is now collected
The adoption of the parcels post scheme
would, of course, at once put the gov
eminent into the freight carrying bust
ness, in competition with the express COM
panies 1t would turn the postal cars into
freight cars, and the express messengers
into freight handlers. One of the chief
arguments in favor of the parcels post is
that express charges are too high 1t is
desired to regulate the express companies
through forcing the government into COM
petition with them. But would this idea
of government competition with private
enterprises stop at the express companies?
Would thert not be a demand, in all prob
ability, before a great while for the gov
eminent 10 enter the passenger transpor-
tation business, by way of bringing the
railroads to terms for their passenger
charges? And If the government has
right to interfere by competition in our
transportation, has it not as much right
to interfere by competition in our produc-
ton? Would not a logical sequence be
govern nlent cotton fields, government rice
fields and governmentcloth and implement
factories?
In the parcels post proposition weight,
and not distance is to fix the charge for
carriage, as is the case with letters and
other mail matter. The postage on a par
eel from Savannah to Meldrim, twenty
miles, would be precisely the same as the
charges on a similar package from New
York TO Meldrim, or, for that matter. from
Boston TO San Francisco. Thus the great
departm stores in the leading cities
would have the United States mails as a
delivery system, bringing the whole coun-
try to their very doors. This would be
more than ever the case if the non-prepaid
The great central stores would have TO
pay postage only on the orders received.
They would run no risk of lost postage.
as they do now by being compelled to pre-
pay all return cards or envelopes sent out,
whether they are used or not The effect
would be 10 strengthen the aggregations
of capital in a few centers in their mo-
nopolV of the retail trade TO the great def
riment of the hundreds of thousands of
smaller merchants and dealers in the viii
lagos, towns and smaller cities. These peo-
pie have already suffered from the en-
croachments of the trusts upon their
means Of earning a livelihood Is 1t de-
sirable that they shall suffer still more in
order that centralized capital may thrive
of the government shall be used against
them and in favor Of capital?
The postal establishment is not now self
sustaining. There is large deficiency
each year, for which Congress has TO
make an appropriation. Would the par
cells post be sef-sustaining? The best
opinion is that it would not. but on the
other hand would increase the postal de-
ficiency by thousands upon thousands OF
dollars, per year. And who would pay the
Increased cost the merchants who would
derive The most direct profits? Not at all;
the money would have to come out of the
pockets of the people. through a medium
of the national treasury.
Before the authorities take any step that