The representative., 1900-05-10
ssTHE PARCELS POST"

i 4
The Chicago Times-Herald recently
printed the following:
| Not content with the profits derived from
cheating the postofice department out o1
| w. 10000 year through abuses of second
class mail privileges the benefciaries OF
these abuses are planning another raid upon
what they are pleased to call parcels
post Having burdened the mails with
ts as sthatss
mall. they now propose to ask the govern
ment 70 carry those commodities in the mails
st cheap rate. thereby increasing the an
nual postal deficit by many millions.
The parcels post'' bill introduced by
senator Pettigrew provides among other
Things. that the rates on parcels shall be as
follows: ~ -"
On parcels up to one pound, 3 cents: on
parcels over one pound and up to Ave
pounds. . cents; on parcels over 1--WE pounds
ana up to ten pounds, 10 cents; on parcels
over 10 pounds and up to 30 pounds, 20 cents:
on parcels over 30 pounds and up to 60
pounds, 80 cents
Under this bill, II 1t becomes a law. bi-
cycles, sewing machines and gas stoves
could be sent through the mails by simply
amxing 20-cent postage stamp. The
malIs' ALREADY burdened with thousands of
tons OF mails fraudulently classified as
second-c class matter" would be loaded
down with vast quantities of merchandise
tnat now goes by freight or express. Tons
OF SHOES, hats. dry goods, suits of clothes
ana hardware would be dumped into postal
cars tnat are already so overcrowded as to
seriously hamper the proper and expedi-
tious distribution of the mails.
1ne Pettlgrew proposition is too prepos-
ferrous Tor serious consideration. It Is not
only tmpracticable in it's provisions, but it
IS SO manilestiy wrong in principle that it
Uyifh NoRo
systems of parcels post" are maintained
IN european countries cannot be accepted
as valid argument for such a system in
TINS country. 1t must be borne in mind
that there 10 no service in Europe known
as express companies. such as we have in
operation In the United States. Neither do
foreign countries possess the matchless
freight facilities enjoyed by this country.
hence 1t Is necessary for them to use the
mails SO far as possible for the transporta-
tion OF merchandise. Moreover we already
have parcels post service in this coun-
try in the classification of third and |
fourth-ciass' matter, which is as far as the |
government should go in the invasion of the |
place OF private enterprise.
10 make an errand boy Of the govern |
ment for the great commercial establish |
ments in the big centers Of trade IA con- |
trary to the principles of our government. |
IL is not the function of our government |
70 usurp the functions Of private enterprise. |
Equality before the law could not exist
under the proposed parcels post" from a !
standpoint. The effect of such
9 law would be to take trade away from all
the interior cities and towns in the West |
and South and concentrate it in the hands
or few merchants in the big centers Of
trade In the East. 1t would. in fact, COM
pietely paralyze certain kinds of merchan-
alsing 'g IN the West and South. Such r1dicu-
lously low rates of carriage would enable
the great merchants of the East to sell at
prices which the interior merchant could
aOt anord to compete against because of |
added cost In obtaining supplies and re-
'er,cteo population to draw trade from.
The proposed parcels post" would i'm
pede and. In time. practically disrupt the
Iast mail service by hampering the postal
clerks ana compelling radical changes in
me methods now In use for expediting the
distribution OF mails. By forcing the GOV
to transport freight under a nostaoa
stamp, for the profit Of great Individual
concerns, the vast transportation properties
would be seriously injured and the maila
'urdened with thousands of tons of heavy
merchandise, adding millions to the postal
lefcit.
The policy Of congress should be to re-
move some of the abuses that are already
oading down the mails and impairing the
ervice instead Of adding new burdens.
This article is evidently written in the
interests of the express companies which
re heecing the public outrageously
Would it be any injury to the people
this country il they could send "bicy-
les. sewing machines and gas stoves"
% or 1000 miles for 2O-cent stamp?
Il the present clerical force in the cars
nd postofaces is not large enough, in I
rease it. That will furnish work for ,
Of men now out of work. q
nd they will buy thousands of dollars ,
'orth OF food. clothes, shoes, etc., and 1