Arizona republican., 1901-09-27

FRAUD. than usual vigor at
 the coming session of congrs ss. For years there has been sn-
 ployed constantly an active lobby a.
 Washington in promotion of the pro-
 ject. with an alert press bureau as an
 adjunct. The articles favoring this
 reform of our postal service which
 are appearing numerously all indicate
 that extra efforts are to be put forth
 to carry the measure. The great de-
 par.ment stores of the cities comprise
 the principal contingent back of the
 sche me. Their desire is to secure such
 facilities for seEi5ing large parcels
 through the mails at vsry cheap rates
 as will give them customers at every post office in the country.
 No greater menaee could be offered
 to the prosperity of retail msrchants.
 especially thoss doing business in the
 west. Take Arizona, for ins aace. Our merchants are as progressive as can | be found anywhere. Their stocks ana
 methods are modern, and their prices are uniformly reasonable. Yst, all of them have had occasion to become ac- quainted with a curious disposition on ths part of certain of ;he.r customers to send individual orders to eastern -ouses. Of course, l. is almost invar- iably the case that local houses if givsn the opportunity could suit such customers better than do the distant concerns This evil would be irnmense- ly aggravated if the parcels-post prop osition were put in operation.
 The Toleco Trade, an important commercial journa-, sounds a warning 10 the retail merchants of che country in empaatic language:
 Some day tshe great American pub iic will awaken to the fact that the paid lobby constantly maintain5d at Washington in behalf of this matter will accomplish it's purpose. and that the parceis-post, for good or for evil, has become a pam of our posta. sys- tenn.
 Tn our judgment With our terrific ally lax laws regarding fraud, and our diverse anu divergent treatment of such matters in the various states at lEuelest, the adoption of a parcels-post means the wide opening Of fiood-gates Of fraud and tricSery to degree never
 
 Aside from the comparison with the parcels-post system in England and Germany. whsre the largest pos siOIe haul would snoa equal the shortest hau! here, affords no safe criterion for passing proper judgment; and the distance hauled always has a direct bearing on the cost Of transportation.
 But as sure as night follows day. ;hEse parce's-pcst people will event ualy succeed unless the merchants Of the land are nightly aroused and kept everlastingly at iJ in opposition to the plan. The continual dropping in time wears the stone away in legislative as well as physical matters. so no .ons need bs surprised to see their end ac- complished and @hat, too, .oag before nos: people imagine
 The New York Commercial also warns retail merchants-and jobba,s as Hell-,hat it is q trade-destroying and urges organization to de- .eat the impending evil. It says truly, hat | The same means are open to thzrn l hal the packers of it ars, now employ press, to arouse popular DppO- 1uon, aIS a lobby, to throw obstacles . n the way of the bill. If the peoples enators and representa- tives are dis ' 'osed to listen complacently to the ar .um>nss of the parcels post contingent | md co swallow whole the proposition hat the United States ought always 10 10 just what Great Britain or France 1T Germany does. then the merchants E I dhe country must take this thing nto their own hands and light the evil with fire.'
 "The Commercial has more than Il ncr pointed out how the country N raders would suffer under the opera | lon of parceis-post. as proposed. One |, ray in which they would be con rora.isd with loss may well be detailed 2 nsw 1f for instance. a woman ou. in lew Mexico CT down in Eastport, h laine. wants a new gown. or ten f, ounds of tea, or a boys suit or a pair I rubber boots. she now goes to her a ome dea'er and gets it. and always at il satiSfactory price. because competi- on takes care of thas; but should she |, uy those articles. and hundreds more h l the household line, considerably neaper at the big department stores N l Chicago New York. Boston. Phils- 6; elphia and so on and have to pay only " cents postage on them for transpor I, l ion over thouSands of miles of ter .I tory, how long would she be like'y to | t pend Ter moEey at the home stores? | e, he parcels-post project would inevit- VI, bly drive trade from the country to | le populous centers. =, And still the country merchant r ould have 70 ray full freight rates cn ,; ny and all of the eases, barrels ani -. 'rioads of gooSs, that he might buy. , better devised scheme to gradually s,. 'r1al n-st of the retail trade of the ;., 'rntry around cfie counters of the aS g city departm ,nt s.cres coull not s, , devised. -' And the jobbersS would be hit all n, est as hard, too ~ There Is positive danger in the sit " ition, and the merchants of Phoenix " d Arizona generally should make m