Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1901-01-01
MILES WILL NOT TALK.

4roes Not Deign to Answer Former Seo-
rotary AIger's Letter.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.-General Mel.
Ion A. Miles is not yet prepared to
.. AXE any formal statement in reply to
lie published article of Former Score.
Try Alger regarding the use Of canned
ID mbalraed beef during anu after
re Spanish war. He is still undecided
SO, to whether he will have any state
ment to make, saying in reply to Ques-
tions on the subject that he has not yet
fully determined what his course will
be. General Miles soys he had not
even read the full extracts from Gen.
eral Ayers article published In the
newspapers, such 40 he had seen being
full Of misleading statements that he
did not care to 60 through with tho on.
tire matter.
"One hundred thousand soldiers have
gone home from the Spanish war and
told the story and the proper officers
have condemned the action OF certain
persons, said General Miles, $50 that
I question whether it is necessary to
say anything further about tho con.
troversy."
Rural Free Postal Delivery.
In his annual report Postmaster Gen.
eral Smith devotes considerable, but
none too much, space to the free deliy-
cry Of mails In the rural districts. The
demonstrated results Of the beginning
already made justify him in saying:
1t stimulates social and business correspondence
and 30 swells the postal receipts It's introduce
ton IL invariably followed by large increase In
the circulation OF the press and periodical litera-
ture. The farm is thus brought into daily contact
with the movements Of the business world. A
more accurate knowledge Of rulins, markets and
varying prices Is ditfused and the producer with
his quicker communications and larger iaforna
ton, IL placed on q surer footing. The value of
farms, as has been shown III many cases, us en-
HANGED. Good roads become Indispensable, as
their improvement is the esscntia. condition o.
the service. The material ind measurable benefits
ale signal and unmistakable. -.
One Of the surprising things about
the rural free delivery system is the
small cost of the service. The gross
cost of the routes on which the service
is already established is less than 81
ture through the saving effected in
abolishing a good many fourth class
postotfices and through resulting in
crease Of revenues reduce the net cost
to about G6 cents per capita. The
postal authorities estimate that for
less thar $14,OOO,00O the government
can deliver the mails every day at the
doors Of 21.OOO.00O people in the rural
| sections of the country. In the cities
and towns mail delivery is now made
! to 100000 people. In the hamlets
! and on the farms there are 21,O0O,000
| more who are within the limits Of a
reasonably extended free delivery sys-
| TEN. They are scattered over 1,OOO,-
! 900 square miles of territory, an area
more than twice as great as that COW
cred by the rural free delivery systems
, Of England. France and Germany com.
bined. It is the ambition Of Postmas
| ter General Smith to extend the bene-
fits of free mail delivery to these 81
! 100000 people as rapidly as congress
will support him in that broad and en-
| lightened policy. The estimated cost
of something less than SD 100000 is a
small expenditure for a government
enterprise Of such direct and visible
benefit to the people.
New Rules for Timber Cutting.
WALKER, Mimi, Dec. 20. Captain
Mercer, the Indian agent, returned
from Washington this week. He has
+! issued new rules and regulations fol
| cutting dead and down tim Der, which
includes all timber, both hard and soft,
that come under the heading of deau
and down. ,r" III
More Votes for Evans
ST. PAUL, Dec. 29.-The: Second con
gressional district met during the after
noon at the Windsor. There were