The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-09-12

PROVIDES MIN with very lmp0rb8n6 IN
formation about the daily markets
upon which he must depend for tn
prices on farm products. In tn
localities which supply our grea
markets with cattle and produce, iii
of vital Importance to the shipper t
know when to ship to obtain the bes
! prices, or when to hold for rising
market. Here tofore, the farmer, re
mote from the market, had to depend
almost entirely on the market quota
lions given him by the buyer. Now h
can consult the same market repor
every day that the buyer receives
and through the same medium, the
daily press. You may be surprised tt
hear that in many places the morning
paper reaches the hands of the farmer
as soon as it does the resident of the
large city in which it is published.
| sit goes without saying that the
great service, which / have just de-
scribed, to be efficient and satisfac-
tory, must be performed with regular
ity and punctuality. Every one will
see at once that an efficient service is
only possible over good roads; over
bad ones it cannot be maintained.
Investigations have shown, how
ever, that portions of a. least one
third of the 10, 600 routes now in oper-
alton are laid over bad or inferior
roads. Today the unimproved con-
dition of many of our country roads
forms the one great obstacle encoun-
tered in the extension of the rural
free delivery service. The experience
of the past two or three years has SO
thoroughly convinced the department
that the success of the service, the
ultimate perfection of it's operation,
depends upon the good condition of
the roads; that it now oxacts from
petitioners for the service an agree
ment on their part to improve the
roads, or to see that the proper author
tiles will do 80.
"The federal authorities are, of
course. powerless to force those
charged with the construction and
maintenance of roads to comply with
these requests, but they have it with
in their power at any time to with
draw the rural delivery service from
roads over which its operation is i'm
peded or rendered impossible on &C.
count of the lack of attention by the
state or county authorities. Only in
one or two instances has the depart
ment been compelled to resort to this
extreme. In almost every instance its
request is promptly complied with, by
both the road supervisors and the peo-
pie. In this way strong impetus has
been given to road Improvement in
Indiana, Ohio, Michiagn, Wisconsin
and Illinois.
Before the department establishes
the free delivery service in cities en-
titled to it under the law, the local !
authorities are required not only to |
number the houses, but to sidewalk
the streets, post the street names. and
to properly light the streets. Why, |
then, should it not insist upon q !
reasonably good road over which to
extend to the farmers of this country
the greatest benefit ever given them
by the government since its founda-
ton. When our farmers come to real
ize that they cannot have rural free
delivery as efficient as the service en-
joyce by their city cousins, unless the
country roads are put in condition to
make such service possible, they
will not only insist upon the necessary
road improvements, but will no doubt
willingly have their lands taxed for
that purpose.
| am firmly imbued with the idea
that the systematic building of good
roads, or rather a universal road sys-
'em in this country, is to play most
part in the rounding out of
our national greatness. in the develop
nent of our industrial resources, and
n the promotion of the happiness
md contentment of AL the people, 1
place this question upon a plane with
he school and the postal service.
The three are to my mind among the
most, if not the most effective means
through which the people may be
ri OF oi in tha Fv,n |
# material blessings here below. One
always places the school first, be-
;ause upon the proper education of
,ur children rests the future of our
nstitutionns I place tine mail SER
vice between the school and good
Dads, because it is great aid to
ach, and at the same time dependent
lpon both. Without education, the
nail service would be useless, and
without the mail service the means of
iffusing education would be lacking.
Without good roads, thoroughly
f1cient country mail service cannot
% maintained.
"About three years ago our late 9
amented president asked General
'itzhugh Lee what, in his Judgment,
hould be done to raise the standard of I
ducation in Cuba and Porto Rico.
zee, in his usual prompt manner,
splied, give them good postal SER
ice.
"The late postmaster general of
termany, the founder of the Universal
lnstal ,1ninn DIR Stanhan nnca said