The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-12

tained early enough in the morning, uis- play signals are carried by each car rier. In this way, the farmer by glance at the passing wagon, knows Just
 what the weather probabilities are rms is information our up-to-date farmers are
 anxious to receive, and the fact that the rural carrier conveys 1t to him, makes the rural delivery service still more val
 uable to the rural communities.
 One of the geatest advantages the rural
 mail service gives the farmer is the daily
 newspaper. This not only keeps hun posted on current events. but also pro" vides him with very important informA- tion about the daily markets upon which
 he must depend for prices of farm pro ducts. In the localities from which our
 great markets are daily supplied with cattle and produce. 1t is of vital import
 ance to the shipper to know whom to ship to or to obtain the best prices, or when to hold for rising market. Here tofore, the farmer, remote from the mar ket, had to depend almost entirely on the market quotations given him by the ouy-
 CT. Now he can consult. the same mar ket reports every day that the buyer receives and through the same medium. the daily press. You may be surprised
 to hear that in many places the morn ing paper reaches the hands Of the far- mer as soon as 1t does the resioent or
 the large city in which it is published:
 Indeed, many of the farmers of Carroll County, Md, read the Baltimore morn- ing papers before most of the residents
 
 vice, my friends, may be fairly styled ideal. It Is sure the country mall sec. | vice of today has reached degree or perfection never dreamed of by our fore | fathers, who in the days of the stage | coach and corduroy roads. had to be con- l tent with a weekly mail and month old | newspapers Never in the history or our | postal service has there b0en any other | departure or undertaking as Tar reacnins
 and important, and as satisfactory to the | people as the rural free delivery service | The other features of the postal services l are great conveniences, but to make use
 of them. and to be benefited by them, the | people must go to the postofilce. The
 rural free delivery service differs from
 them in that 1t goes to the people, car rying with it the same conveniences to
 be obtained at well managed post
 office. t.'-.'7 f-, ',r' It goes without saying that the great
 service, which I have described to be
 efficient and satisfactory, must be per-
 formed with regularity and punctuality. | The farmer, for whom the Pural carrier
 now acts as postmaster, has to know with some degee of certainty the time l the carrier will arrive at his gate every
 day. otherwise he would frequently lose | time and be put to other inconvenience | awaiting the arrival of the carrier. EY- cry one will see at once that an efti- | cient service Is only possible over good
 roads, over bad ones 1t cannot be main | taned. '
 So anxious are the people to obtain
 the blessing of rural delivery that some | counties have formally agreed in aJ-
 vance to stone or gravel all of the roa Is
 in order to secure the installation of the | county system of rural delivery:
 The Department establishes the free
 delivery service in cities entitled to 1t 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 a | reasonably good road over which to ex- | tend to the farmers of this country the | greatest benefit ever given them by the l Government since its foundation? When our farmers come to fully realize that | they cannot have rural free delivery as efficient as the service enjoyed by their | city cousins unless the country roads are put in condition to make such a service | possible, they will not only insist upon | the necessary road Improvements, but | will no doubt willingly have their lands l taxed for that purpose. l am firmly inn
 bued with the idea that the systematic | building of good roads m this country is | to play most important part In the | rounding out of our national greatness.
 in the development of our industrial re- 1 sources and in the promotion of the hap | piness and contentment of all the people.
 The sturdy old American, General Jack | son, who gave the interests of the postal
 service much careful thought and study, | wrote in one of his annual messages to Congress that the postal oervfce was | chiefly important as affording the
 means of diffusng useful knowledge. It
 is to the body polite, said he, what | the veins and arteries are to the natural.
 conveying rapidly and regularly to the re-
 motest parts of the system correct in-
 formation of the operations of the Gov
 ernment, and bringing back to 1t the wishes and feelings of the people. | Through its agency we have secured to
 ourselves the full enjoyment of the bless l ings of the free press.
 The late Postmaster General of Ger
 many, the founder of the Universal Pos | tai Union, Dr. Stephan, once said: Show me a countrys postal service and the | conditions under which 1t is operated, and I will gauge the intelligence of her people," If Dr. Stephan could be pres 1 ent with us today I think he could easily thing like this: show me the roads of community and I will first describe its postal service, tell how well its schools
 are attended and then easily gauge the intelligence of it's residents"
 So it may be said that in the country
 everything practically depends upon the
 roads. A good road means cheap hauling
 for the farmer and prompt and easy communication between the farm and the city. Good roads will All the schools
 and insure for them a good attendance
 under all conditions of weather. Good roads. and good roads only, will make
 an efficient rural free delivery service possible. This the people want above all other facilities.
 It is quite apparent, then, that the so- lution of the good roads question lies | largely in the rapid and systematic ex- | tension of the rural free delivery service.
 A good rural service means good roads. | and as the people insist upon the former, | they must eventually obtain the latter.