The National tribune., 1902-03-13

in the way of a postal service without
giving fair consideration to the postal
needs of rural communities.
''To what extent our farmer friend has
| been Disseminated against in the past
may best be demonstrated by following
letter under the old system from the
time it leaves the farmers hand, say, in
| Illinois, until it reaches his correspondent
| in New York City, and the reply as it
leaves New York City and eventually
reaches the farmer.
After putting off writing for several
days on account of fatigue, the farmer
finally musters up energy enough to write
his letters; bitches the old gray mare that
has probably worked all day at the plow
or moving machine and drives five or six
miles to the nearest p0stoffce, where he
deposits his letter. From that point it
is taken by star route to the railroad Of
fee, where it is put aboard the postal car.
At Chicago it catches the flying mail for
New York City, a train made up wholly
of postal cars. When this train reaches
Albany corps of experienced distribu-
ters board it and make distribution of
mail for New York City, so that the mail
will go direct from the railroad station
to the branch pOstOffices. The mail is
received in New York, sent with all pos
sble speed TO the respective stations, and
our farmers letter is hurried to its des-
tination. 1t has from six to nine chances
of delivery during the day, for the car
riers of New York make that number of
deliveries every week day. The letter is
delivered to the very desk of the ad-
dressee, is promptly answered, and the
reply carried by the Office boy to the near
est mail-bOX, probably located directly in
front of the establishment, or within it.
Here it has 81 chances to be taken up
by the collection service, for there are 81
collections made in lower New York
every day. 1t soon finds its way into
the New York & Chicago r. r. P. o., and
is hurried on to Chicago, and sent out to
the village for which it is intended. In
many instances the train does not stop,
and the pouch is thrown off. If it is not
drawn under the train and ground to
pieces, our farmers letter will reach his
postOfIice, where it remains until he comes
after it. There is no uniformed letter
carrier there waiting to rush the letter to
the farmer; it must await someone from
the farm. He may come in a week, or,
if it is harvesting time, the busy season
of the farmer, perhaps two weeks.
Napoleon used to say that if allowed
to lie long enough a letter would answer
itself Many letter addressed to the
farmer has answered itself, or, in other
words. has gone unanswered.
"All this has been changed by rural
free delivery. The letter box erected
along the rural route is a standing invita-
ton to the farmer to write letters. He
accepts the invitation. He does not hes
itate to write, even if he is fatigued, be-
cause he knows the letter will be called
for at the farm gate and its answer event
ually delivered to him at the same spot.
Increased facilities bring increased
business. The truth of this axiom has
been fully demonstrated within the past
two years by rural free delivery. Col
lections from rural routes increase from
% to 40 per cent, showing that rural
communities are quick to take advantage
of the facilities extended to them by the
service.
Il recall a statement made to me by
well-to-do farmer in Carroll County, Md,
which practically illustrates how the peo-
pie will patronze the mail service if they
have an opportunity to do so. / had just
expressed the opinion that rural free de-
livery would eventually be a great rev
enue producer. Your statement said
he, is not surprising to me, for if all 9TH
ers have the same experience that l have
had, Uncle Sans postal service will sure
ly make money out of rural free delivery.
Before you established the service in this
county my postage bill amounted to 50
or So a year; now every time the rural
wagon comes over the hill my boys and
girls think they ought to have a letter for
it, and my postage bill is 81 or So
month Then, too, notice that everyone
of them has subscribed for a magazine or
some picture papers. Everyone who has
watched the course of this service and
seen the results of its introduction does
not hesitate to say that it is the greatest
boon ever vouchsafed the farmers of this
country. 1t places them in touch with
the outside world, keeps them posted on
currents events, causes improvement of
roads, enhances the value of the farm and
r..
life the monotony and social isolation
which are largely responsible for the de-
sertion of the farm by young men who
seek the excitement of our large cities.
Rural free delivery, in short brings the
city and the country into a closer and
more satisfactory relationship.
1T is fully agreed that rural free de-
livery. Is no longer an experiment AL
though it is only five years old, it has be-
come an assured, permanent and expand