The Washington times., 1902-03-05
Bill Affecting Rural Carriers
Unlikely to Pass.
VOTE MAY BE REACHED TODAY
Mr.. Lands Declares He Would Resign
From Congress Il HHe Knew no More
About Subject Than Chairman Loud,
of Postoffice Committee.


free delivery carriers under the contract
system was taken up.
The bill is evidently quite unpopular.
although it had two strong advocates yes
terday in Mr.. Gardner (Rep.. N. j. and
Mr.. Williams (Dem., Miss.). vote may
be reached on the bill today, but its
| chances for passage are not bright.
Mr.. Lands (Rep., Ind) began the dis
cussion yesterday by opposing the meas
ure. vigorously attacking the contract
system. He said rural free delivery
was a valuable service.
Begun four years ago. there were now
nearly 5000 such carriers.
Mr.. Landis' Attack.
Mr.. Landis ridiculed Mr.. Loud's state
ment that the carriers would become
strong enough to intimidate Congress and
| threaten members He said the Post
office Department would speedily take
steps to prevent any such violation OF its
rules. as 1t had done before.
| He said the impression Mr.. Loud left
| upon the House was none other than that
he was opposed to rural free delivery. He
| said $500 was not enough pay for car
riers; he would pay them $500 to 81. 100.
! according to their routes.
Mr.. Loud's Interruptions
| Much of the time Mr. Lands had the
| floor he was engaged in colloquies with
Mr.. Loud, who repeatedly interrupted him.
=! Mr.. Loud accused Mr.. Landis Of not
knowing anything about postofflce matters.
Mr.. Landis retorted by saying that he
| would resign his seat in Congress, go
home, and stay there IL he knew TO more
about the subject under discussion than
did Mr.. Loud, the chairman of the COM
mittee.
There was no excuse. no demand, for
! the bill, he said. The genial chairman of
| the committee (Mr. Lord must have hyp--
Noticed the other members of the commit
tee to induce them to report the meas
ure.
Mr.. Maddox tDem.. Cal also opposed
the bill. II this sort of reform was to
be entered upon, he said. it should be ex-
tended to the postal carriers in the cities,
and their routes put under contract. and
the railway mall clerks as we'll.
Star Route Disgrace.
Mr. Maddox said the passage OF the bill
would place the rural free delivery ser.-
ice upon the same plane as the star
route service. and that. "of all things that
represent the Government, is the most dis
graceful and damnable.''
1t would open up the race question, and.
in the settlement of that, Mr. Maddox said.
the North could not help, but could in
terfere much. If for no other>reason he
would oppose the proposition.
Mr.. Maddox was of the opinion that
colored people in the South were eligible
under the provisions of the bill, but said
that they were Objectionable. At this
point the Booker I. Washington dinner
incident was referred to by Representative
Sims Dem, TENN who Interrupted Mr.
Maddox and said: ''Since they have got
so they can eat at the White House,
don't you think they will do TO carry the
mail?"
Il don't want to go into the matter"
replied Mr.. Maddox, and the Democrats
laughed.
Examination of Carriers.
Mr.. Smith Dem. Ky). supporter of the
bill. rid;culed the regulations made by the
Civil Service Commissioners for the ex-
animation of candidates for appointment
as rural free delivery carriers. They
would not change the present condition,
he asserted.
Partisan influence would still be potent
in affecting appointments. The contract
system. he insisted, was the only fair and
impartial method of dealing with the
matter.
Mr.. Gardner tRep., N. J) argued at
some length in support of the contract
system. He said the opponents of the
measure presented & lame excuse for their
opposition by their reference to the old
star route frauds. which were passed and
buried long ago and could not occur again
The terms of the bill itself precluded
repetition of any such frauds, as it pro-
hibits subletting and provides that one
person shall have no more than one route.
An Important Problem.
This bill. said Mr.. Gardner, was not
premature. if it should compel the House
to think of the subject to which it relates
1t presented in his opinion, the most
important political and financial problem
the people had met in many years. If
ever. 1t was an underestimate to say
that in the near future the service would
include 30,000.000 of people, 50 900 car
riers, and cost Of more than 800, ,0O0, ,000
In a coiloquy with Mr. Lands Mr. Gard
ner said the question of uniform salaries
with city carriers was not involved in
the present consideration.
He warned the House against the grow
ing political influence of the rural car
riers, already, in his opinion, dangerous
in the House.
Horse and Wagon Allowance.
The bill was antagonized by Mr.. Hill
(Rep.. Conn.,, who advocated the continu-
ance of the salary system. with horse
and wagon allowance. as the best and fair
est method of dealing with the service.
He did not fear the political influence OF
body OF salaried carriers as much as
he did that of a gang or body of favored
political bidders. That, he asserted, was
possible feature under the bill reported
by the committee This policy would pro-
vide n service of which the Government
and the people would be proud
1t might be all very vel! to make some
experiments with the contract system
and allow the Postofiice Department to
report upon its efficiency to Congress next
year, but he did not believe in making
the contract system compulsory.
Mr.. Williams Dem. Missl in adyo-
eating the bill, said that if the system
were to be carried out to its full possi-
bilities there would be more than 7000e
routes in the United States. The cost
would within few years reach between
s75. 100000 and s16o,c@a eco a year. He
thought hsA lass md hn NJ