The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-06-13
BIG POLITICAL PULL
Alleged Use Of the Rural Free
Delivery Service.
New York Paper Publishes Inside History Of
Postal investigation, Says Scheme Was
10 0verlurn Roosevelt.
Washington Post. }

Has the extensive organization of the
rural free delivery, beneficial to farmers
and widely popular in rural circles, been
also an instrument of warfare in the
hands of the Republican committee
against President Roosevelt? positive
assertion to that effect printed yesterday
by the New York World in the course
OF long account, purporting to be the
inside history Of the postoffice investiga-
ton, set Republican politicians here by
the ears. Friends of Senators Hanna and
Fairbanks came forward with most posi-
tive denials. Any idea that a President
should be made in part through such
means as rural free delivery of mail was
to them decidedly infuriating.
There IS no doubt whatever that the
rural delivery organization has become
political power and has been used as
such in divers localities President Roose-
velt's friends as one Of them expressed
it yesterday, regard the report as "snly, :"
so far as a Hanna Fairbanks machine is
concerned. But it has been no secret in
recent years that rural route agents have
been placed under the orders of Senators
oALAi 1NGpl E>GliHCtibdblNC t0upNl lAlbCAAANiiN
Machen year after year, is known to have
arportioned the large appropriations for
the rural service where it would do the
most good"
AROUSED NORTHERN DEMOCRATS.
1t was to this end that the agents were
from time to time directed to receive
specified orders not from the Washing
ton office, but from the Senator or Repre-
sentative to whose locality these agents
had been assigned Throughout the
Northern States this practice was follow
ed solely for the benefit Of Republicans,
but throughout the South certain Demo
Gratis were allowed some of the pork
where these Democrats could be of use
in aiding the general programme. The
few Northern Democrats in Congress have
not infrequently complained bitterly of
that
Last year there was most liberal ex-
penditure of money in establishing routes
in doubtful Congressional districts. In
many localities farmers who had been
clamoring for rural free delivery service
for two or three years were surprised and
pleased to hear that the service had been
ordered shortly before the election Con
gressmen seeking reelection were so inn
pressed with the advantage that would
come politically from the creation of new
routes ON the eve of the election that they
persuaded the superintendent Of the sys-
tenn to establish 500 new routes a month
for the months Of July, August, septem-
Der, October and November, the service
in each case to begin on the first day OF
the month.
MACHEN WAS VERY COMPLIANT.
This was double the number originally
fixed in the schedule. The amount avail
able for new routes during the year was
81, 500 600, a sum sufficient to establish s.,
500 new routes Under the pressure Of
the politicians superintendent Machen put
in 1000 of the routes during the first
five months of the fiscal year. Then he
asked for an additional appropriation of
$500 900, which Congress, feeling good over
the result of the election, naturally grant
fTT,vnt-