The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-12

"You seem to be making your argu-
ment clear" remarked the judge. "And
now what follows?"
Nov suppose that some man writes
an article or makes speech in which
he asserts that the government should
acquire by purchase or condemnation
the property of the American Postal
Delivery Company pay them fair
price for their actual assets and con-
duct the postal business for the benefit,
not of stockholders, but of the people.
Don't you think such a man would be
looked upon with suspicion? Mind you,
we are assuming that no one has ever
heard of public postal system. What
do you think, Jenkins?"
But we've always had a postoffice
SYSTEM" objected Jenkins. There's no
other way to run one."
"And now suppose that this crazy
reformer goes into prophetic details. -
calmly proceeded the colonel. He de-
clares that it is possible to carry let
tiers for two cents instead of ten and
twenty cents He asserts that the
motive should be service instead of
profits, and insanely declares that 1t
is practical to carry a letter 5000 miles
for the same rate that is charged for
half mile. Do you suppose any one
would listen to him? The trust, If It
paid any attention to his rawlings,
would denounce him as an enemy to
vested interests. Every small stock
holder would recognize in his theory
a menace to dividends. Wise editorial
writer's would prove that the govern
ment has no right to engage in any
business other than police duty. 1t
would be urged that a government
postoffice would create an army of
officials which would have elections
at their mercy. 1t would be proved
that the government could not posi-
bly, make "a national postal system a
success even if it dared attempt it,
Where would they get the brains? Who
would guarantee against wholesale and
petty thieVery? The whole thing would
be sneered at and reviled as an Utopian
dream, well enough in theory perhaps
but possible of realization only in
some future time when selfishness has
been eliminated from human nature"
You make strong case against GER
tain of our logicians," admitted Judge
Sawyer. "Of course you are aware
that the government loses money on
it's postal service at the present time.
1t is small, of course, but there is a
loss"
There is a loss, is there?" exclaim-
ed Col. Monroe with some warmth. IT
did not expect that from you, Judge
Sawyer. If the government loses
money, to whom does it lose it? If you
pay two cents for a stamp when you
should pay three, who is the gamer ?
The government spends millions of dol
lars year building lighthouses, main
tanning a life-saving service, dredging
harbors, conducting an agricultural de-
partment of incalculable benefit to the
farmers, also a scientific and expert
mental department which challenges
the admiration of the world, and every
cent 1t expends on these magnificent
institutions is a direct loss, according to
your theory. You know, or should
know, that were it not for the fact
that the government is shamelessly
robbed by the railroad companies in
the matter of charges for hauling mail
cars, it could at once establish a 1-cent
postage rate and derive a surplus from
the service"
you therefore urge. suppose, that
the government should take possession
Of the meat industry" remarked Judge
Sawyer
II have not done so" returned the