The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-29
MARVELGvSGROWTA!
OF RURAL DELIv-
cry SYSTEM
1t Will Crowd Out All the
Fourth-Class Postoffices-
Secretary Shaw Slips a
Cog as to Heatwole the
Handsome.
-, c,,oho 1Ua.,,na+or p,reau

From Globe Washington Bureau.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 2S.-The
rural free delivery system is spreading
in the United States at the rate OF over
10000 new routes a year. Each route IS
about twenty-five miles in length and
serves at least 100 families. At this
rate the postoffice department figures
that by July 1, 1905, all available terri
tory will be covered by rural free de-
livery.
The amount of additional mail mat
ter which this will put into the hands
of the people of the United States is
almost beyond comprehension. But the
records show that single year of
rural delivery increases the amount an
average of from 40 to rs per cent. The
people living in the country district
covered by rural routes get just that
much more mail as compared with the
amount they received when it was nee
essary to go or send to the village and
get the mail from the postoft1ce.
The old fourth class poStofices will
soon be wiped out. Each route takes
the place of an office; so, by 1905, about
$4,000 to 10000 offices will have been
replaced. $
The postal appropriation bill for this
year provides for 10000 additional
routes to be established during the
next fiscal year. On Jan. 1, 1903, there
were 12,473 rural routes. On Jan. 1, of
the year previous, there were 6,211. So
year hence there will be approx
mately $4,000 rural routes in operation.
A couple of years more will see the
system completed so far as it is ap-
plicable by reason of physical condi-
tons and the distribution of the popu-
lation. Every month counties are be-
ing cleaned up. In some instances it
Will be necessary to rearrange routes;
but from now on all will be done with
a view to universal establishment Of
the service.
The first rural free delivery was es-
tablished Oct. 1, 1896. Perry Heath
was assistant postmaster general, and
to him more than to any other is due
the present establishment of this very
popular means for perfecting the car
rying and distribution of mail matter.
Didn't Know Our Joel.
The secretary of the treasury has
not been in Washington long enough
to get the run of all the three hundred
ana more congressman who are likely
To drop in on him, and, until the other
day, he did not have it fixed in his
mind that Representative Joel Heat
Wole is one of Minnesota's senatorial
possibilities, and that the Northwest
ern statesman had declined renom-
1nation for congress in order that he
might be more free to take part in
the politics of his state. In fact, Mr.
Shaw nodded for the moment and quite
tailed to place the gentleman whose
card had been brought in by a mes
Senger. So, just to make things pleas
ant and to keep the conversational
ball rolling, he inquired: And how
long do you expect to be in the city,
Mr.. Heatwole ?"
The Republican boss of Minnesota
shot meaningful glance at the secre-
tary and replied in slow, deliberate
tones: Until about the 4th of March,
Mr.. Secretary"
Whereupon fourteen messengers
We're summoned in haste to shovel a
pain through the snow and ice.
Fuel Oil DispIacing Coal.
The importation of coal into Califor-
MIA has fallen off, says Representative
Metcalf, of Oakland 500, 900 tons dur
Ing the past year. This is due to the
substitution of fuel oil. The oil is
found in Keene county and the Stand
ard company is building a pipe line
400 miles in length to transport the
oil from the wells to the factories
The line will discharge on the coast at
Richmond. In San Francisco many
householders are using fuel oil in
kitchen stoves and pronounce 1t en-
tfrely satisfactory. When that local
ity was dependent on coal the price
of anthracite was 81 a ton in whole
sale lots. Now Gil can be contracted
for to cover q, period of five years at a
price equivalent to coal at $3.50 a ton
Order Of Sacred White Elephant.
1t is coming to be one of the regular
amusements in the house Of representa-
t1Ves these days to upset the leaders,
since last winter, when the first up-
set occurred, it has become quite easy
to toss into the ditch the old crowd
known as the Payne Dalzell- Grosven-
or-Hopkins combine. On account OF
the fact that these are the ways and
means committee members who have
always guarded the tariff so assidu-
ously, they have come to be known
In the clcakrooms as 1.-The Order of the
Sacred White Elephant" In the SEN
ate there is a similar order, the Sacred
Whites in that body being that ring OF
which Aldrich, Platt, of Connecticut
Fairbanks, Spooner and Hanna are the
principal links. There is a growing re.
bellion in the upper house against tn,
autocratic rule of these senators, anC
1T is predicted by members of the sen.
ate that the performances witnessed IL
the house will be repeated at no distan
q date at their end Of the capitol TIL,
Order of the Sacred White Elephant
they say, must go.
"SaIIi9 OH 0IdtS department.
The Venezuelan situation is becom
ing q little too strained and compll
Gated for the peace of mind of our stat
department. While nothing may hap
pen for eighteen months, or never
something might happen tomorrow. ]
is one of those situations. Things ar
doing beneath the surface, and they ar
not entirely pleasant things. 1t i
largely question Of motive, and some
thing may crop out at any hour which
will reveal the sinister motiVe; the
the fat is in the fire.
1t looks to our diplomats too mucl
as II Germany were trying to entanel
the United States in the difficulties G
foreign alliance or to force a sho5
of our hand On the subject Of the Mon
roe doctrine. The Monroe doctrin
does not mean that the United State
pledges the peace or immunity of al
this continent. 1t does not mean tina
European powers cannot wage Just c
unjust wars on South American repub
lies. 1t does not mean that the Unite
States will do police duty or pledg
protection to sister republics. All
ever did mean is that the United State
will resent any effort to extend mon
archial government in the new worlC
After the bombardmentS are over
we are interested in what takes plac
then. There must be no settling down
no colonization; no presumption Of au
thority; no extension or exercise {
sovereignty. All such will be resiste
bV fOfco-war