The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-31
'FAVORITISM IS SHOWN.
SOUTH TREATED WRONGLY BY
 P0SToFTICE DEPARTMENT.
Result of the Investigation by MT. Bowie of the Methods Used in Establishment of Rural Free
 Delivery Routes.
Advertiser Bureau.
 Colorado Building,

Colorado Building, Washington, Dec. 30. The industry and intelligent discernment of two Southern Congressmen have we'll disclosed fragrant sectional and political l favoritism by the Postoffice Department
 in the establishment of rural free de-
 livery. routes. Just before the
 adjournment for the holidays, Rep-
 resentative Madox of Georgia, in a very vigorous speech, called attention to the unfairness of the distribution of routes. and his contention was not suc- cessfully controverted. Now, Representa- tive Bowie of Alabama, has found time during the holidays. by careful analysis and by other personal investigation to perform a task which not only more than sustains Mir. Maddox but renders an im- portant service to the promotion of the rural delivery system in the South. As result of his Investigations, MT. Bowie has sent to Fourth Assistant Post- master General Bristow letter which contain the following which Is material to the complaints made by the GeorgIa Representative:
 When Judge Maddox raised the issue
 in the House of Representatives that fa- voritism had been used in the location of rural free delivery routes to the detri- l ment of the Southern States, I thought
 
 explanation made to me, when a similar
 issue was raised by me at the Depart ment was that the reason that they had
 so many more special agents in the
 North than in the South was on account of the greater number of petitions filed there.
 Believing that there had been more dii- igence in the North in filing petitions
 accepted the explanation as correct. I aA tn hoe I r~aIlA
 had been discrimination in this service prior to the time it was put into your charge.
 Tn recently looking over your report
 found the discrimination which had
 suspected not only was in existence but to far greater extent than had in- ferred from the facts at hand. I refer to the figures as shown in your report for
 the fiscal year ending June 90, 1903 I do not know what the figures will show since that date, but am inclined to be-
 lieve that since that time the law has
 been fairly and equitably administered think 1t right, however, that a record should be made of protest against the condition of affairs that most certainty did exist up to the close of the period embraced In your report.
 "As result of my investigation have classed Maryland with the Northern
 States because, up to date of June 50, 1903, all of her districts have been rep resented by Republicans. Of the South ern States there are fourteen in the flg-
 ures cite. tO wit: Alabama, Arkansas,
 Florida. Georgia, Kentucky. Louisiana,
 Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vir- ginla and West Virginia.
 "I find that up to June 30, 1903, the Southern States had filed s,S5O petitions. the Northern States 20,934 petitions. You
 will see, if population is considered, that the number of petitions filed fin the South ern States is relatively about the same as in the North. There Is no material diff ference. But when we come to the routes established, tte ere are only 3,34 establish ed in the South as against Il. .13T estdb- lished in the North. In other words. only 37 Der cent. ot the petitions filed in the South obtained established routes while for the Nort'i the per centage is 5b 1 find that the South had only 5 per cent. of her petitions filed Investigated. while the North had 65 per cent. notice an- other striking condition. In the South g
 per cent. of the routes examined were re-
 jected and iE the North only 14 per cent. were rejected. This argues that the spe- ctal agents were either unduly exactlng in the South or very lax in the North, for the per centage of adverse reports in the South Is more than double that of the North. This disparity cannot be explain- ed on account of density of population. because a very much greater per ccntage of the Southern population Is rural in tine South than in the North; and in many Western States, where the percentage of adverse reports was very much smaller than in the South, the population Is not so dense.
 When 1t comes to county service, there can be no question whatever of the dis crimination to the extent of apparent fa- voritism. In all the Southern States there are only fifteen counties which were giv- en the county service. seven of these be- ing in two districts represented by Re publicans-the First Tennessee. represent ed by Brownlow, and the Fifth Kentucky, represented by Irving. In short. there were only seven Southern counties in Democratic districts which were given the full county service. and these PIP routes were established as agafyset 210 for | the two Republican districts represented | by Brownlow and Irving. |
 "In the Northern States where H coun- 1 ties were given the county service the | routes established numbered 2.2T6. These, | added to the 210 in the Brownlow and Irv- | ing districts. make total of 2,4S6 against | PIP for Southern Democratic districts. If | the South had been negligent in filing pe , titions in proportion to population, there | would of course be no reason for the ser- vice to be less there, but when the facts show that in proportion to population they have filed almost, or as many, as the North. the discrimination becomes incon- trovertibe do not charge this against the Department during your administrd- tion of the rural free delivery service. ce. cause at this writing have access to no complete figures to date, and because I believe your intention Is to give perfectly fair and impartial service to all sections. Still, do think. in view of the facts and the undeniable discrimination in the past, that the average percentage of the South ern routes established ought at least ap- proximately to be brought up to parity with that of the North. I am not to be understood as making personal complaint, for I have always received very coVr- teous treatment from your Department believe 1t Is but fair to protest against conditions which should be corrected as soon as possible.
 ..The injurious effects of this discrimi- nation is but partly indicated above. As vou yourself have remarked in conversa- tion. when service is incompletely es- tablished, the people adjacent and not re- ceiving it are clamorous for It's extension A prompt installation of the service In one section tends to multiply petitions Vexatious delays and rigid inspections in another section tends to discourage tine work there. Notwithstanding this evident principle. the South has almost kept pace with the North fin proportion to population in asking for the service; and the gross discrimination in acting upon petitions in .La nog% kotn in the number inVpstiRatCd