Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-08-18

the standing grain and the line of
brown sacks has passed one Of the
greatest triumphs Of American ma
chinery, the combined harvester and
thresher.-World's Work.
THE RAILROAD MAIL SERVICE.
Every Passenger Train to Be Under
Protection Of tho Government.
Postmaster General Payne, accord
ing to Washington letter to the New
York Tribune, has decided on an i'm
portant step, which will practically
put the railroads of the country under
the protection Of the United States
government and prevent interference
with Interstate commerce by strik-
ers. This will be accomplished by
making every railroad train mail
train and by commissioning railroad
conductors, baggage masters and 9TH
er trainsmen as employees Of the Uni
ted States postal service and empower
lnB lucII "
Postmaster General Payne and As
sistant Postmaster General Shallenber-
ger have had the matter under consid-
Grafton for several months. The agita-
ton, however. which really led to the
adoption Of the new policy has been
growing for several years, and like so
many other important steps adopted
by the postofflce department Of late
years, Is the result of the tremendous
growth of the rural free delivery SER
vice. This service has resulted in more
than quadrupling the circulation OF
newspapers throughout the country In
the period Of six years.
Protests were. received at the de-
partments from the entire country re-
garding the inefficiency Of the mail
train service. Officials have endeav-
ored to devise a means Of relief. At
ter long consideration 1t was thought
impossible to arrange any plan which
would prove satisfactory to the gov
ernment, railroads, publishers Of news
papers and the millions Of subscribers.
The fact that the government requires
all mails to pass through the post
offices and handles them only In sealed
pouches was the greatest drawback to
the quick service desired, and In fact,
to the sending Of United States mails
on any except mail trains.
The postofice officials declined to
enter into an agreement whereby they
would be responsible for mail not car
ried in closed pouches and handled by
sworn employees. Nothing was done
until Mr.. Shallenberger gave the mat
ter his personal consideration and de-
vised a new plan. 1t Is really an am
phfication Of the system used by the
publishers of newspapers in sending
out their mail editions. 1t has been
the practice Of publishers to intrust
bundles of papers to trainmen on trains
which do not carry mail, with instruc-
tions to throw off the packages at GER
tain points. This system has not been
entirely satisfactory.
The government has now decided to
assume the responsibility for the car
riage and delivery Of these newspapers
and will commission and pay salaries
to the trainmen over and above the
compensation received for the regular
work In putting into effect this far
reaching policy each case where addi-
tional facilities are needed will be con-
sidered separately. When the request
for additional mail train facilities is
received at the department an en-
ployee Of the railway mail service will
be assigned to the case and will attend
to the preliminaries Of looking to the
commissioning Of trainmen as en-
ployees Of the postal service and Of ar
ranging the schedules.
Any train-passenger local or freight
will be empowered to carry mails,
and the United States will hold itself
responsible for their delivery. This
means that in case Of a strike every
train which carries these special mails
will be just as much under the author
ity and protection Of the Federal gov
ernment as through and local mail
trains which run on a regular daily
schedule, and when all the arrange
ments have been made and the plans
of the department put into effect there
will be few trains which are not either
regular or special mail trains.
In case Of interference with any Of
these specials during the time of strike
or mob violence the United States must
under the statutes afford it the same
protection. by Federal troops If neces-
sary, that has been and will be given
to the regular mail trains.
There are some preliminaries still
to be arranged with railroads, but there
is not the slightest reason for doubt
that the various systems will gladly
avail themselves Of the privilege ex-
tended to them for securing the al
most absolute immunity from mob
violence by Federal protection. The
government will be permitted to settle
upon the salary to be paid to the train
men, At the coming session Of con-
gress, Postmaster General Payne will
ask for special appropriation to pay
the salaries of these special employees.