The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-09
TOTAL ROUTES NUMBER $4,000
WHOLE COUNTRY TO BE SERVED IN
TWO AND A HALF YEARS MORE.
Fully One Thousand Routes in In
diana, About 40 Per Cent. of the
State Being Covered.
stan Correspondence of the Journal.

as early each day the city man, fully
realizes the magnitude of the rural delivery
service of this country. 1.-THE story Of
how the first rural delivery route was es-
tablished is rather interesting" remarked
A. w. Machen, general superintendent of
the free delivery system, to the Journal
correspondent. In half hours chat he
outlined something of the details of the
big department of which he is at the head.
In the conduct of the rural delivery sys-
tenn of the country $50 people are employed
in an executive capacity. Two hundred and
sixty-eight of these are here in Washing
ton, and 150 of this number are women.
1t is said the women of the rural free de-
livery department are capable of the most
| thorough and effective work of any depart
| ment of the government in which women
are employed. One Of the cleverest of all
the employees in this department is an In
diana woman, Miss Ina 8. Leibhardt, of
Milton, daughter of the superintendent of
the Dead Letter Office. Miss Leibhardt is
| chief clerk to A w. Machen, and knows
| the rural delivery business thoroughly. An
| other Indiana woman employed in this de-
| partment is Miss Gertrude Rosenthal, of
Logansport, who stands between the chief
| of the system and the congressman who are
| clamoring for new routes in their districts
Much of the correspondence of this char
acter falls into Miss Rosenthars hands.
You will recall that the first three ap-
preparations provided by Congress for an
experiment in rural free delivery were not
disbursed by the department. said Mr..
Machen. These appropriations were for
the fiscal years of 1894, 1895 and 1896 The
postmaster general of that day was opposed
| to further extensions of free delivery, but
| Notwithstanding his opposition and failure
to make estimates for an experiment, Con-
! gress not only repeated the appropriation
from year to year, but for the fiscal year
| of 1897 provided an appropriation of $40 600,
! quadrupling the original amount William
l.. Wilson had succeeded Mr.. Bissell as
| postmaster general. and while he did not
| look with favor on rural free delivery
| system, ne construed the action of Con-
| gress in quadrupling the appropriation
| without recommendation from the depart
| ment as determination on the part of
Congress that the money should be spent
| for the purpose for which it intended.
| Mr.. Wilson, therefore, ordered that steps
be taken to use the $4,000 placed at his dis
posal for the experiment. This was in
| August, 1898.
FIRST EFFORTS.
II recall well the conference with the
|
cussed for the introduction of the first
route. Ten postoffice inspectors picked
from the very best of the force, were de-
tailed from my office to aid i'm the intro
duction of the service. AS L look back to
the first meeting of these postal experts /
recall some of the queer notions and
ideas entertained by the different inspec-
tors as to what rural free delivery meant,
|
whether or not the people would take to
1t. The force was about evenly divided
on this subject Some felt sure the average
| country citizen would prefer the opportun-
ity to make a weekly visit to the cross
roads postoffice where the neighborhood
gossip was discussed and questions of
politics and national affairs readily set
tied. On the other hand some of the in
spectors were convinced that the people
would prefer delivery of the mail to
their homes, especially the daily papers
OF course details were discussed and many
questions entered into which have since
been easily solved. AT first it was generally
believed the service would be limited to
the mere delivery and collection OF ordi-
nary mail matter, no one at that time
dreaming that the service would ever be
developed to such an extent to make
the rural carrier veritable travelling
postmaster, carrying with him all of the
| facilities of the postoffice enjoyed by the
resident of the city.
Six years ago the issuing of payment OF
/ a
an ordinary rural carrier would have giver
the average postoffice inspector cold chill
The argument usually advanced that such
| a system would increase depreciation.
and loss as to cause a Quadrupling of tn.
| entire force. of inspectors. has long sine.
been refuted by actual practice. 1t is al
most beyond belief. but nevertheless 3
fact. that during the last fiscal year tn,
| postoffice department was compelled to cal
| upon the bondsmen of but one rural CARRIE
of the $500 employed to make good tn,
4 81. Of of
funds. This point appears still more force
full when / tell you that over $4,000 none,
orders were issued through rural carrier.
| last year. aggregating in the neighborhoot
, of 81, 100000.
But to get back to the first route.
was established at Charlestown Jefferso,
county, West Virginia, the home of Post
master General Wilson. 1t started Oct
1885, So, you see, this service which nov
covers about one-third of the area of tn
United States is but little over six year
old. 1t is hardly necessary TO say tina
the methods in vogue to-day in the inves
tigation of petitions for service are entirel,
different from those employed by the In
/ spector who. without precedent. rule O
former experience in rural service
grouped around Charlestown when he un
dertook TO lay out rural routes at tina
point. There was no thought then of tn
, discontinuance of country postoffices |
was rather the intention OF those havin
charge of the service not TO disturb IN
postoffices. but to undertake to deliye
mail by carrier from every postofiice to ii
| patrons. 1t was not long until the agent
found the postofffces too thickly located (
2 find room for carrier in the territory q
each office, and the present system of dis
placing star routes and disseminating un
necessary postofices was gradually devel
| | oped. The service at Charlestown W. Va
| was laid out without regularity. Their
: | attempt to confne the carrier I
, the traversing Of certain roads to make u
a route. He was simply given the mail @
| patrons of that office and told to deliver 4
| 1t MADE no difference then whether he too
down fences and crossed private propert
| not. He was simply charged with til
: duties of getting the mail to the residenc
: of the farmer. This has all been change
and the carrier required to travel certai
roads and TO deliver mail into boxes erect
. |. ed conveniently at the roadside.
: RAPID GROWTH.
! In the beginning twenty-nine point
were selected throughout this country. an
r before July !. 1897 forty-three routes wer
D in operation. AS i have just stated. tn
= opinion OF the postofiice officials was abou
evenly divided as to the result Of the es
pertinent. 1 might say that the pessimisi
were in the majority. but when the first ri
r ports were received at the department the
q found themselves In a hopeless mInorit,
!. In fact but one postmaster OF the invent,
e nine. made an adverse report. He lived
= Kentucky. 1t Is interesting to say this
= l <b> .wDoctaffop Of ne. rno9f extrava