The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-16

~ a. regular mail service of four
INgNI round trips month, between
December list and March 3lst.
rms route was by way Of the Yukon
River and the North Boring Sea coast, a
distance OF 1000 miles, and was operated
throughout its entire length by means OF.
dog teams. Thus 1t will be seen that on
this route alone the mails were carried
approximately 10000 miles a month by
means OF dogs. These dogs subslsted on
dried salmon and they were able to make
tho trips without very geat difficulty, as
relay stations had been established at
intervals of about thirty miles. From
Ska gwayi or Dawson q person can now go
LOCO miles down the Yukon IN the win
ter time and depend upon finding food
and shelter at these stations. I,
In prosperous Western city private en-.
terprise has entered into competition with,
the government In delivering local mail
matter. Tho promoter underbIds the pos
tai rates, and is carrying sealed drop
letters throughout the city for cent each,
thus saving the sender cent on every
letter. The originator believes that the
plan upon which he has hit is such a good
ono that every large city In the country
will have adopted 1t In less than five
years, with the result that the govern7,
ment will be deprived of a considerable
income from tho sale of stamps IN the
great ccnters of population, unless the
Postofiice Department, for self-protection,
should reduce its local letter postage
rates through act Of Congress, which
alone can make the change The patrons
are large business houses and circular
advertisers. Some Of them send out thou-
sands OF local letters every month. One
feature of. tho olan is to dispense with
stamps The letters are counted and post
age paid In X bulk. as was done IN post
offices before stamps were introduced TO
the woman addicted to postal cards, who
in consequence thereof finds great dill
Guilty in closeting her family skeletons.
this scheme will appeal for its combined
secrecy and economy.
Proposed innovations are even more
startling and significant than any Of those
recently adopted. The promoters of the
postal savings bank the postal telegraph,
setc., arc still #insstent, but few or none
Of them exhibit any adequate conception
Of the vital Importance Of the account
ing function in the gigantic enterprise
their enactments contemplate. Not con-.
tent with these suggestions. some OF the
leading journals of the country urgently
invite attention to the esta bllshWent or
life insurance bureau, which snall Issue
policies guaranteed by the government,
and thereby provide another official
means for gathering In. investing and
distributing the savings of the people,
IN does not occur to the promoters Of this
and other enterprises OF State socialism
that failures and disappointments are
incident to all kinds Of commerclal ana
finacinal business; : that II theSgovernments
is TO protect. all its people against losses
nv Investments, financial, industrial and
otherwise, it must practically conduct all
the business Of the country. guarantee
prompt and liberal returns from al ella sses
Of Investments, and devise some now m
COMPREHENSIVE method OF raising funas
necessa nv to pay fat dividends TO an c't'-
zens, thus making universally sH, happS'
prosperous and contented people.
1e Il we're true, as some doubling pa
.triots are beginning to assume that the
only remedy for transporta Lon abuses is
to confscate the railroads and operate
them as 4 part Of our postal system, u
were nigh time to go into mourning over
the sad decadcnce of the republic. Given
government ownership OF over $l0,VO
900 worth OF railroad properties and gov
eminent control of those roads and their
/. 600, 900 employees, the entire communlstlc
programme would naturally follow. But
no such disaster impends. Public senti-
nent is still the ruler in the United
states, and that invincible force will
bring about such an adjustment OF this
railway dispute as will protect all the
rights Of the people and respect all the
rights OF the railway corporations.
That no pcnt-up Utica IS 10 contract
tho power CT our twentieth ceasury Amer
lean postal service may be gathered from
the following exuberant forecast w one
OF the advocates of Its illimitable extern
sion: "And think fit! The possibility
OF sending the goods things OF life from
any one home Is any other in all our
be extended to all the wcrld-at such
rates as these: One pound OF coffee, y
cent Il ten-pound bag of sugar, 5 cents;S
n basket Of peaches for 10 cents; a bushel
OF apples for Is cents: a box of oranges.
forty-quart can of milk, or q half-barrel'
OF flour for % cents. etc. once TINS ser
vice is secured our people Will indeed pc
very likely to exclaim: See how well
the postal service Is managed IN the IN
tercst OF us all and how cheaply y IS 4
operated; this Is our strong bulwark OF
defense, and illustrates In golden letters
that the true course for the government
!
operate all means Of trunsport2tion and
transmission Fortunate will 1t be for
our peorie when the management am
extension of the postal service sIiall nave
become the CHIEF emu ~ our natlonu
government, The will Of the people IS
the source, the happiness OF the people
the end OF all legitimate government Npch
earth To refrain from using ths POW
trs of government for the Advancement
of the people would be treachery 70 the
most sacred of trusts. SO said President
John Pulncy Adams in 1926. We may
we'll accept his dictum ms our guide To-
day
There are some proposed innovations
however, that are not open 70 the OBJ
jectons which so strongly obtain against
these paternalistc ventures, The demand
for convenient. safe3mcans Of remlttingS
small sums by mail calls attention % tney
fact that there are but three methods
now available, and each is In some re-
spects faulty. First. money order