The Western news., 1904-08-03
Rural Free Delivery an Aid.

Frank E. Nevins, of the United States
Postottice Department, delivered an
address In which he said:
"The establishment Of the rural free
delivery of mail throughout the coun-
try has produced a marked improve
ment in the condition of the highways.
When there is prospect Of rural free
delivery in community, work imme-
diately begins on the roads. There
are now in operation $4,000 rural
routes over which carriers travel $780,
600 miles delivering mail to about
100000 people. More than $4,000
bridges have been constructed over
streams that would not have been
built If it had not been for the estab-
lishment of the free delivery system.
Nearly every portion Of the country,
where road conditions will warrant 1t,
is now supplied with this service. But
in many sections the bad conditions of
the roads, or the lack of bridges, pre-
vent the extension of the service. The
rural carrier Of a standard route Is
now expected to travel about twenty
five miles each day to earn his salary
of 5000 year. He Is required to fur
nish and maintain his own outfit and
team, and to give bond Of $500 for
the faithful performance Of his duties.
Experience has demonstrated that this
distance Is too great on account of the
bad condition Of the roads So many
carriers have resigned, thereby caus-
ing much confusion and labor in the
department, that the Congress just ad-
journed has been compelled to add
$17O a year to the salaries of the car
riers of the country. This increase Of
salaries amounts to about $4,OOO,OOO
year additional that the department
has to pay to maintain this service on
account Of bad roads. Over a good
graveled or macadamized pike road
carrier can easily make twenty-five
miles day six times a week. With
the roads as they are, it is question
whether the next Congress will not be
called upon to add another $4,0OO,OOO
to the salaries of the carriers.
Under the road laws Of most Of the
Western States at the present time
work Is done upon the roads in the fall
by the various road districts, when
there Is no work to be done on the
farms. In the spring this work disap-
pears. Nothing permanent remains,
and the roads are in as bad condition,
or worse, than they We're before. The
Of lnA %o ,,,ilo %ho
construction Of hard roads in this
Western country is too great, in most
instances, for road districts, townships
and counties to bear; neither is 1t
right that they should bear the entire
cost. The public at large, which shares
directly or indirectly in the benefits,
should contribute to the expense.
There never will be good roads in this
country until the National Government
takes the initiative in this movement,
and the respective States Of the Union
join in with liberal contributions, and
this again is supplemented by local
enterprise. Continental Europe, Eng
land and Ireland are covered with
hard broad pixies built at the expense
of the governments of those countries.
No country in the world ever vet had
or ever will have permanent and pass
able highways constructed and MAIN
tanned by local authority.
"Sixty per cent of the population Of
this country lives in the cities and vii
lages; 40 per cent lives in the country.
1t is not fair or just to place the en-
tire burden of good roads upon the
shoulders of the farmer The general
public shares directly or indirectly in
the benefits and should bear the ex-
pense of an equitable tax for this pur-
pose on all assessable values. The
then be as light as a summer shadow.
While this specter of taxation may
frighten some of our skittish country
friends and cause them to rear and
plunge little, they will find on closer
inspection that the goblin is harm
less creation Of the Imagination. They
will get back in benefits ten times
more than they will pay out in taxes.
"Why some Of our friends spurn
Government aid when 1t Is offered
them l cannot understand. They claim
to be opposed to it on principle, and
can see no good in it. There are some
people so constructed that when look
ing into pool of water they can nev-
er see the sky and the clouds above 1t
reflected on its surface, but only the
mud at the hOttOm
This Government never fails to do
the right thing in the end. 1t will not
fail to do the right thing in this in
stance. The impetus given to this
movement by a few progressive states:
men who introduced measures in Con-
gress last winter authorizing national
aid in the construction Of highways,
will ultimately produce the results
aimed at. 1t cannot fail to do so be-
cause the public interest demands it;
the progress Of the age demands It,
the welfare and development of the
country at large demand it, and it is
bound to come in snite Of thoso who