Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-09-21

| ton OF the postmaster general, to eX-
perimental free delivery in rural COM
| munities other than towns and vii
lagos.
| Further examination of the Congress
sional Record shows the following COL
lOquy to have taken place between
members:
Mr.. Holman: I reserve a point of
order on that amendment.
Mr.. Watson: This reduces the .ex-
penditure provided for in the bill.
| Mr.. Henderson OF North Carolina:
desire to reserve point Of order.
The Chairman: A point of order has
already been reserved.
| Mr.. Watson: Mr.. Chairman, the
paragraph under consideration pro-
vides for the expenditure of $11 ,254 ,943
for free delivery service. My amend
ment reduces the amount of that OK
penditure and simply directs that the
| postmaster general shall apply $4,000
| of the appropriation TO experimental
! free delivery in rural communities.
Mr.. Loud: That is already provided
for; the gentleman will accomplish
| nothing by his amendment.
| Mr.. Watson: 1t is not provided for
in rural districts other than towns and
| villages. There is no experimental
service in rural communities other
than towns and villages.
Mr. Buchanan of New Jersey: You
mean truly rural"
| Mr.. Watson: Yes, sir; the real coun-
| try.
Mr.. Holman: I think there is some
! misapprehension as to the law on this
subject. l would like to ask the gen
tleman from North Carolina in charge
OF this bill what the existing law isl
| Mr. Henderson OF North Carolina
There is no law on the subject provid-
ing for rural free delivery or expert
ments in that direction. There is a
law which provides for experiments in
small towns and villages, and forty
eight of these now have free delivery.
That condition is preserved in this
bill, but no provision is made for rural
free delivery.
Mr.. Watson: The present law pro-
vides for an experimental delivery in
rural communities; but as I under
stand it-and the chairman Of the COM
mittee, the gentleman from North
! Carolina (Mr. Henderson,, makes the
| has been construed to mean cities,
| in operation experimental free deliv-
| cries in certain towns and villages.
| The law expressly provides for rural
! communities, and it seems to me
where the general laws make such pro-
vision there is no hardship in taking
small amount from the appropria-
ton, only $4,000, and appropriating it
for experimental free delivery in alb
! solutely rural communities. that is to
say, in the country pure and simple,
! amongst the farmers, in those neigh
| borhoods where they do not get their
mail more than one in every two
weeks, and where these deserving peO-
| pie have settled in communities one
| hundred years old and do not receive
| a newspaper that is not two weeks be-
| hind the times.
The amendment was adopted by a
| vote of - yeas to al nays. Mr.. Wat
| son introduced his amendment to eX-
pertinent in the free rural delivery
| service, carrying $4,000 for this pur-
pose, less than ten years ago, which,
from the best information l have been
able to obtain, carried the first appro-
priation ever made by congress for
| rural free delivery.
Wanac,aker's "Rurar' Delivery.
Mr.. Wanamaker had tried what he
CALLED free delivery in towns and vii
lagos, but the experiment had not been
made for free delivery Of country
| mails. Who would have thought that
| the good work begun by this dis
tinguished Georgian ten years ago
would have grown to such magnitude
in so short a period of time? When
| this amendment was introduced the
public mind had not grasped the i'm
portance of this subject. and few COM
pretended the great good that would
flow from this humble beginning in so
short a period.
Astonishing Growth.
In 1897 the appropriation grew to
$4,000, and only forty-fo routes
were in operation. In 1893 the appro-
| priation was increased to $4,000. and
148 routes were established. In 1899
| the appropriation was increased to
$500 and the routes had grown to
391. In 1900, $45O,000 was appropriated
for this purpose, and the number of
routes increased to 1916. In 1901, ST.
100000 was appropriated, and the
| routes had increased to 1901. And in
1902, $3,993,740 was appropriated for
! the same purpose, and the routes laid
| off and put in operation had increased
to 8,476.
On November 1, 1850 routes had
been established, and the carriers en-
gagged in taking the mails to the farm
ers Travelled 275,000 miles of country
roads to serve about 100000 of the
strictly rural population of the United
States. The area covered by these
routes is fully 100000 square miles.
The popular demand for the further
extension of this service has been so
great as to force congress to appro-
pirate $12,O00,00O during the present
session to further extend this service.
There is no reason to expect a de-
| crease in this popular demand for rural
free delivery until all available Sec
lions of the country have been covered
| by the service.
Wherever this service has been es-
tablished there has been sturdy and
healthy increase in the gross receipts
OF the postofices in the locality in
which free delivery has been put in
operation, and there has also been
large increase in the revenuas and r.,