Milford chronicle., 1904-10-21


of the rural free delivery system were
conferred on farmers by Democracy. No
more patent untruth was ever uttered.
INSTEAD OF PROMOTING RURAL
FREE DELIVERY, A DEMOCRATIC
ADMINISTRATION FLATLY RE
FUSED TO HAVE ANYTHING TO
DO WITH THE MATTER, EVEN
AFTER CONGRESS HAD APPRO-
PRlATED MONEY TO ESTABLISH
ROUTES.
The fact is, DEMOCRACY ALWAYS
HAS BEEN A STUMBLING BLOCK
IN THE PATH OF PROGRESS.
Every great national policy that has
proved to be a boon to the people has
been bitterly fought by Democratic Con
Rressmen, urged on by Democratic news
papers.
Democracy has been well named the
party of obstruction" Two-thirds Of
the Congressional Record is taken up
with speeches and debate in opposition
to wise Republican measures. and near
" half of every session of Congress is
wasted by Democrats either in openly
ilibustering or in talking against time,
with the view of delaying or killing bills
that would benefit the people
Will OF congress Deueus
And Democratic opposition TO a benef
cent act does not always cease when
Congress has passed the law. as was the
case with rural free delivery. Near the
close of President HarriSou's admins
tration a Republican Congress ap
propriated $4,000 for the purpose of
establishing experimental rural free de-
livery routes. and Postmaster General
Wanamaker began experiments on six
routes. Before anything material could
be done, however a Democratic admin
istration came into power. Mr.. Bissell
was appointed Postmaster General. and
he. with Mr. Cleveland's consent, de-
clined to carry ont the law. Congress
appropriated money again, with the same
Tesult-A DEMOCRATIC ADMINS !
TRATION THE SECOND TIME DE
FLED THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, |
As EXPRESSED THROUGH THEIR !
REPRESENTATIVES, IN CON !
GRESS, AND REFUSED TO IN /
AUGURATE THE RURAL FREE !
DELIVERY SYSTEM.
Mr.. Wilson followed Mr. Bissell as /
Postmaster General. and he also decided |
that rural free delivery was impracti- |
cable. President Cleveland was of the /
same opinion, basing his objection to the !
scheme on the ground that it would cost !
millions of dollars.
1t is thus shown that Democracy did !
the very opposite of inauguiating rural
free delivery. Members of that party /
fought it in both houses Of Congress,
and President Cleveland and his cabinet
officers put themselves above the legis-
lative branch of the government, and /
virtually told Congress that it was sub
ordinate to a Democratic administra-
tion. 1t was a case of the servant die
tating to the master-an unwarranted
usurpation of power for a harmful pur-
pose.
What Republicans Did.
To further show how utterly false is
DemOcracy's claim to the honor of giving
farmers free delivery Of their mail, 6g-
ures from government reports are here
reproduced The first appropriation for
rural free delivery was $4,000. in 1894
The same amount was allowed by Con
gress for 1895 and 1896, but the money
was not used for the purpose intended,
as has already been stated. In 1897,
when the Mckinley administration came
into power, only half dozen rural mail
routes had been established, and these
had been partially put into operation
four years previously under President
Harrison. Democracy did. nothing dur
ing the Cleveland administration except
70 block the wheels of progress
Now mark the difference when the Re
publicans came into power Postmaster
General Smith. unlike his predecessors,
urged the establishment of many new
routes In his annual report he said:
The beneats accruing from the extension
Of postal facilities 10 the rural communi-
ties may be summarized as follows: In
creased postal receipts, making many Of
the new deliveries almost Immediately
Belfsupportlng. Enhancement Of the value
Of farm lands reached by this service and
better prices obtained for farm products
through more direct communication with
the markets and prompter Information Of
their state. Improved means OF travel
some hundreds Of miles Of country roads,
especially In the Western States having
been graded specifically IN order 10 obtain
rural free delivery. Higher educational in
Of public intelligence, and closer daily con
tact with the great world OF activity extend I
ed 10 the homes Of heretofore isolated rural
communities.
What Mckinley said.
President Mckinley. in his message
to Congress in 1900 speaking OF the
postal service, said;
Its most striking new development is the
extension OF rural free delivery.
This service ameliorates the Isolation Of
farm life, conduces to good roads. and
quickens and extends the dissemination Of
general information. Experience thus far
has tended to allay the apprehension that
II would be SO expensive as to forbid its
general adoption or make II a serious bur
den. Its actual application has shown that
II increases postal receipts and can be ac-
companied by reduction In other branches
of the service so that the augmented rev
enues and accomplished saving together
materially reduce the net cost.
When President Roosevelt assumed
once he vigorously champoned extension
Of the service In his first message to
Congress he said;
Among recent postal advances the success
Of rural free delivery wherever established .
has been so marked and actual experience
has made its benefits so plain that the de-
mand for its extension is general and ur {
gent. II is just that the great agricultural Z