The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-03-30
Der of pet,tlons pending at this time
and awaiting the action Of the depart

markablS situation ana prove Oey Ouu
| ueradvepture the most palpabie
! tayoritism in the administration OF
this service and in the distribution OF
The funds set aside for it.
The ten solidly Democratic States
of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana,
Florida, Georgia. North Carolina,
South Carolina, Mississippi. Texas and
tVirpinia-States always Democratic
with total population in round
numbers of 16, 300, 900. have been
favored to the extent of 1883 routes
an ayerageof 2S9 routes for each State.
Putting the figures in different way,
they show that these Democratic States
have received only one route tor every
go of their population. what story
does the figures tell as to the two
solidly Republican States of Iowa and
INDIANA? With combined population
of only 4, 700, zoo, just about one
fourth of the population OF the States
named above, these two States-1n
/ the last decade rock-ribbed and eternal
lin; their Republican fancies-haye
been favored by the department. With
E3 227 routes. A route for every l,4OO
Eof population, as againss $500 In the
eSouthern States. In other words,
these two Republican States, great IN
every thing, confess, save their poll
tics-and that in this instance seems
to be proitab able-with population
only one-fourth as large as that OF the.
ten Democratic Southern States. bave
Emanaged somehow to persuade the ofti-
Gals Of the department to give them
1927 rural ro1tes 1913 more than have
been given to the entire South.
Assuming that under the present
rules each carrier gets $500 per annum
and multiply this by 1927, the number
'of routes in operation in Iowa and In
diana. we find that these two States
are drawing from the total rural de-
sdivery appropriation the sum of ST.
936, 200, nearly one-sixth of the entire
fund as against 81, 739, 400 for the ten
Southern and Democratic States. BY
another calculation We find that If we
assume that each route serves at least
one hundred families, as is required
by the rule OF the department., and
which is entirely arbitrary in its
character and frequently works an IN
Justice against deserving petitioners,
322, 600 families in Iowa and Indiana
age receiving the favors Of the
National Government through this SER
vice while in the ten Southern States,
with a population four times as large.
only 2S9, 900 families are thus favored
BY the parent Government, which
assumes to treat all of its people with
the same degree OF fairness.
These figures show as glaring apiece
Of injustice TO the south as was ever
perpetrated upon her since her awaken
ing from the inconoeivable night
mare of reconstruction and carpet
bagism.
But this is not all. Take the two
States Of Illinois and Kansas, both as
solidly Republican as Georgia and
South Carolina are solidly Democratic,
and what do ne find? With a popula
tion of 6,200, 600, or less than half OF
the population Of the ten Democratic
States, they. have so persuaded the
department. as to get from it 2, S75
routes, or only twenty-four routes less
than are located in all the Southern
States. What reason for this discrim-
ination? What defence can be made
for this injustice to great section OF
our country, whose people are willing
contri ributors to the national expense,
and who have demonstrated their 10y
atty to the flag in Offering their lives,
for its defence and its honor
Can it be possible that there is
deliberate Intention somewhere to
make a. distinction between sections
in the distribution of public benefits?
What reason is. there that certain
States should be treated with such
liberal generosity by the Governments,
while other States, equally as deserv-
ing and with conditions equally favor
able, are given such scant considera-
tion as to call forth the protest OF fair
minded men everywhere? What are
the peculiar persuasive powers OF GER
tain States which induce the depart
ment to look with such favor upon
them, that do not belong to other
States? What is the peculiar intiu-
ence that results IN the location Of
more rural delivery routes in two
States than are located in ten-and
that in the tace of equal conditions
Is it politics? Is it sectlonalism? 1t is
something! The facts show it, and
you cannot get away from the facts.
By another process we deduce
another interesting set of facts. A
moment ago I made the statement
that in Iowa and Indiana there was
a rural delivery route for every 3, 400
of population. Taking that as unit or
basis of calculation, We find that there
should be in the Southern States
II ,e42 routes. But for some reason,
because of some lack of something
that some other States seem to have,
We have only 2,899. In other words,
we have gotten just one-fourth Of what
We are entitled to under a fair and
indiscriminste distribution. Again l
ask, why this discrimination
But the proposition may be ad
vanced, and in a former debate on
this proposition it was intimated, that
the South had not been diligent in
demanding the service, that ber peo-
pis we're indifferent to it and were