The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-04-21
RURAL ROUTES.
.'Aristocratic Ranchers'' Now Receive
Mail at Their Doors Daily.


Ten years ago the bicycle was max
ing its appearance at Blackfoot; in
fact, it had got so well acquainted
that not everybody took the trouble
to rubber at it. Even the word
"rubber" had not quite reached us
and the western man who went East,
marvelled at the men in gray suits
who went about in the cities taking
peoples mail right to their desks and
leaving it without arousing any alarm
or collecting fee. Wonderful!
If some dreamer had come along
and told you and me that the ''Aris-
tocracy Of ranchers" here about
Blackfoot would have daily delivery
of mail at their front gates in 1905,
there would have been fun in camp
for a couple Of days. If he had said
that this system would find people
and give them their mail every day
who live out about J. P. Porter's and
down at the "Wearyrick place." and
up at Just's and Bu'rel's, and that
Uncle Sam would foot the bill, he
would have been classed as populist
and the Pops would have rejected
him. But if he had said that this same
carrier would, for the sum Of ten cents
extra postage paid to Uncle Sam, de-
liver letter to Ole Olsen who lives
a mile beyond the last house on the
rural route, and even 60 back in the
field where Ole is irrigating to place
the letter in Ole's hand and get his
signature to show Uncle Sam that Ole
got the letter, then methinks our in
formant and dreamer would have been
turned over to DIR. Givens. Land was
not worth anything, a man who sought
to get title was pitied, and how could
people know what was coming in post
al matters, for the rural delivery was
not tried nor established anywhere
till few years ago, and even now not
many of us know just how it works
or what its value is, but most Of us
have heard that people who live where
it is in use would not give it up any
more than they would trade electric
lights for kerosene lamps.
Last Saturday people were besieg-
ing the Blackfoot post Office for in
formation about rural routes, and see
ing what was wanted, the Republican
writer sought out Chief Clerk A. L.
Fowler and got statement that ran
about like this:
"The rural delivery Of mails was
first tried in some of the eastern
states under President McKinley's
administration, and the experiment.
was made where the conditions were
most favorable, because there were
grave doubts as to the outcome. The
results were so much better than were
hoped for, that it has been spreading
rapidly ever since. Now in order to
show you how it works here, we will
begin with the star route which car
ries mail to the country offices. The
driver starts out and takes the mail
right past peoples doors in his trav-
els for fifteen or twenty miles, daliv-
ers it to the local postmaster. and
then he distributes it, people leave
their homes and go long distances to
the postoffice to get their mail and
the carrier spends the rest of the day
driving back. See the waste Of hui
man energy thereq That driver wants
to get out and rest the cushions of the
cart occasionally and the horses want
to rest a moment, and in that moment
the mail is placed in the box at the
farmers front gate. The mail wagon
goes on again and makes nearly as
good time as if it had been Jogging ON
all day without stop. The people
have lost no time going to the post
Office, the postmaster can put in his
time at something better than shuf-
fling mail, and the government n
stead Of paying two persons for u
poor service, pays one person and gets
quicker and far better service. When
people can get daily mail they write
more letters and accomplish more in
business, and the government sells
more stamps than under the old sys-
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