The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1905-04-21

ing, and in addition to giving these
postmasters the cancellation, the
government pays man salary to
carry the mail from Wapello to Pres
to and back again six times a week,
while all the stamps used on The rural
routes bring the government a rev.
enue of nearly their face value"
"Now you ask if the country post
masters approve of the change-why,
yes, most of them are glad to get rid
of the office, for it is not a profitable
thing for them. Most Of them are
handling the office for accommodation
and in order that the community may
have mail service; postmasters as a
rule are intelligent, trustworthy per-
sons and they can do better at some
thing else, and experience has shown
that they find something better to do
after the change is made. But that is
not the point; it is not individual in
terests that are weighed in this mat
ter; it is the interests Of all the peo-
pie, and the rural service is so much
better than local postoffice service
that the postmaster who ventured to
stand in the way Of letting the COM
munity have this better service would
soon suffer their scorn. You see this
mail wagon is postofice on wheels.
1t carries stamps, and money order
applications, and does business all
along the route. Everybody can keep
applications at their homes if they
wish, and can fill out the blanks and
leave the application and the money
in the box and go on about their work,
and the carrier comes along and takes
the money, leaves receipt, and when
he gets to the central Office, turns it
in to be issued. The next day he
leaves the money order in the box
where he got the blank and the money
the day before. As matter of con-
venience and saving Of time, the let.
ter I'M which the order is to be placed
is generally sent in with the applica-
tion and the issuing clerk slips the
money order in the letter, seals it
and posts it himself instead of having
it 60 back over the route and come
in again next day, or two days later.
What s the harm! The carrier is un-
der bond, and then his reputation is
at stake, too, and the same may be
said o fthe issuing clerk. They have
enough to do without exercising any
morbid curiosity, loking to see what
people are ordering, and can be trust
ed to attend to plain duties in the
quickest way. Registered packages
and orders for stamps are handled by
the carrier. He has a pass key that
opens every box on his route, and each
family holds two keys to their box, |
but they will not open any other box
Rural Route No. l went into operation
this morning, and the people on that
route have better mail service now
than the people IN town.
"Now as to the privilege, Of car
rier, the lines are drawn pretty close
and may seem harsh at first thought
he is not allowed to carry letter
from one box to another unless it is
stamped. He is not permit
ted to carry a note or message from
one to another unless it bears stamp.
that would reduce the rev.
enues fthe department or lower the
standard of excellence or security of
The service is prohibited. The gov
.rnment establishes that route to car
" on that business; it serves the rich
md the poor alike, it protects every
'ody absolutely, but it is in no sense
monopoly, for it does not do any,
hing to hinder you from going up and
lown the road to carry your own Mes
'ages and packages. The driver is
lot permitted to carry passengers, for
hat would leave a way open for theft.
Nobody has right to get into the
wagon but the driver or an officer hav-
ng authority from the postal depart
nent."
"The driver is permitted to carry
m an express business, and may re-
,eive written order for goods to be
aiken out as express matter, but the
,rdar nuSt dasiUn ITO whom, If IL to ha