The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-25
Rural Free Delivery
Is a Peacelnaker

a Washington correspondent writes:
'.rhe government has got a white e1e.
plant on It's hands In tho universal de- :
inand for tho extension Of the rural post.
office delivery. Something like 5000 pc.
titons for new service arc now pending,
Rural routes are being ordered at an
average rate of about geo a month. This
new fiscal gear begins July list, when The
new appropriation for rural free delivery
becomes effective, and n great number of
new routes will be established, the SER
vice to begin August list. 1t Is not SUR
prlsng that the greatest pressure for the
extension Of tho service is coming from
the Southern States, where tho need for
at Is very great. In most cases this devel-s.
opnent Is dead loss to Uncle Sam and
still further loads the Postofflce Departs
Einent.r
Whether 1t be q white elephant" or
not, or whHher II be a dead loss, the
country people have gotten a tasto Of the d
rural free delivery luxury aud they are
going to hold on to 1t as long us they
are allowed to cast the votes that elect
men to seats In Congress. They are find
q Ing 1t to be the greatest luxury they have
ever before enjoyed at the expense OF
Uncle Sam. Indeed, 1t Is about the only
one they have been Rble to appreciates,
for all other benefits they have from
time TO time received from the govern
mcnt came 10 them In an indirect way
md clothed In such fashion that they
could not see them with the naked eye
as particular Benefits.
But the rural free delivery Is a bless
Ing that shows up at tho front gate In
plain Wow, every day III tho year. except
Sundays, and the country folks can SEQ It I
4 and feel 1t. II Is tangible. 1t lis real, 1t
Is something they can take hold ofland
enjoy without paying out high price
for 1t every time they turn around. 1t
< Is about the only thing In the round !
world the farmer gets An that way. With
out paying for It. and perhaps not tho
least charming feature about the luxury
Is It's name, FREQ delivery"
was spending a day with a friend in
the country not long ago. AS we sat
under the shade Of the trees In the front
yard discussing the June rains, the crop
prospects,, ETC., tho free rural delivery
man drove by. stopped a moment at the q
end OF tho lawn to drop n letter and
paper In the tile tin box that was 4
& perchcd up on stout post. waved his 4
hat to us and was quickly. gone around
bend In the road. My friend at once
dropped the subject Of June rains crops.
etc, and proceeded 10 discourse on the a
advantages and blessings OF the rural
free delivery. could but notice how tho =
word free" rolled as a sweet niorscl
under his tongue, as he called the name
Of the luxury. He discanted at como .
length on the various blessings OF the
service, naming them in regular order,
and finally he said: 1T is a great peace
maker in the neighborho ~ asked
8 for an explanation as to how the rural AL
free delivery acted as a creation that IS 4.
promised the Inheritance OF the earth. Ho
replied: That man who Just drove by S
here with the mall used to be much OF a
broller and was always having a row {
! OF some kind with his neIghbors He was {
not on speaking terms with half 3
dozen men on tho road he delivers mall
over, but be is now as pleasant as a
basket OF chips, as the saying Is, with e
every ono OF them and with every meni-
Der OF their families You sec the rcgula-
lions OF the Postofllca Department require
that OF every rural cartier. Ore among
tho first questions an applicant for a
route has to answer Isl: Are you on good
terms with every body on the proposed q
route.' and II he can't o nsWersfyes,ss II he &
does not get the job. AS soon as that
fellow found out about that requirement
he hoofed 1t around that road and mads
friends with everybody he was ut outs
with. You SEQ 1t Is necessary for tho
good OF the service that the carrier should
be on the most amiable terms with ths#
people he has to serve. tyss:
The salary OF a carrier Is pretty good
and every fellow In the neighborhood who 4
hasn't much to do wants a job OF carry
ing the mail and since they have found 4
out about this requirement every one
4 or them who wants to set a route when
new ones are established has gone all
over the county and made up WI tn every =
man, woman and Child that he was at
outs with. 1t is usually the fellow who
has nothing to do and is on the lookout
for, public job who is the broer In
neighborhood anyhow, but since tho
government has commenced making FREQ
delivery routes and made the peace rules
it has there have been more reconciia-
lions than half dozen camp meetings
could have brought about. o, yes. the
Il free rural delivery is great peace
maker. :"
All that was news to me and probably
will be to a majority Of the readers Of
this page. Hurrah for the great goverJi-s
mental peace maker May It and Its
Influence for that kind OF good spread
throughout the land.