The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1906-10-27

The first experiment with rural free
delivery was made In 1897. In 1895
the expenditure on the service was only
$4,000. In 1905 the expenditures had
risen to nearly $21 100000. The appro.
priation for the current fiscal year Is
| $2S,350,0O0, the routes number Sc, S74
the carriers 35, 1888. There Is daily SER
vice on all the routes except 253, and
on these there is service every other
| day. The benefits of the service ex-
tend to 9,22S,660 families, or 1867 1914
persons. This brief story of an amazing
growth Is made up from an article by
Postmaster General Cortelyou In The
Independent. But the article was not
written primarily for the purpose of
showing how great and how rapid the
development had been. The writer be-
gins by saying: From time to time
publications appear asserting that ever
since the rural free delivery was inau-
gurated certain named States have been
Disseminated against, and that 1t Is
now proposed to carry this discrimina-
ton further by disseminating routes or
changing the service from daily TO tri-
weekly, as the result of some new pol
Icy adopted by the Postoffice Depart
ment." Here Is charge that is met
with an emphatic denial and with an
exposition of some Of the difficulties the
department has to contend with that Is
curiously interesting. 1t Is an old say
Ing that there are tricks In all trades
and from this showing 1t appears that
tricky schemes for getting rural deiiy-
cry are by no means unknown. In most
cases the trickster Is the man who Is
after the position of carrier. He circu-
lates the petition for the establishment
of the route. The petitioners may be
Indifferent and may not know what the
requisite conditions for the service are.
Some of them will sign a petition and
then sign remonstrance shortly after
ward. As description of conditions
that are found upon inspection by rural |
agents we have the following: 1.-THE |
majority of the families to whom this |
route would extend are Of the poor ten
ant class. 1t Is conservative estimate |
to say that not more than 10 per cent |
are land owners. One-h half the houses
during the drive over the terri
tory have but one room. Some Of the
houses did not even have a window.
Most of the country Is DOGGY and
swampy; only small tract here and
there Is dry enough for cultivation. Sew
enty-hve per cent of these people have
not the money with which to purchase
the necessities of life, let alone money
for improved mail srvice, subscriptions
FOR newspapers and postage stamps"
to withhold the service
from long stretches Of wilderness Is not
4 political discrimination or the denial
Of a right to any part Of the country.
Nor. In view Of the figures that we
have presented, Is there any ground for
complaint that the government Is Mig
sardly. On the contrary, 1t is plain
mat 1t Is very generous, and though the
service Increases the revenues both di.
ectly and Indirectly, the actual revenue
IN mail matter dispatched by Its pat
'ons Is only IS per cent of the cost I'm
Ter the circumstances the exercise of
'ome business sense Is required and the
demands Of every man who wants to be :
carrier cannot be granted At the
anne time the immense value of the '
ystem to the country Is clearly recog- d
lized, and 1t Is certain to expand In
esponse to the needs Of the people.