The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-06
SYSTEM THAT HAS
WORKED WONDERS
Raised the Standard of Good
Citizenship
RURAL FREE DELIVERY
People Who Could Not Appreciate
the Value of Government Have
Been Inspired With
Its GIories.
RURAL FREE DELIVERY
BY WALTER HARPER.

|
large class of people that perhaps has
been neglected in the disposition of govern
mental appropriate but the govern
ment never made a better investment
than when it prepared to carry the mail
to the doors of the people in the rural
districts
| The system has a reaetionary benefit
that Is already giving returns in high
er order of citizenship and sturdy man
| hood. 1t is winning for the government
a respect and a pride that was sorely
lacking before.
The rural free delivery of mails is one
of the first direct benefits of government
that the countryman could recognize and
, he is responding to the influence nobly
and in manner to be commended.
A Pitiable Condition.
Before the establishment of the system
| many of the rural districts over the
country were in pitiable condition Who
can wonder that there was ignorance and
superstition and often a sentiment bor-
dering on anarchy among the people who
knew practically nothing of the world $
progress or the virtues of government.
Quick to find fault with men and con-
to all government and to the civilization
of which they knew little.
During political campaigns they heard
the county spell binders abusing their OPP
ponents on the stump and were educated
into the idea that every public official
was a thief and a scoundrel. They read
but few or no newspapers and no books
except the Bible and possibly horse doc
tor books and could have no true concep-
| ton of government.
Tom Watson and populism came along
and the doctrine appealed to the man
who had a narrow, prejudicial opinion OF
all public affairs, Populistic literature
was scattered broadcast and inhamabe
speeches were made in every nook and
! corner of the country. They were all
antagonstic to existing conditions and
these good. honest, but misinformed, peo-
| pie were ready believers
PopuIist Principles.
The principles of the populist party
| We're right, but extreme and Impractical.
! BILE And while | am no populist and
! have never been follower of the creed
| | have always had great respect for the
| honesty of purpose and the great things
the party has indirectly accomplished
The populstlc agitation a few years
ago aroused the classes to such an eX-
tent that they got themselves up and
and conditions.
Though it Is blndly denied both the
| great parties of America have reshaped
| their policies to some extent to conform
! to the principles demanded by the fol
| lowers of popuism and many Of the
evils attacked by the party have been
| remedied by the pressure of what has
been called fanaticlsm and ignorance.
But the popullst party worked suicide
upon itself I'll agitation caused the
| people to inform themselves on the his
| tory and conditions of the country and
the individuals becoming enlightened re-
turned to the old parties where there
was strength and a chance for reform.
A Popullst Result.
The establishment of the rural free
delivery of mail is directly attributable
| to the populist party. Its prime minis
| ter, Thomas e. Watson secured the frs
| successful establishment of the system
and the appropriation for the scheme
was granted by Congress partly to ap
| pease the clamor of the new and growing
| power in American politics. The people
wanted something and they Were given
| the rural free delivery, the greatest in
| stltution for the betterment of the coun-
| trymch ever conceived by man.
| Before the establishment of the system
there were thousands of people in the
| rural districts of the south that read
! no more than one or two weekly news
| papers printed in poor English and bitter
ly prejudcal in their policies. Thousands
| of Others read no newspaper of any kind
| The letter carrier got to passing the
| countrymans door every day at regular
hours. 1t was something the government
| was giving him free and he felt that he
| ought to be deriving some of the benefits
| He knew that indirectly he was being
taxed for the expense, but he soon real
| lied that the government had decided to
| do him justice by the division of patron
age and that if he did not get it is would
| be diverted in some other direction,
Practiced His Writing.
| So the result was he practiced up on
| his writing and spelling and wrote the
| folks some letters. He got answers and
became Interested He went a step fur
| Their and subscribed for the county paper
| Life became brighter and he got a great
| deal of pleasure out of anticipating the
possibilities of next days mail. He was
disappointed when the postman left him
| nothing.
To clinch the matter he subscribed for
other papers and finally took a daily
from the city. lie knew then that he
would get something every day and then
the novelty of sitting down and reading
the account of events that had trans
pired in all parts of the world during
the previous day ana night was Fascinating
and he became intensely interested
1t was all a wonderful revelation. The
world was not what he had imagined it
was; people were different to what he
had been led to believe. He Strengthened
up and began to take a more intelligent
interest in public affairs. The more he
read the more interest he had in the gov
eminent.
Puts on Clean Collar.
He put on a clean collar, bought some
books and sent his children to school.
Late in life he had gotten a taste of
education and it was sweet. He wanted
his children to share the luXurles that
had been denied him by circumstances
and he encouraged them to seek a higher
standard of intelligence and education
than he himself had enjoyed.
The transformation in the rural districts
has been wonderful. The people have
patronized the system so freely and large
ly that it has been Impossible for the
postoffce department to keep up with
the demand for the establishment of new
mail circuits.
are building better homes, better schools,
are wearing better clothes. being better
Informed, are making more money, and
are happier and better satisfied They
are better citizens in every respect and
the government Is receiving hundred
fold in return for the expense of the rural
free delivery system-a hundred fold in
Intelligent ,citizenslip