The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-01-19
"McCleary's Rural Routes.

Representative McCleary's campaign
bureau continues to operate like clock
that is kept well wound up. The af-
fable gentleman from the second is
keeping. sin touch" with his constitu-
ents. using the United States mail as
the convenient vehicle of communication
Of late the representative has been send
ing personal" letters to the voters of
Brown county in which he notifies them
of The county system of rural free de-
livery which l had established" That
personal pronoun 81" is as conspicuous
as small. boy on the circus ground
when the free exhibition is on tap GIN
mediately after the parade"
As the champion jollier ''your con-
gresham" has all Others relocated to
the rear. He is profuse in his congrat
ulations to the Brown county people
and while he is giving them largs chunks
of taffy-which by the way are sicken-
ing--he does not fail TO devote a great
deal of space TO eXtoIling his own inn
portance and lays great stress on what
he has done il order to bring about ex-
listing things Really, many people are
wondering what this egotisticai gentle,
man will have TO base fulsome praise
for himself upon after all the rural
routes in the second district are estab
lished. But as he is a resourceful IN
diyidual and has good reserve fund OF
"cvon talk TO fall back upon, it is sur
missed by those who know him best
that ne viii be able to draw forth the
"iolly" as of yore and hand it out in
liberal quantities TO those who are not
yet acquainted with his style of work
ing the voters. This OF course he will
do in case he remains in congress, which
is a doubtful proposition.
The tenor of the letters sent out by
Representative McCleary to the voters
of Brown county but illustrates his
volubility and the happy manner OF
banlbozzling host of people into the
belief that he is cit" that the rural
routes are the outgrowth of his strenu-
Gus labors entirely. In closing his epis.
tie to the Brownies, the smooth poll
tician of the second district writes as
follows: 81 need not say how glad
am to have been able to secure the es-
Enlistment of this service for my
friends in Brown county. 1 feel that
as the years 60 by the value of the rural
free delivery service will be realized
more and more and l desire now to es-
pecially thank those of you who on ac-
count of the confidence you had in youl
congressman co-operated with me in in
PRODUCING this service in the first place
1t was uphill work at first to get the
people interested in this matter, but ]
knew that it was good thing for the
people and kept steadfastly at it till
ehihN INV O'Ci yohC eiSiCCo Win LIZ
as to its usefulness and helpfulness."
If patrons of rural routes will in
vestigate the manner in which the routes
are established they will discover that
the congressman is not the person who is
entitled to all the credit. In fact the
routes are put into operation on the
recommendation of the Inspector who
makes a careful inquiry into all the con-
ditions and if these meet with the re-
quirements OF the postoffice department
the applications are granted, but if the
conditions do not come up to the rules
laid down by the department the appli-
cations are turned down. This rural
route proposition has been the means
OF furnishing some congressman with a
text upon which they have based very
gathering and caioling letters to theil
constituents style of campaigning
that should be beneath the dignity OF
one who has oft been referred to a:
the Scholar in politics"