Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1906-02-03
DEFECTS IN THE POSTAL SYSTEM
(By Henry A. Castle.
ARTICLE H.

COdllIlOHS VI enIHuSldSJS, varying In
numbers and influence, advocate di.
verse schemes of socialistic paternal.
ism, to be attached to the postal ser.
vice, but in the end they must stand
or fall together, for in purpose as in
principle they are one. When we have
postal railroads and telegraphs, it will
be nigh time to set up postal savings
banks and life insurance. 1t will also
be time for public ownership of farms
and mines and factories. In short, as
one writer proclaims, it will be time
ito inaugurate the commune, usher
in chaos, and wind up our experiment
in government with grand explo-
sion.'
The extensions and ramifications
which have been engrafted on the
simple original scheme have brought
into play conditions which the atten-
tive observer cannot fail to regard
with apprehension. The whole enter
prise is one Of a purely business or
commercial nature, outside the or
binary domain of governmental func-
tons, carrying with it all the doubtful
elements of a commercial institution
conducted under public auspices. 1t is
one of the penalties of such venture
that private interests coming in con-
tact with it at all points selfishly
struggle with 1t and with each other
for an increasing share of it's benefits.
Suppose the United States govern
ment were grinding flour for the peo-
pie and insisted on monopalizing that
industry. Had the bakers of bread
managed at an early day to secure
rates for the brands of flour they use,
fixed at one-eighth of it's cost, while
the cracker-bakers paid one-half cost
for their brands, and the pastrymen
or macaroni makers paid three times
cost for theirs, there would be friction
and controversy and recrimination
without end.
| Yet this is substantially what is be-
| ing done in the matter of carrying and
delivering mail to the public. Dis
ordinations are made as to the diff
ferent Glasses" thereof, with little
logic or consistency; several of these
classes" are carried at a loss, and
there is an irrepressible conflict be-
tween those who are benefited and
those who feel that they are wronged
| 1t was formerly an accepted prin-
ciple of government that the indivi-
dual should be encouraged to be self
reliant and personally ambitious
There are many who now seem to be-
lieve that the individual should sink
his ambitions in the state, and rely
on government to conduct many bust
ness operations, even to supply him
with employment and protect him
from the consequences of his own in
discretions These are not only the
socialists proper. who hold that they
own and manage all productive enter
prises, but others, who would repu-
date the tenets of socialism, yet loud
ly call on the government to step in
and shield them from the oppression
of "monopolies," by running lines of
business, even at loss, for their spe-
cial benefit.
For example-express charges are
high, therefore we must have the
parcels-post; savings banks some
times fail, hence postal savings
bank should be provided; life insur-
ance companies are under cloud, and
postoffices should be made branches
of a grand indemnity system, sup
ported by the national treasury; tele-
graph tolls are sometimes excessive
and the government should attach the
telegraphs to the mail slstem
Those who hope to gain by addi-
tional paternalistic features, and
those who favor evarv nropocod nv