The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-09-01
BORROWED PLUMACE
Republicans AppTopriatIng Demo
cratic issues.
PROPOSED POSTAL REFORM.

postmaster Senera' meyers ATTITUDE
Toward Parcels Post and Postal
Savings Banks Sign of Progress.
Trusts and Tariff Revision-A Be-
lated Discovery-The G. o. p. Fight
In Ohio-Taft Mighty Traveller.
By WILLIS }. ABBOT
When in Washington some months
| ago Mr.. Bryan was much amused by
cartoon published in Golfers Week
ly. 1t depicted him as Il bird some
what be1iraggled and sorely despoiled
of its feathers In Il coy nest close
ut hand Roosevelt. also in birdlike
guise. was comfortably lining his home
with the plumcs he had plundered
from Bryan. The Democratic leader
laughed as he looked ut the picture
and said good naturally: "The Repub
Leans must think those feathers pref
ty good. after all, though they used to
criticise them pretty harshly. But they
can have then We have plenty left.
1t may be POSSIBLE for Democrats 10
be a little too certain about their sup
ply of political plumage Their pet is
sues have gone fast into Republican
control. Recently two more have been
appropriated. Postmaster General Mey
or after IL conference AZ oyster Bay
announced that in his next report he
would urge the establishment of a par
GELS post and postal savings banks.
Both of these advances in the service
of the govern ut to its citizens have
Indeed. they have been accompanied
with the demand for the establishment
of postal teegraphs. How fa- Mr.
Meyers recommendation will go in a
Republican senate not wholly without
iriendiness to the express companies
and to the private banking interests
may well be questioned 1t is some
thing of IL sign of progress. however
that the issue should be raised by II
Republican postmaster general.
The reHSoua'penesS OF this reform
seems self evident. Today by our for
eign treaties one can send Il ten pound
package by mail from New York to
st. Petersburg more cheaply than t-'on
New York to Chicago. Yet there Is :.
very definite Opposition to the parcel.
post and that not wholly based on the
self antagonism of the express coinpa-
MES. 1t springs from the apprehension
nf the country merchant that the grs'a;
mail order houses. of which Chicr@p
IS the headquarters. if the Forwarding
of goods is made any cheaper than
now. will destroy the local store They
have indeed cut into village trade very
heavily. The anornt of business they
do is incrpdilie. Their private post
Offices handle more mail than passes
in and ont of Il town of 5000 inhab-
itantS. | well remember that some
months ago II Chicago editor who did
pot like neil order houses. possibly be
cause they don't advertise. wrote l.s.
that for this reason any party that III!
vocated pnrces post :. ,uld meet dis
aSter
Standard Oil ard Foreign Prices.
Herbert Knox Smith. commissioner
of corporations. seems to he Il young
gentleman to whom the f.-t't that the
sun rises in the east W. / i seem n
most extraordinary ana orit--.lal dis
covcry on his part. worth; of being set
forth in 400 page official report. He
has just issued two reports bearinr
upon the Standard OIL c0.npanr ANA
the petroleum. intc"es; in general
They are full of ,i1,'s''ll statistics. well
Gi@rsted records aud llt Il little very
vigorous Cen tioa Of tie methods
OF the monster monopoly. But when
Mr.. smith announces as an original
and unique discovery the fact that the
Standard Oil Is marketing its product
abroad at lower prices than 1t charges
the American consumer he cannot ex-
pect we'll Informed public to be as
tOnished
This is not Il practice peculiar to the !
Standard Oil company. 1t is followed. |
by every protected and monopolzed |
industry in the United States. Com
missioner Smiths ingenious astonish-
ment at his discovery reminded New
DeHOCIut vi TIE JItIe UOv VINO
on hearing that ha had baby sister |
cried out: "Oh. | must run and tell |
She'll be so surprised"'
Blank Cartridges For the Trusts.
1t Is noticeable that, amid all the
hullabaloo about the
trusts, only the spectacular and not the
remedies are being sought. |
That a Roosevelt judge. melted there /
TO by officials of Roosevelt depart
ment of justice. inflicted fine of 500
100000 OH the Standard Oil COMPANY
will make beautiful page in the next |
republican campaign text book, wheth-
ar or not the judgment is affirmed or
the fine collected by that time. So.
too. perhaps will the declarations
hat are coming at the rate of four or
i've day from distinguished Repub
lean politicians that the tariff really
ought to be revised but not by the
lext congress. Perhaps there never
was time when Republican poll |