The La Jara chronicle., 1908-10-16
Its Remarkable Development During
Eleven Years OF Republican
Rule.
Enables More than Sixty Per Cent
Of the American People to Come
Into Their Own.

old. 1t has fully kept pace with the
growth and development Of our whole
country. The farmer is now reaping
some of the rewards he justly earned
in the past, by the burdens be has
borne. He is the producer of wealth.
He is coming to be one of the most In
dependent OF nll our citizens. No
branch OF the public service has been
so well developed and improved In the
pnst few years as our rural free deliv-
cry.
Only six years ago there were only
5000 rural routes in operation. There
are now about 10000 and these are
scattered through every State and Ter
ritory in the country, so that there is
not a rural section In the whole land
that is not practically covered. This
entire service has been evolved from a
small beginning. little more than eley
en- years ago, during the three Republi
cnn administrations. with which the
country has been blessed since 1897.
The Democrats object, of course, to
the appropriat ton of S35,OOO.OO0 made
this year for the support of rural free
delivery, but this service brings more
direct benefit to the people of this cOun-
try, whom 1t affects, than almost any
other appropriation made by the gen
eral government.
Great Aid to Education.
I he development OF the postal faciiL
ties has been the development OF the
people In wisdom and greatness. When
these facilities reached but few at
wide Intervals, 1t was blessing. The
tardy system by which letters were
carried by canal and horses from
the East to the western frontier
at great expense was blessing;
and when steam was harnessed to
the mails and delivered its precious
freight 10 the large cities and towns
to which the people went from miles
around TO get the weekly paper, the
benefits were stlll greater. Larger yet
did they become when business men in
large cities could receive their mail
several times day at their desks by
city carriers.
But not until very recent years, and
under a Republican policy, was it dis
covered that the people whose money
puNS luc lldJbTlly OI Ill tdNeS leNleu IpT
government purposes who constitute
the majority OF the people; from whose
ranks are recruited armies and navies
in time OF war; in whom the hope of
the nation rests for that stability and
wisdom which is unmoved by new and
untrled schemes. and in whom is cast a
safe anchor when storms OF corruption
and squalls OF political delnslons beat
against the ship of state; not until re-
cent years have any OF these people
from the country received the benefits
OF free delivery, and not nearly nlI OF
them do now Yet Judged by policy. oi
right, is any class more entitled to the
benefits of free delivery with Its con-
slant dissemination Of useful knowl-
edge?
1t PopuInrIEes Country Life.
When municipalities are being crowd
ed and congcsted by people drawn from
the country and from foreign lands It
Is the part OF wisdom to encourage life
in the country; and with electric roads
telephones and rural delivery, the bene-
fits of city life have been extended. and
municipal boundaries have been re.
moved. Democrats talk as II RepublI-
Guns were making concessions to the
people OF the country by arranging for
the extension OF rural mail service
when in reality the Republican party
is simply aiding the rural districts to
come into possession Of a portion Of
their own.
Democrats "view with Alarm"
Democrats are viewing with
alarm" the possibilities of n deficit in
connection with the extension of the
rural free delivery service. That there
will be deficit for the first two years
1t is practically certain. This belongs
naturally to the business end to the
constructive Republican policy, when
It sees how 1t can best serve the peo-
pie at present, and recoup the govern
ment treasury later. After three years.
the rural free delivery service will be
more than self-supporting. The re-
ceipts of the Postotice Department
have been largely increased already
since rural delivery was established,
and every route OF any age shows
steady Increase IN pieces OF mail ham
died and in stamps sold and Cancelled.
Yet this cancellation and sale OF
stamps does not measure the whole ef-
feet of rural delivery. Its benefits
reach every other department, and
much OF the general increase In bust.
ness can be traced to 1t.
Aids Character Building.
But IL It necessary that the system
should BE- self-supporting to entitls II
to the support Of the Republican par
ty1 Do we maintain schools. found