Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1909-11-27

Saturday, November 27. 1909
OBJECT LESSON IN PARCELS Posi-.


a MONG the passengers on the Delaware
Railroad train going to Milford on We'd
nesday afternoon was DR. George w. Marshall,
former Insurance Commissioner OF the State.
There IS, OF course, nothing odd in this fact,
but it happened on this occasion that DR..
Marshall carried an object lesson with him. Ii
was in the form of bundle containing two very
handsome Scotch plaid rugs that had come
from Edinburgh. Scotland. They were imported
by Dr. Marshall The rugs themselves were
very interesting and more interesting was the
talk of the doctor about them. They are made
up of colors OF the ancestors of the wife
OF DR. Marshall and in his investigation of the
matter the doctor learned that there are a sur
prisng number of Delaware families OF Scotch
descent who are entitled to coors or designs of
the various clans of Scotland, and they make
very interesting things for those who delight
in these matters. There are books about these
Scotch designs and colors and we have no doubt
that as DR.. Marshall talks with his friends Of
Scotch descent they will become interested and
we shall have other Scotch rugs in Delaware.
But all this is not the object lesson. DR.
Marshall had the rugs shipped to this country
from Edinburgh by the parcels post system The
rugs made a package of seven pounds, and the
package arrived in good condition The cost
of sending that package from Edinburgh Scot
land by the parcels post system was Just eighty
four cents. That is the object lesson. Eighty
four cents seems like very small figure for car
TNlne SuCn a DunOlc so long a distance, anu OF
course DR. Marshall was much pleased with this
method of conveyance. Our country has an
agreement with foreign countries by which the
shipment of articles by parcels post is per-
mitted.
DR. Marshall thus enjoyed the benefits of the
parcels post and anyone else could enjoy them.
But If he had bought his rugs in Chicago he
could not have had them forwarded by parcels
post 10 Milford, Had DR.. Marshall when he
got the rugs here in Wilmington from Edin-
burg shipped them to Milford by express, ne
would have paid an express charge of thirty
five cents. Eighty-tour cents and trhe more
for we think there was little postage due
from Edinburgh to Wilmington, and thirty-fvc
cents from Wilmington 20 Milford.
Keep that in mind and you will see why there
is demand in this country for a parcels post
system and why there is violent opposition to
II on the part of the special interests and those
whom they can hoodwink by their specious ar
guments into indifference or opposition. If our
memory is not astray, a gentleman from
Philadelphia came down here and lectured be-
fore our Board of Trade some time ago telling
our business men why the parcels post was not
good thing
An object lesson of bundle like that which
DR.. Marshall had with him would throw more
light on the parcels post system than dozen
sOphistical lectures by men who for one reason
or another oppose the parcels post
There is another object lesson in this matter
furnished by story in the newspapers the 9TH
er day telling of the melon cutting" of the big
express companies. The ''melon cutting" is the
whacking up of the enormous surplus divi-
dends of the big express companies, three hun
dred per cent or 50. we think
Isn't it peculiar that Americans submit to this
sort OF thing, that they permit this spoliation
this domination OF our legislation by special in
terests, Cannonsm, which in this one of many
instances finds expression in high charges and
poor service of express companies?