Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-12-25
PROPAGANDA FOR
PARCELS POST
THIS WINTER
PROGRESS LEAGUE PLANS
DESCENT ON CONGRESS
Members 10 Be Shown How
Proposed System viii Bcne-
fit Rather Than Injure Coun-
Try Merchant.
Morning Journal Bureau.
613 Munsey Building.

800 I"
going to he urged on congress wit
special vigor this winter. The Posta
Progress league has just taken up
new line of argument, designed I
meet. just as directly and pointed
as possible, The most effective conten
lion which has eve been put forwar'
IN opposition TO the parcels post. /
~ presenting the reasons why the par
cells post would not iniure, but rathe
would benefit the country own
Fol- many years the chief objection
20 the parcels post has been the feaI
that II deliveries of small parcels wer,
made prompt and cheap, the rura
population would do most OF It's buy
ing through mail order houses In the
elites Instead Of ut the town stores
Tho express Hobbies and literary bu'
reaus have made the most Of the ar
gument. with the result that they have
fairly t%errorlzed the merchants in thu
country towns. They have succeeded
in enlIsting about all tho people In
towns of 5000 and less, In determined
opposition TO any parcels post pro-
gram.
The average business man In towns
and villages has been brought TO be-
Hove that his business would be taken
away. and turned over TO the big
mail order houses whose Identity 10
NOT commonly specified very aceur-
ntely. save that two catalogue houses
In Chicago are held up as the chief
bogies Bur this has been quito enough
with persistent publicity Of the theory
Of the mail order menace, to make
people In the small towns believe that
the parcels post would ruin their bus
moss and leave them without occupa-
ton.
Along with this has gone the con-
tention hat II the country store be
destroyed, the farmers market would
ne gone. This hitter argument has
been pretty thoroughly knocked Out,
and the farming community generally
mvors the parsels post. But the fears
of the country town stofckecper have
not been so easily met.
The Postal Progress icngue has now
taken up the argument 10 show that
tho country town would In fnct benefit
vastly more than II would suffer from
the parcels post. II Is urged that the
average country town IL compelled to
accept the services OF q single express
company. Tint rates are very high be-
cause there is no petition; that
this fact ~ n serious injury TO the bus.
jneas of dealers In such towns, and
IL the low rates of tho parcels
post were made universal, instead OF
being granted to cities which have
competition aud denied to small towns
which ave not, II would be a great
advantage 4 the country town,
The appearance OF the Postal Pro
gress league with this line OF argu-
ment. and its announced purpose "
follow with n general demolition Of
tho country own bosie, is regarded AS
a most important development in the
movement to force the parcels post
enactment through congress.
New York newspapers a few days
ago published an interesting story TO
the enect that the Wolis- Fargo Ex-
press company's directors have adopt
"a a plan for distribution OF 5000 per
ahare divided to stockholders, out Of
the surplus of the company.
The fact that The United states re-
fuses TO give It's own people parcels
post privileges that enlightened
countries without exception enjoy,
enables such dividends TO be earned
by the express monopoly. The express
companies have taken rank among
the most powerful financial institu-
tions in the nation. They own great
investments in railroads, they loan
millions TO favored corporations; and
now comes Il $500 dividend by n of
them.
And naturally enough we are re-
minded Of the cynical explanation Of
the failure 10 establish the parcels
post.
There are Just four reasons why
congress doesn't ito it; The Adams
Express. the American Express, the
Wons-Fargo Express. and the United
states Express companies
Heads Of the various departments
ar the government who have been
establishing more or less elaborate
nress bureaus viii. In OH probability
hump into IA mag before the present
eession Of congress ENDS. Members OF
The house appropriations committee
who have learned of the employment
bureau press agents do not hest
to condemn the practice and TO
that IL viii be prohibited by law
when the legislative bill Is prepared
several years y some of the eN- |
Departments embarked on the
Of advertising themselves
through the medium OF press agents, |
by means 90 limitations written |
into appropriation bills congress put
end 10 IL. Recently. however. press
agents have been employed b nearly /
every department which Is not eN- |
forbidden 10 hire them.
In several Instances tho department.
n press agents are employed ON what
IL known az the confidential roll
rho amount OF their compensation -
withheld from public nae IN the de-
estimate IA for sufficient
reasons the real nature of their I'M
,ioymcni also A. withheld The EN-
OF these press agcnts has
90 general that censorship has
established in almost every de-
iartmenf. but the end seems to be m
tight.
The postofnce department employs
press agents ia q -ceufidcntial
npacity. one receives s25co. while
he Others annual salary h. s. 000.
The action % the New Mexico
In enloining the RIO Grandc
,am and Navigation company from
,ustrucung a dam az Elephant Butte
-