Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-04
BARRETT URGES UNION TO
\ WORK FOR PARCELS POST
Tells Officers and Members to
Prod Their Senators and
Representatives
(special Dispatch to The Journal.)

(Special Dispatch to The Journal)
WASHINGTON, March 3.-President
Charles S. Barrett, of the, Farmers
union TODAY issued a statement to the
members of the union, urging them to
press their representatives for the pas
sage of a parcels post BILL His state
ment follows:
ITO the Officers and Members OF the
Farmers Union:
lone of the things 1 insist that mem
bers of the Farmers union and farmers
generally should get in behind congress
about, is the parcels post.
"Year after year we have been striv-
ing to secure this legislation from con-
eress. False promises from politicians,
the lobby maintained by the express
companies and, to an extent our own
apathy, have operated to keep us out OF
this huge benefit.
THE time has come to cease dilly-
dallying. Go after your representative
and senator With a club, bury HIM un-
der an avalanche of letters, telling him
you want a parcels post and that you
are not going to let him or yourself
rest until you get it,
What is a parcels post?
THE answer is extremely simple.
WHAT THE POST is.
"A parcels post is a system which
will make the government do for pack
ages over four pounds what it is now
doing for letters; carry them at rea-
sonable rate with profit alike to the
manufacturer and the merchant, the
farmer and the consumer at large.
LET this fact sink into your mind:
THE express companies. which now
have a monopoly of the small carrying
trade in the United States, are getting
on an average of 16 cents a pound for
transporting packages.
Last year, one of them declared
dividend of 800 per cent! Is it any
wonder, with cinch of the transporta-
ton of small packages?
Now, what will a parcels post do for
the government?
"It will help wipe out that big postal
deficit about which congress and the
newspaper editors are now raising such
a howl, 1t will transfer to the govern
ment a large part of the patronage, and
therefore profit, now enjoyed by the pri-
vate express monopolies which are just
about as high4handed. trusts as Standard
Oil or any other. 1t will wipe out that
postal deficit and, as the service devel-
ops with use, it will prove a growing
and unfailing source of actual revenue
to the treasury of the United States.
What will a parcels post do for the
farmer?
1T will save him about IS per cent
wear on the charges he is now compelled
to pay the express companies for every
thing that travels in their cars. The
packages that come to his home from
the big mail-order houses in south and
north, will, cost him about 80 per cent
less for transportation, because in the
long run the farmer always pays the
freight The parcels post also has
county feature. Under the plan pro-
posed, the small town merchant will be
able to send out small packages over
rural routes at cost so small compared
to the hire of a messenger or a horse
and buggy or a wagon, as under present
conditions, as to put millions of dollars
yearly into the pockets of both the
American farmer and the American
country merchant
WON'T HURT MERCHANT.
Don't let your country merchant fool
YOU into believing that a parcels post
will cut off his revenues by diverting
trade to the big mail-order houses.
Even if ii did, we would still stand for
it, because 1t is better that millions OF
Farmers save money lidn lndl nuuuTeuS
of small merchants make money. But,
as a matter Of fact a parcels post will
add to the profits of the small country
merchant by giving him cheap access to
his customers out in the county.
Impress upon your congressman that
practically everybody in your district is
a unit for parcels post. Tell him that it
don't injure anybody, not even the
crossroads merchant, after the latter
understands IT. Make him see that
there is no opposition to the measure
and tina tit is bound to come, and you
will get ii quickly
How much do you pay on the eggs
you ship to town? A great big heavy
charge almost so prOhibitive that it
doesn't pay you to compete with the
cold-storage trust or keep a yard full of
hens The parcels post will give you a
low government rate on eggs, and other
small farm truck, enabling you to sell
more goods in town and add to your an
nuaI profits.
There is not one single valid argu~
ment against parcels post. There is
every valid argument for it.
IF the government wants to keep the
farmer on the farm, and to attract 9TH
ers back to the land let the government
even I'D advantages as between country