The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-01-15

followed the custom so popular in this
country, of making gifts to your
friends at Christmas time, and, II you
sent parcel through the mails, from
one postoffice to another anywhere in
the United States, no matter how
short the distance, you were Obliged
to pay postage rate of sixteen cents
a pound, and were limited IN the size
of the package to four pounds. II you
sent four-pound package from wash
ington to Alexandria, Virginia, dis
lance Of less than ten miles, 1t cost
you sixty-four cents.
But, If you had been a pig-ta1led
Chinaman, earning a livlihood by
cleansing soiled linen, and wished to
have sent a four-pound package from
Washington to friend in Shanghai,
a distance of more than 10000 miles,
you could have done so for forty-eight
cents, or twelve cents a pound. Furtn-
ermore, you would not have been linn
tied to a four-pound package; You
could have shipped, by mail, an
eieven-pound package a. the same
rate Of twelve cents pound.
Thus, does the United States dis
crirninate against its own citizens,
and in favor of the Chinaman whom IT
seeks to bar from admitJance to the
country. In other words, the United
States government will aid in the
transmission of fourth class mail mat
ter for ten thousand miles, and even
for a greater distance, and three thou
sand miles of the way through its own
postal system, at a rate cheaper than
1t will transmit the same fourth class
mail matter between the two nearest
postofices within the United States.
II will do more than that. It will
aid in the transmission Of package
two and three-fourths times as large
to a foreign country, as 1t will permit
to go through its own postal service
between any two postoftlces III the
United States.
All this is true because Republi-
can congress has failed to heed the
opular demand to enact modern
parcels post law, in place of the limit
ed, Inadequate and Anticipated parcels
post which is now provided under the
postal system.
But there have been reasons why l.
Republican congress has REUSED to
pass a parcels post measure. One OF
them has now passed away. For
twelve years the late Thomas G..
Plat was member of the United
States senate from New York. Sena-
tor Plat was a Republican. member
of the party in power, and president
of one of the largest express compa-
MES in. the United States. His col
league from New. York was the Hon.
Chauncey NJ. Depew, soon to retire
from the senate, thanks TO the cleo
ton of Democratic legislature in the
state of New York, and senator De-
rev was for many years president OF
one of the leading railroad systems of
the country. and is still largely inter
ested in railroad enterprises. Sena-
tor Plat is actually dead and Senator
DeneW is politically dead. Still there
remain reasons why Republican con-
gress refuses to pass a parcels post
law.
Here are the most influential rea-
sons:
In 1909 the gross receipts of the
American Express Company were
s3t,909,721. Its net earnings from
the express business were S1,S09.254
upon q capitalization of S1,716,004, or
an annual profit during the year upon
the capital invetsed in the company
of 1856 per cent
In 1909 the net profits of the Wells
Fargo Express Company were 70.7 per
cent.
The net earnings of the Adams Elk
press Company, the United States Ex-
press Company, the Southern Express
Company and other big express com
panies were correspondingly large.
In 1909 the various railroads of the
country received from the four big ex-
press companies alone, for transporta-
ton, compensation as follows:
From the Adams Express Company,
S14,9a5, 89656.
From the American Express Com
pany, s14.621.0 72.16.
From the Wells Fargo Express Com
pany, s11,416,199.60.
From the United States Express
Company. s7,882, 906.93.
These are the principal reasons why
Republican congress has not en-
acted an adequate parcels post law,
rather than the excuse which is more
frequently advanced, that under a
cheap parcels post system the big
mail order houses, and the large de-
partment stores in the cities, would
ruin the business Of the small retailer
and the little merchant in the country
towns.
In every Congress, during hte past
decade and even longer age than that.
bills have been introduced, both by
Democrats and Republicans, seeking
TO have established an adequate par
Gels post. Some of them have sought
merely to have the system tested in
an experimental way, and called for
only very small expenditures OF
money. the same as the rural free
delivery system was started, and
others have sought to inaugurate the
systern and limit it to the rural free
delivery routes, but Congress has
s;eadfas..y refused to take UP the sub
ject IL earnest.
On February, 1910. Representative
Hamilton Fish, an Insurgent Republ1-
cap. offered il the House the follow
if.s resolution:
Whereas, \ Government parcel
rc>; system has been in successful
operation in several European coun-
t.!@.; and
Whereas, there IS strong demand.
~ l." oranges and people OF rural
toa. ';'r7ltieS. tor the esta bIishment OF
r-EsstsA>tv