The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-01-24

/ do more by eStaDIiSnlus Ioo'S0 "
| lions where the roads are not up 10
| date than in holding the Big SUCK
| over their heads and saying: because
II the Postotfice Department can say
Won have not built roads to suit us.
xo,, shall have no daily mail service
This it is in its last anaiss So
| to demanding that the Postor1ce De
partment shall say what taxation shali
/ is equivalent to demanding tnat
| the Postoffice Department shali
say what taxation shall be palo
| in any given township IN the
/ roads and comforting it upon a bureau
| in Washington City that knows nothihS
| about local conditions, and that mas no
| right or power to dictate to the people
! Of any community Of America II Il
/ can find a man who will furnish the
horse and wagon and carry the mails
| at the price it has fixed, 1t IS no pusl-
ness Of the POStOffice Department
| whether the road is made of macadam
or sand, or is full of gulleys and the
! demand to exercise this power IN de-
| NAL of adequate mail facilities, bears
| heavily upon the people who are the
| poorest, and in most need or good
| rural mail service and Congress
! should not permit this outrageous dis
| elimination to continue, and ought to
resent the usurpation OF power of
| local taxation and road building by
| the Postoffice Department.
| There is another reason that ought
! to cause Southern congressman to air
| the injustice practised on the South
by the Postoffice Department in con-
nection with rural delivery routes. The
figures tell the tale that is severe in
dictment upon the operation Of the
Postoffice Department when the State
OF Iowa and the State Of North
Carolina, which have about the same
population and embrace about the
same territory, have the same number
Of members i'll Congress, and have the
same electoral vote, are treated SO diff
ferently in the matter Of rural delivery
route. The same is true as to the states
| Of Wisconsin, Kansas and Michigan,
and yet in these Northern Republican
States, the PostoHice Department has
given from % per cent to 100 per cent
more rural routes than they have
given in North Carolina. They will
say, Of course, that it is because the
people have better roads in these
States, and it was to justify their dis
elimination in favor Of Republican
States as against Democratic Southern
States that Mr.. Machen, in the be-
ginning. imposed the question of roads
with which the Postoffice Department.
| has nothing whatever to do 1t was
| a subterfuge to justify discrimination
in favor Of States having Republicans
in Congress and against States having
Democrats in Congress, and when the
facts are presented to the peopi.,
tshoWing this discrimination and in
justice, they will uphold Congress in
enacting some legislation to direct
the Postoff1ce Department to give as
many routes in North Carolina as 1t
has given to Iowa. Iowa has c4o4l
rural delivery routes while North Car
DINA has only 1882. The population
OF Iowa is 2,244,771 and it has PAPA
routes; North Carolna's population "a |
2,206,287 and it has only 1882 routes |
TO merely state these figures is to |
prove the discrimination in favor Of !
| iowa An examination OF the figures |
OF q few States shows this discrimina. |
ton against North Carolina. and T
take 1t that the same discrimination
| exists against other Southern Statas
that 90 not help to keep the Republi- |
| cans III power. Here are the facts:
North Carolina
opuidtlon 2,2Q6,287 /
| Rural routes in North Car
ollna ........ 1882
Wisconsin,
reputation .....2, 33SS60 t