Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-06-30
friday. June 80 1911
FALSE OPPOSITION TO THE PAR.
GELS POST

In every civilized and in most of the
sem civilized countries of The world
there exists what is known as the
parcels post" branch of the postal
service by which packages not weigh
ing more than eleven pounds can be
sent by mail at the rate of four cents a
pound. Our government has such an
arrangement with countries in the
Postal Union and we in America can
send a package weighing up to eleven
pounds from here to Calcutta for forty
four cents, but we can send pack
age, weighing only four pounds at
most, at sixteen cents a pound or six
ty-four cents to Basic City.
So absurd is this condition that on
the naked face of the affair there ap-
pears no defense for it. The great ex-
press companies declare dividends of
some two hundred per cent, which
shows how eXorbitant are their
charges. If these transportation COM
panies can declare twenty times the
ten per cent, which would be gen.
erous dividend, it is self evident that
their charges are grossly in excess of
their costs, or in other words, that this
is not a reasonable" restraint of trade.
For many years there have been eff
forts made to grant to the people Of
this country the boon allowed to the
subjects of grinding monarchy" in
Europe, but in vain. 1t has long
been a proverb that there are four I'M
conquerable arguments against the
parcels post, namely, the Adams Ex-
press Company, the Southern Express
Company, the Wells-Fargo Express
Company and the United States Ex-
press Company. These corporations
have "gentlemen's agreement" be-
tween them that amounts to COM
bination and it was an open fact that
the late Senator Platt represented
them in the Senate, and through his
influence all steps in that direction
were defeated.
The argument is a philanthropic in
terest taken by the tender-hearted eX-
press companies in country merchants.
A parcels post would enable their Gus
toners to deal directly with city mer-
chants instead of the local dealer. In
the first place this is not true. When
the application for charter for the
first railway in England was put be-
fore Parliament, one of the main ar
guments against it was that so many
men, hostlers, drivers, coach makers
and repairers, horse shoers, and the
like, would be thrown out of employ
ment; yet results have shown that a
single railroad employs at high wages,
more men than did the whole stage
and carriage system of England at that
time.
The country merchant is hurt by
slow and not altogether efficient
freight service, and exorbitant express
charges. For articles Of small weight
he would not be hurt by a low postal
rate, while the great mass of his
goods must be too large and bulky to
be carried by mail. He knows how
his transportation bills restrict his
stock, while with cheap parcels post,
he will be able to keep in stock a
larger variety of goods which he can
sell to the people of his community
and for which they send off because
he cannot supply them.
When the express companies be-
come his ardent friends after having
bled him for these many years, he
should remember the wise old Trojan,
who, after being attacked for ten
years by the Greeks, wished to refuse
the proffered horse and said, 81 fear
the Greeks, even bringing gifts"