The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-01-26
their advertising from direct to

OuC III yCoie Win hi1hy PNoPNS
see whether they have sufficient pull
to milk the government COW, regard
less of who may have to furnish the
feed. The treasury is a pleasant
place in which to dig, they think.
! Why stop to figure who may have to
replenish it? Like blood-letting, ii
you don't know it, it won't hurt you
,-maybe!
The Senate postoffice committee
! has been holding hearings upon the
proposed parcels post. The House
postoffice committee held similar
hearings last summer. Both devel-
oped more facts than opinions. No
body assumed to be able to tell
whether the British government is
losing ten thousand or ten million
dollars per year upon it's parcels post
wherein the average haul is Al miles.
Hence nobody could definitely figure
how much Uncle Sam would lose with
average hauls ten times that. Wheth-
err Uncle Sam should dig into his
treasury to save some people a few
cents yearly and the retail mail or
der houses several million a year by
transporting merchandise for much
less than cost of carriage, taking the
money out of his strong box, to do it
with, "just for general convenience
is a question still on deck. Uncle
Sam has been rather sportively in
clined at times; but whether he is
sufficient of a spendthrift to go
against so stiff a game is yet to be
determined.
The average congressman has re-
ceived many signatures to petitions
In favor of it. Some of them have
noted the coincidence of the phrase
ology of the petitions being so much
alike. The signers have not taken
the trouble to add, "Copied from my
farm journal" Most of them have
not stopped to figure that, at any
rate which would enable the govern
ment to come out anyway near even
i'm it's operation, the cost of the
stamps necessary would make 1t
practically useless for the transporta-
ton of farm products. Farmers not
located upon rural routes are learn
ing that it is proposed to add parcels
post to routes established before
granting them rural free delivery
service. These comprise about half
of the farm population and they have
begun to protest to their congress
men.
The Hon. M. G.. knows that his
home merchants are against parcels
post and they say it would curtail
their ability to support local enter
prises and extend credits. In some
sections credits from merchants are
yet vastly necessary.
In the recent Senate hearings, just
prior to the holidays, E. B. Moon,
secretary of the American League OF
Associations, a national organization
of merchants, advised the %postoffice
committee that this question was of
too great moment to be decided with
out congress having been put into
possession of abundant facts. He
suggested that a commission should
be created to learn whether the ad-
mitted inferiority of the towns and
smaller cities of countries operating
parcels post to those of like size in
the United States, was a result OF
parcels post suction Of to
great mercantile centers. He said
that similar commissions had proved
their usefulness in obtaining valua-
BILE facts upon issues of tariff, bank
ing, currency, etc. Advocacy by the
president of a commission to investi-
gate tariff schedules, etc., did not i'm
ply that the president doubted the
ability or integrity of senators and
representatives in these matters,
They were too busy in other matters
to get the important facts. It SO
happens that there is not a merchant
upon either Senate or House postof.
flee committee.
Members of Congress have been
giving considerable thought to the
position taken by Mr.. Moon. They
are old enough to remember the
great agitation of a decade ago fol
government ownership of railroads
when many people were crying. 1.-THE
government must own the railroads
or the railroads will own the gov.
ernment!" They are now stopping
to consider that the recent similar re.
mark of that prominent retail mail
order magnate, Hon. John Wanamak'
er, regarding the express companies
had the temporary effect Of nearly
taking the American people off theil
feet unon this nuesti0n. Now the