The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-07-26
The BREAD LINE
How Proposed Parcels Post Bill
win Affect 1t.
MEANS MORE BOYS TO CITY
What Young Country Lads Go Through
Before Swallowing Their Pride and
Getting In Line--Why German Mall
Hauls Are Cheap.

Getting In Line--Why German Mall
Hauls Are Cheap.
Character studying in Chicago last
night, came upon McDoweIis coffee
line-an attenuated string of hungry,
hopeless men, out OF money, out OF
luck, out of everything worth while
in this world. Many of these men
would work if they had a chance but
the city Is filled with unfortunate,
ablebodied fellows who haven't the
chance and while they look for means
of sustenance, they become tempo
raTily bad citizens, objects OF charity,
some of them criminals. For man
will steal when he is hungry enough
straits. Law doesn't mean much to
the poor devil whose stomach is emp
ty and whose body is weak from ex-
posture. Oftentimes arrest means a
jail which is better than no shelter
at all.
And as observed this line OF men,
could not but wonder how much
longer and more desperate it would
be under the parcels-post, mail-order
systematic system that would drive
so many more country men into the
metropolis, there to swell the misery
and labor disaffections!
There are already too many people
in the cities. AS upright, honorable
Americans who love the flag, we
should work for legislation and con-
ditions that will turn the tide from
the city To the country towns. We
should build up the small town and
encourage small farming around these
towns, for from such environment
spring rugged, intelligent sons and
red-lipped, healthy daughters to take
the place of the really great men of
the nation. We have too many bread
lines as it is; what we want is more
country folk and fewer city folk. The
parcels post will give US more city
people, driving the country people into
the moiI of the metropolis. The par
GELS post will deliver for the mail or
der houses supplies for every house
hold at moral and financial loss to
that household and in SO doing VIII
starye out the country merchant,
crowd the country mechanic into the
city, put travelling men OF the road,
send the country doctor to be city
CRATER along with thousands Of such
ilk now skinning the people in the
cities. The parcels post will close the
lawyers Offices in rural towns, throw
the stenographers out of situations,
discharge all but few OF the preach
ers, discourage the music teacher, en-
tice the farmers daughter to the cities,
steal the manhood of country boys
for city mills-and, in a word, ruin
the country town!
You don't believe it?
How much more business can you
lose from your village without sacri-
ficing merchant or two or a dozen?
Are the merchants of your town get
ting rich from their stores? Suppose
the parcels post enables the mail Or
der houses to secure one-fourth OF the
business now enjoyed by your home
business men. Doesn't it stand to
reason that the town Will be injured !?
The mail order houses are now do
ing millions of dollars of business in
the country towns. Wouldn't the
towns be more prosperous if this
money went to the home merchants?
And as the country town is being
injured the lure of the city appeals
more and more to the country boy
and as he goes in countless numbers,
the bread line grows longer and hun
grier. hope burns to the empty brazier,
leaving only the ashes of despair.
Parcels post, as advocated, is simply
another method of distribution, an
other way of serving the people. Now
we get our supplies by freight through
the local dealer. Under the proposed
parcels post We would cut out the
dealer and let Uncle Sam take our
taxes and pay for service which will
enable the mail order houses to ship
US anything, anywhere, up to eleven
pounds in weight for the same price
just as two-cent stamp will take q
letter anywhere in the United States.
The friends of parcels post point at
England and Germany and say, See
how nicely it works."
But wait. The average haul for
mail matter in these parcels post coun-
tries is 40 miles, against $40 in the
United States. And the man just out
side OF Chicago would pay no less for
the transportation of his quart OF
prunes or his dress suit than the gen.
tieman who lived in Oregon and like
wise bought from a Chicago cata-
log. But il costs more to send these
articles to Oregon! Who pays the av-
erage difference? Oh, Uncle Sam.
And you pay Uncle Sam-or help to
pay him.
1t now costs about "a cents to send
out the ayerage-sized catalog OF the
big mail order houses. Under the par
cells post law the catalog would so
for cents This would mean more
catalogs. More catalogs mean more
49, h..-s