The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-04-12
PARCELS POST.

ing 10 the fact that the mail order pub
( licatious are interested Ia getting tie
/ local parcels post bin through 70 build
Up TIE mail order houses. as naturally
THE more the farmers order b. mall
the more the mail order interests feel
/ justified in spending Tor advertising in
farm papers. and 50 the system grows
by shat il feeds on
The idea has become prevalent that
There Is very little opposition 20 the
parcels post and while 70 2 certain e1-
tent that Is q fact. nevertheless there
are more than a million and half mer-
camille concerns in this country that
are opposed 10 il
The bin that is now before congress
asks for local rural parcels post
sys-em. That is. the government is
being asked 10 transport packages Of
about eleven pounds ia weight along
the rural routes. but this package must
start. II Uncle sam is going 10 carry
ii, at the local rural free delivery cen
tral station, which in short. IS asking
subsidy TO help the retail mail order
houses Of the country develop al the
expense 81 the small towns
The census returns are nov coming
in and these returns indicate that the
large cities are increasing in p0pula-
ton while the small towns Of the oOun-
try are barely holding their own or
decreasing, so that II is evident thar
the drift Of population is toward the
large cities. Population always fol-
lows trade. Too much Capitalization,
either in government or in cities. is a
bad thing. Village life and the citizen
ship developed by It constitute the only
hope for the perpetuality Of the free
| institutions OF this country. The most
grave and serious dangers that now
menace our future result from the
overgrowth of the large cities and the
consequent degeneration OF the aver
age citizenship Of the nation. In the
place OF the plain people, whose coun-
try environment has made them stable.
steady-minded. self-reliant and inde-
pendent in thought and character, we
would have the volatile city multitude
"a floating population anchored 10
nothing. owning no real estate OF prop
erty. and blown about by every breeze
Of popular prejudice or passion-ready
for any rash experiment. social or poll
tical
There vas 50 much opposition from
all parts of the country and from the
express companies to the general par
GELS post bin that its advocates with
drew il and dragged in this wooden
horse Of the Creeks. labelling il the
Local Rural Parcels Post This
proposition IS supposed to please the
farmer because he is supposed TO get
something for nothing. It is supposed
(irsJ 10 please the country merchant,
because be viii be able to deliver his
goods out on the rural free delivery
routes without a wagon and horse of
his own. (Secondl Il is supposed 10
please Uncle sam. because his empty
rural free delivery wagons viii travel
loaded. (Third 1t is supposed to be
against the express companies. because
if Uncle Sam carries the goods they
won't get the business. But when it
is analysed it can readily be seen that
these suppositlons are not true.
II the Local Rural Parcels Post bill
we're passed Cfirstl the advantage TO
the farmer would only be temporary.
because this bill would give a monop-
oly Of the trade 10 the one Or two
great retail mail order houses that are
equipped to handle il. and il would
not be long before this mail order trust
had its hand at the consumers throat
choking greater profit from him. with
out any compensating return, than The
retail dealer. with his present multi
tude Of competitors. win ever be able
TO do
tSecond1 The local merchant is not
equipped with the parapheraaiia 70 gel
general business from the consumer
unless the consumer comes into bis
store
Third Last year the government
Incurred deficit that amounted to ap-
proximately S27.oo0.0co il operating
the rural free delivery system. which
was limited to the carriage Of mail
matter and merchandise up to four
pounds. a great many Of the most
successful routes are made on horse
back, over country that is inaccessible
to wagon, SO that the deficit. in spite
OF the income received fro mthe car
riage OF packages. would be very much
greater than at present. and the tax.
payers. as a whole, would have 70 pay
increased taxes to make up the loss
incurred by this subsidized system
Any measure that jeopardizes the
business OF the local dealer jeopardizes
Just as strongly the business of the
faruner who deDands. .npon the dealer