St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1912-02-17

the billions of parcels pre-
dicted by the Postmaster General.
The condemnation and taking OF
the property of the express com
panies, they say, would almost
inevitably result in the Govern
ment ownership and. operation OF
railroads, something which the
Postal Progress League which
has engineered the campaign for
Parcels Post openly advocates
with lowest possible rates re-
CARELESS of distance, as they
express it. REILLY bill Il. R. in
troduced last session provides for
this.
AS American postal employees
are paid about twice the salaries
Of employees Of the express COM
panies, twice the salaries OF
postal employees in England and
three times as much as in some
countries, and as the average
haul would be at least ten times
as long as in England, it is esti-
mated that the deficit from Par
GELS Post would amount TO at
least $3.50, 900, 600 yearly. Such
corporations as Montgomery
Ward & Co. and others have had
their representatives in behalf
Of this legislation before the SEN
ate Postoffice Committee. This
is causing some Of those who
want to avoid the impending de-
ficit again to point to what is
said in the Democratic platform
about favor-seeking corpora
tions.o
Postmaster General Hitchcock
has already recommended Gov
eminent ownership and opera
ton of the telegraph systems.
These would cost about $3.50,
600, GOO and add about 100, 600
employees under direction of the
Postmaster General. The New
York Times says that the Eng
lish governments operation Of
teIegraphs is losing the English
government much money. A
business may be operated as a
private enterprise successfully
and yet be a greater loser through
more extrayagant government
operation. Adherents of Senator
La Toilette and admirers of Ex-
President Roosevelt now say that
if the President did not have the
pulp of the oficeholders he
could not be renominated. That
the President is not emphatically
ayerse to this extension of Fed
eral authority is indicated by the
report that he is now considering
having Postmaster General
Hitchcock, who SO successfully !;
handled the road-roller" four |
years ago, again manage his
campaign.
Southern Democratic leaders, !
aside from their historic antip- !;
athy to extension of Federal
power and consequent loss Of
Importance to self-government |
and Of the rights of states, have
another reason for aversion to
this socialistic and paternalistic I
program: This is a reason which
made MI. Bryan's Winking at
government ownership and oper-
alton of railroads detract from
his popularity in the South just I
after his triumphal tour abroad, /
in his speech upon landing. {
Government operation of these
utilities means obliteration of the
color line. The Jim Crow car {
system in vogue upon all South T
ern railroads would have to be
discontinued and whites and t
blacks would ride in coaches to- t
gether. Southern Senators and {
representatives are beginning to e
realize that the operation Of an r
express-carrying business by the +
Federal Government means that +
control Of highways by counties b
and states will pass to a nation 4
with a swollen NJ 9
In Northern as we'll as South Q
arn States, the provision of the b
Constitution that powers not a
.Jo1oro+a3 ~ +ba TIni%od Cfofnc +