The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-07-19

The travelling man believes, and cor.
rectly, that parcels post would injure
the nation by the destruction Of an i'm
portant and necessary force OF prog
ress that makes for originality of mind
and individuality OF character, and
again that it win be injured by the de-
generating influence of crowding
and congested population in the big
cities where men lose their individ-
uality and become mere machines.
Travelling men believe that we need
laws that will encourage and CON
serve the small towns and villages
rather than legislation that will de-
plete them.
No Use for Grips.
The parcels post bill would involve
the personal welfare of several hun
dred thousand travelling men and of
many, many wives and children. It
would involve the business welfare OF
a million retail merchants and fifty
thousand wholesale merchants. The
combined business disturbed would
run into the billions of dollars. Leeis-
iation carrying with it such grave pos
sibilitles should be made slowly and
not without the most careful consid-
Grafton. 1t should not be Influenced
by selfish mail-order houses, neither
should 1t be considered except as for
the greatest good to the greatest num-
Der. The city should not be selfish
and endeavor to secure legislation that
will tear down the country town-for
by so doing it is cutting off its nose
to spite it's face. The city's recruits
always come from the country and
with a condition in America like that
existing in several of the foreign coun-
tries where the mail-order-parcels
post propositions are in force, where
would the cities find the country men
sufficiently educated and capable OF
taking up the metropolitan burdens as
they now do?
Travelling men stand for careful
investigation of the effect of a parcels
post. They would like to feel that the
United States law makers know what
they are doing when they vote for a
parcels post law-if they do.
What the Star Says.
The Indianapolis Star in an edf-
torial on the proposed parcels post
bill says:
THE honest and business-Iike way
for the government to secure cheap
and rapid transmission of small mer-
chandise would be to compel the re-
duction of express charges and in
crease of express facilities. This, con-
gress is unwilling to do, and therefore
takes up the roundabout and expensive
method of bringing these charges
down by establishment of govern
mental competition. 1t is the same
false and costly process we use of re-
ducing public service charges by levy
ing upon communities to construct du-
plieate and unnecessary competitive
plants for gas, telephone, electric
lights and street cars" ...
Sham and Pretense.
John A. Ordway of Blodgett, Ordway
e Weber, Boston, Mass, said before
the New England Dry Goods assocla-
ton:
Il say candidiy and truthfulIy to
you, as diligent man of affairs, that
there's wonderful lot of sugar-coated
sham and pretense about the parcels
post agitation, which becomes more
apparent the closer the subject is
studied. The proponents of this meas
ure advocate what? Nothing more or
less than that the present methods OF
distributing merchandise shall be
changed by legislative enactment, and
through and by the centralized power
of government control and operation.
They propose to ignore existing condt-
tons, rights or qualifications in the
carrying trade, or recognized path
ways of commerce, and substitute the
theories that have become an obses-
sion with the dreamers, or have been
adopted by the cunning self-seekers as
a personal road to easy riches, with
the general government as the uncom-
planning pack horse to bear the bur-
dens; and as potent arguments to con-
vince those who accept broad state
ments at their face value, without
~AoeSAAS VI eAebAJ o4SS ivy uSpSuu OA
,wo stock phrases: first, the benefit to
the farmer, and second, the detriment
to the express companies. Sham one;
and again, sham two!"
Mr.. Ordway goes on to prove that
should the method Of distribution be
shifted, the expense OF reaching the
as proposed would ultimate
y be greater, which, combined with
he mail order monopoly when once
by governmental assist |
ance, would cause the farmer many re-
srets. He cites the 1909 postal deficit,
;econd-class matter, at SCALES 900, and |
by comparison since that time brings
he figures to date with appalling
'ealism. He says, by way of COM
nent:
I firmly believe that the develop |
nent of the mail order house or the |
increased adoption of direct selling |
'y manufacturers, aided by govern
mental postal delivery, would not con-
er one benefit on the consumer in
l.