Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-01-23
DECLARES FARMERS ARE
FOOLED BY POLITICIANS
President Barrett Tells Why
Parcels Post Has Not
Been Passed
Especial Dispatch to The Journal)

Especial Dispatch 10 me JoufnaL)
UNION CITY, Ga, Jan. 19.-"Farmers
who would consider IL disgrace to be
skinned in horse trade, are being daily
fooled by politicians about the parcels
post and other measures" says Presi-
dent Charles s. Barrett, of the Farmers
National Cooperative and Educational
union. in a statement issued here to-
day. The statement follows:
To the oficers and Members of the
Farmers Union: The main reason the
American farmer is not now and has not
for some years been enjoying the bene-
fits of a general parcels post is his
own Iaziness Added to that, perhaps,
is his practice of letting the politician
give him toy to play with and dis
tract his attention, when he begins to
seriously demand a general parcels post.
The same rule applies to other needed
legislation.
The hardest reforms or measures to
enact into law are those favored by the
overwhelming majority of people. but
for which this same majority will not
develop sufficient energy TO get out and
make fight. There are no reasonable
men in America opposed to a general
parcels post. except those few who have,
or think they have, selfish interest in
defeating 1t or postponing IT, Yet we
have the spectacle these years of rep
resentatives of the farmers striving in
vain to obtain the crystaIlizing into Leg
islation of a measure self-evidently just,
and self-evidently popular.
The express companies have been
charged with maintaining a rich and
powerful lobby against the parcels post
other interests have been plastered with
the same indictment. 1t would not De
surprising or unnatural if either or both
accusations were well founded.
But all the express Hobbies, and all the
other Hobbies in America. couldn't pre-
vent the enactment of a general parcels
post IL the American farmer, whose vote
controls congress, brought sufficient
pressure to bear on his representative
and senator to get results.
Under treaty agreements, we now have
a general parcels post with considerably
more than half the civilized nations Of
the world. 1t is possible to mail an IL
pound package from San Francisco to
London, st. Petersburg, Vienna, Paris,
Berlin, Hon Kong, to the negroes in
Port-au-Prince. Hayti, for Il cents a
pound.
BUT IT COSTS is CENTS A POUND
TO MAIL THE SAME PACKAGE
FROM YOUR COUNTY SEAT TO THE
COUNTY SEAT ADJOINING. AND
EVEN THEN YOU HAVE TO SPLIT
rTsryur T,TTT L INTO VsIJDEUr on INCTVI1
PARCELS.
The president has recommended a par
cells post on the rural free delivery
routes with an investigation as to the
adyisability of a general parcels post
That is progress, but II is of the crab
variety-very slow and rortuous.
Just suppose you sit down right now,
write your representative and senator
and make your support OF him in the
next election contingent upon his sup
porting a general parcels post bill. Talk
about practical politics" That's prac-
tical politics with a vengeance. You
must insist upon a straight answer,
though, and then you must follow up
the answer with letters prodding him
until his vote is actually recorded for
general parcels post Be from Missouri
You would everlastingly keep your eyes
peeled to keep yourself from being skin
ned in a horse trade. You'd think it a
disgrace TO admit you had palmed OF
on you a spawned or wind CALLED nag.
Yet you get skinned, time after time.
in important political measures by the
fellow you're paying to represent you
and attend to your business. Isn't it
about the time you applied the same
vigilance to politics you do, or ought
to do. to horse trading and business
generally?