The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1912-01-18
PARCELS POST UN-
DER DISCUSSION
Especial to the Silver state.)

son day banquet, meeting of the Demo
cratic national committee and the ex-
ecutive committee of the League of
Democratic clubs added many promi-
nent Democrats to those already here.
Everybody is yet Gin the air' as to
the probable ticket The noising of
the contents of the letter Gov Wilson
is said to have written several years
ago severely critcising Mr.. Bryan
caused some slump in Wilson stock,
but the governors many admirers
continue ardently to boom him. Ev
erybody was glad to see Speaker Clark
sufficiently recovered to participate in
the meetings. The puzzle as to Witch
er Senator LaFollette will withdraw
and Col Roosevelt become the sole
active candidate for the Republican
nomination against President Taft
will continue SO long as Col. Roose-
welt remains a sphinx and keeps every
body guessing.
| Notwithstanding the liking of the
people personally for the president,
farmers and merchants alike have ex-
pressed irritation in the hearings of
the senate postoffice committee, now
being conducted by the chairman of
that committee, Hon. Jonathan
Bourne,tha Postmaster General Hitch
cock, with the approval Of the presi-
dent continues to add countries under
agreement to transport merchandise
| by mail for less than postage charged
for domestic parcels; making the rate
for such countries twelve cents per
pound or fractional part thereof,
whereas the rate within the United
States is sixteen cents per pound
Congress has been criticised by people
who enormously believed such ar
rangements were made by congress.
Farm journals supported by the ad-
vertising of retail mail order houses
have printed riot-breeding statements
that foreigners who come to America
and have occasion to send or receive
parcels from across the sea are given
privileges not enjoyed by our own peo-
pie in domestic way Repre- .enta-
| YES of the Grange and simildi or-
ganizations have declared in the SEN
ate hearings upon parcels post that
congress should either provide the
same rate for domestic service or pre-
vent, if possible, the postmaster-gen-
eral from. adding remote and unim-
portant foreign places in such ag e.,.
E-tnts. Some of the representatives of
mercantile organizations, believing
that the postmaster general has been
doing these things to add to the clam
or for parcels post, have been thinking
things about the postoffiee department,
which, if thought in print, would prob
ably bar them from the mails. Such
a scarcity of information exists in the
minds of the people generally as to
just how these things have been
brought about, regardless of hauls in
America being so much longer than
those of European countries general
ly, that the introduction of a resolu-
ton of inquiry in congress calling for
full information for the benefit of the
public would not be surprising.
Merchants are significantly mention
ing that the national Federation of
Retail Merchants, representing about
half a million retail merchants, is apt
to become an active factor in the COM
ing campaign; regarding the sub ieet
cf parcels post as more important than
any party question. The very capable
secretary of this organization is J. Il.
Moorehead, of Lexington, Missouri
The wholesalers of the country are
also effectively organized in opposl-
tion to parcels post, under the name of
the American League of Associations
the work of the organization in Wash
ington being in charge of E. B. Moon
One of the national farm organi..a
tions filed resolutions of endorsement
of Representative Lewis scheme fol-
confscation and government operation
of the express companies. Represe lta
tives of others insist upon flat-ratt
system of parcels post. One or two
advocates before the committee saii
they would be satisfied with prefer
ential rate being given in zone oi
origin of Shipment Their pleas tt
have parcels transmitted long dis
tances at the same rate as provided
for short hauls seem somewhat con
Trajectory to their profession of re
! tanning any obligation to support the
communities in which they live Mem
bers of congress say it will be difficult
to give these people legislation unit
they can agree upon what they want
!, Advocates of parcels post say they
want the government to go into the
express carrying business largely t.
reduce exhorbitant express rates
Representatives of the mercantile as
sociations say that the express com
panies, in their hoggishness, are tt
blame for all the agitation for a par
cells post, but that the mercantile as
sociations are doing all in their power
to secure regulations and reduction by
the interstate commerce commission
and the railroad commissions of vaii
Gus states. They say that the mer
chants pay a larger proportion of these
exress charges than the farmers do
They add, however, that the expires.
companies, with all their faults hav,
never considered doing the local com
munities the injury that is now pro
. posed that the government should in
flict through the carriage of parcels
at the same charge for 1000 miles al
for thirty miles.
They say that such system al
proposed is that of protection turned
upside down. that it is reversa
of all the laws of justice and right fo
the man who goes into new communi