The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-08-15
SENATOR BRYAN
MADE No MISTAKE

al
Editor Star: / appreciate the kind Il
words which you say OF me in I re-
cent issue OF the Star regarding ny !
relating to the parcels post.
Some OF the Florida papers seemed 4
pleased 10 be able 10 regret that Il
! had made a grave" mistake. Their 4
suggestion that the railroads would L
be benefited By the abrogation OF the /
order IS absurd, for the reason that
the government pays the railroads a /
higher rate for carrying parcels. IN
der its contract. than they receive |
from the express companies. So !
that, il can be readily seen that the /
order would benefit instead of hurt
them.
These papers seem TO have forgot
ten that after many years of effort
and in spite Of the active hostility of
the express companies a parcels post
law was enacted and that it came
from a committee of which | was a
member and from a subcommittee
of which | also was member. 1t is
needless to say that l favored it and
did all that / could in its behalf The
law has produced, in an experimental
stage, the only competitor the ex-
press companies have ever had.
want it to become a success, but
fear that it will fail if it is placed on
A basis of nOn-support
The real principle involved, how
ever, is the right of the department
heads TO legislate. If you will read
that part of my remarks quoting the
authority given to the postmaster
general, you will see that a postmas-
| ter general hostile to the system
could claim the same authority to
raise the rates TO a point where the
parcels post would get no business at
all. Congress has always fixed pos
tai rates and there is no good rea-
son why it should not continue TO do
so.
1t is claimed that the order of
the postmaster general is in the in
Iterests Of the people. l do not think
that taxation of the people is nee
iessarily in their interests. In this
instance it is estimated that the
deficit will be millions annually. and
yet it is proposed to tax all the peo-
| pie for the benefit of 10 per cent of
them who use the parcels post.
AS it stands now, just preceding
the effect of the order. the rates are
considerably lower than express
rates. That ought TO give the gov
eminent the business on a paying
basis. Yours very truly,
\. P. Bryan.
The foregoing letter from Mr.. Bry-
an confirms the Stars opinion of his
course in the matter No paper in
the state was better pleased than the
Star at the establishment of the par
cells post, and the prospect of the de-
liverance of the people from the ex-
actions of the express companies. At
the same time, it must be rememJe
ed that the people pay the expense of
the government, and that when a de-
apartment has a deficit. they have 10
make it good. 1t will not help the
Ipeople to save money in one pocket
on paying express rates, and have to
pay it out OF another to make good
a deficit in the postoffice department
Also, Mr.. Burleson is a mighty
good man and honestly working for
1.-THE people But power that he uses
for good might be misused by such a
man as Hitchcock, who was rapidly
turning the department into some
thing as obnoxious to the people as a
Russian bureau. These things Sen
ator Bryan has kept in mind, and the
people should appreciate his conser-
Ivative craftsmanship.