The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-15
Our Postal System.

Building at Red Oak,
] routes were established. until today
they attract but little attention To-
! day the people OF this county are
served by twenty-three free rural
delivery routes.
| Things however useful, when COM
mon. are too often unappreciated. But
Jour splendid postal system is not all
Private efforts have been OF great
aid Inventions have assisted. Pub
| lie opinion has given 1t rapid growth.
A postmaster OF today in small city
like this must earn, and does earn,
his salary. He must give long hours
to his official work. Vacations seldom
come to him. His clerks and helpers
must be on duty. But the efficiency
of the system depends much on the
efforts Of the railway companies. And
here again Iowa steps proudly to the
front. For years we received our
Chicago daily papers twenty-four hours
after publication. Today we receive
them at noon OF publication day, sole
ly by reason OF our fast mail trains.
1t then took three days and three
nights for reply by letter from Chi
icago
i During President Arthur's admins
tration, Frank Hatton. an Iowa boy,
/ later an Iowa editor, was for a time
acting postmaster general. For some
reason he asked first the Chicago &
Northwestern railroad to operate an
exclusively fast mail train That
road denied his request. He ap-
piled next to the Rock Is
land company with like re-
suits. Then he went to an officer in
4 charge OF the Burlington railroad.
That man had been an Ottumwa street
urchin; his parents OF the poorest.
But he had grown to be gallant
union soldier.-Capt. Thomas ]. Pot
ter, loved by all who ever knew him
In his many positions. He had a
mind quick, active, comprehensive
and strong. He promptly said his road
would try the experiment This was
I % years ago. His company operated
the first daily fast mail train in the
, United States. It was to leave Chi.
cago, 500 miles away, at 8 in the
morning; was to pass Red Oak at
o'clock. and shortly after o'clock
, tons of mail were delivered daily to
the Union Pacific railroad at Council
/ Bluffs, as well as serving all point:
! enroute. And that train for all these
J % years. In winter and summer, has
| been seldom late. That train has
been given companion. leaving Chi
! cago at $3.50 at night, with mail fol
delivery here by breakfast, and with
i still another going east at In tbs
] evening, arriving at Chicago fol
breakfast the next morning. And nov
several roads operate fast mail trains
: Frank Hatton and Capt Thomas
Potter were the pioneers Of this grea
convenience. and bronze tablets O.
, statues of these two Iowa men ough
: to be In every postoftice on th'
Burlington road from Chicago t,
: Council Bluffs.
81 Such, in the briefest way, was TIL
: creation and growth of our grea
t postal system. It is the greatest dc
; partment Of our government Thii
/ teen years ago the annual appropris
!. lions by congress were 5000, 000, 900 o
= OF money. Today they are over $500
s 600, 10000, or one-third of ali the ar
: nuaI appropriations by the govern
j. ment. And s. percent Of all this /
/, paid back to the government by pul
i chase OF the little 2-cent stamp. Their
0 never would be any deficit II all tn
/. departments OF the government woul
t buy and furnish stamps to those VIII
: have the franking privilege. New,
/ paper and magazine publishers pa
!. no postage for their papers sent I
r points within the county, and but
il cent for the pound carried elsewher,
o regardless OF distance This cost
J the government millions OF money al
/, nualiy. We have postal SAVING
r banks, possibly Of some benefit; Z
+ all events. harmless We now hay
g parcel post, Of some benefit no doub
9 To some people, even though harTnfl
e 10 local merchants II is Of gre,
: benefit TO sweatshops, mafi-orde
houses, and all dealers In ehoddfe
:. But II fs here " stay,
i But this poGtai system, quickly an
o safely SERVES III the people, Possibi
I'll 1t viii hare q stiiI greater growth.
% viii MT be lsss efficient n has far
n WORKING en4pjoYes, Postmastera ar
1. agsfstaDts and clegks are general
e faithful and Dnttrfng in their wor
Il gouts a2snts On fast trains. ~ nigj
II az weif AZ ~ day. see ~ ~ tiia eyei
q letter IN changed from one train !
T. another 70 speed Il most quickly
al It's destination. Rural carriers +
q a -. =