Gilpin observer., 1914-08-13
WASHINGTON NEWS
By Edward Keating.

d.,
announced that he will flood Colora-
df with copies of his latest attack on
the conduct of the parcels post by
the postmaster general and other Off
Gals OF the Wilson administration.
l listened to Kindel's speech when
he delivered it in the house and was
amazed at his reckless disregard of
well-kncwn facts. He was followed
by Congressman Lewis of Maryland
the rather of the parcels post and
one OF the ablest men in congress-
who made a crushing response to the
Denver mans charges.
The fact is that the development of
the parcels post is one of the splen-
did achievements of the Wilson ad-
m1nisration, and Postmaster General
Burleson deserves the commendation
of his countrymen for the part he
has taken in the work.
Stacking Parcels Post.
The parcels post bill was passed by
the last congress and became opera
tive on January 1st, 1913-just two
month before Wilson was inaugurate
and Burleson became postmaster gen.
eral. The latter announced that he
wished to expand the system as rapid
ly as possible, but that he was seri-
ously handicapped in two ways:
First-The law provided that the
ch hn tot;
ent to pay the cost of the service.
Second-The government was com
PEELED by law to pay the railroads as
much for hauling the parcels post as
for handling ordinary mail matter
This meant that in many instances
1t cost the government two or three
times as much to transport a given
package as it did the express COM
panies.
In this connection, it is well to ex-
plain that the express companies
have an arrangement with the rail
roads by which they pay tie roads
about one-half what they receive for
carrying package. Under this deal,
Whenever the Interstate Commerce
commission slaskes express rates,
the railroads have to stand one-half
the cut. This is a lovely arrange
ment for the express monopoly, but
rather hard on the stockholders of
the railroads.
When the original parcels post bill
passed the house, it contained a pro-
vision authorizing the Interstate Com
merce commission to compel tire rail-
roads to give Uncle Sam the sane
rates they gave the express compan-
les. This was stricken out in tn
senate.
Now, that seems almost unbeliev-
able, but it is true. The represen-
tatives of the people apparently de
liberately shackled the young giant
who was to do the peoples work, and
the postmaster general was compell-
ed to undertake the task of build
ing UP a parcels post business under
a statute intended to compensate tie
railroads for carrying letters, pack
ages, etc.
Monopoly Oserlooks Something.
But the friends of the express mon
opoly overlooked one point-that old
statute enabled the parcels post to
compete with the express companies
within limited area To be specific
in the words of Congressman Lewis,
Under the old law We may have a
2o-pound parcel post up to 300 miles
and a five pound parcels post good
for the entire country"
Burleson seized upon this oppor-
tunity and proceeded to organize a
tremendously efficient parcels post
within that restricted district. He
wanted to give the country a taste
Of what a genuine parcels post sys-
TEN could accomplish and he succeed
ed
Succeeded so we'll, that congress is
now about to strike the shackles
from the young giant and compel the
railroads to give the postoffice de
partment rates for all distances and
all weights which will approximate
those of the express companies. The
house has already passed the Moon
bill which makes this change and II
will undoubtedly go through the sen
ate. That means that the postmaster
general will soon be in a position to
give the country the full benefit OF
the parcels post system.
Express Companies Fight.
OF course. the express companies
have fought the postmaster general
every step of the way. and their
plans have been clearly conceived
and executed.
l do not know how they enlisted