The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1915-11-04
Mr.. RAMSEYER
MAKES PROTEST
CONGRESSMAN OPPOSES TO CUR.
-A.LMENr OF SERVICE
LET RURAL MAIL ROUTES ALONE
" PostOffies Department 10 Running
Behind II Should Adjust Its
Rates, and Not Embarrass
Former Patrons.


-@ sar r'
Washington, d. c., Nov. 1.-The fol
lowing communication was in person
filed with the Postmaster General b!
Representative G. w. Ramseysr, to
gether with petition signed by IL,
heads of families, protesting agains
the discontinuance and abandonment
Of Route No. out or West Grove
Davis County, Iowa: o
honorable Sir:-I have the honol
10 present to You the protests of tbs
patrons and heads of families OF
Route No. / and No. 2, out of West
Grove, Iowa, against the abandon
ment of Route No g. In addition tC
the facts set out in the petition sign
ed by I2S heads of families on said
routes, / present the following obser
vations, applicable to said routes and
to changes in and abandonment Of
other rural routes made in my dis
trict, for your careful and candid con
sideration, to-wit:
LIST. In many instances the new
routes go over poorer roads and serve
a less number of patrons. poe
End. These changes were made with
out investigation and report of an in
spcctor as to the feasibility or practi.
cability of such changes, without con.
ferTing with any residents of the 10,
cality where the changes were made,
and without consulting the wishes of
the patrons. @R 3 -
Ord. The only apparent reason of
the department for these changes is
to cut down the expenses of the de.
partment, and II has been determined
to make the farmers suffer first and
most and to deprive them of much
needed and popular service.
4th. The farmer in the Middle West
is business man AMI is as much in
need of and entitled to his daily mail
as is the merchant or manufacturer
in the city. The daily market reports
are greater necessity to the average
farmer than is any class of mail daily
delivered to the retail merchants of
our cities and towns.
9Th. Iowa stands lowest in the per.
centage of illitcracy OF any state IN
the Union. There is no illiteracy
among Iowa farmers and they devote
more time each day to reading daily
papers and magazines and take a
keener interest in what they read than
does the urban population.
9Th. To curtail rural mail service
on the plea that it does not pay for 1t.
self is as unfair as it would be to de-
prive the residents of the outskirts Of
city of the free delivery service be-
cause the postal receipts Of that por'
ton Of the city are not as great as
from the business center of the city.
It'll. About the only legislation ever
passed by the general government di-
rectly for the benefit of the farmers
was the establishment Of the free rur-
al delivery of mail. Now your depart
msnt, instead of extending this popu'
lar service, is taking it away from
a large number of farmers who here
tofore have enjoyed its privileges and
advantages Instead of curtailing this
service, it should be extended until
every farmer has that daily service
the same as the city dweller. If not,
Why not? Why should a resident with
In the corporate limits of afrity be
any more entitled to consideration and
service from the general government
than farmer who resides outside
such corporate limits? If the service
is TO be curtailed. why commence in
the country first? Why not in the city
where every resident is within easy
walking distance of the postofhce?
Sth. In regard to the automobile
service and doubling the mileage OF
carriers contemplated by your depart
ment, I beg to advise you that we dc
not have the gravel and sand roads
which get muddy when 1t rains, that
Il rains often. and that automobiles
cannot run in Iowa mud. II is the ex
perience of rural carriers Of Iowa, who
have owned automobiles a number OF
years, that they can use them only
about 100 days inc the year. BY your
contemplated automobile service, over
half of the time the farmers will eth
ef be deprived OF their daily mail OF
receive poorer service than they have
heretofore received. zs..@
9th. If the postoffice department L
running behind and Is In need Of FUNDS
and is rIepriying the farmers Of then
mail service in order to avoid q de
felt in Your department. wish TO IN
from you ttudL u Utlbcls t4lO4r SuDt oa h5
popular Alternative wiuld be 70 IN
crease the rates, and the farmers viii
gladly help pay the increased postags
rates, together with this rest Of tbs
population. The service should not be
decreased. much rather increase the
rates. m
10th. The farmers strongly resent
your departments policy In !, curtail
ing the rural route mail service, thes
are convinced not only that they need
the mail delivered to them daily, bu
that they are entitled TO such service
Furthermore. in this controversy, thu
farmers are exhibiting a determine
lion that they are going TO have theil
free rural delivery seryice-not cur
tailed not only when the roads arr
good. but that they are going TO hay'
II extended kntii every farmer receiy
es that daily mail service, rain o
shine.
Hoping that you win give the en-
closed fun consideration and respect
fully asking you to grant the rcques
OF the petitioners. am
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