The Monte Vista journal., 1915-04-03

break Uncle Sam has demonstrated
his ability to handle more business.
handle 1t more expeditiously and
handle it for less money than the
monopoly
That is something of an achieve
ment and it has proven tremend-
Gus boost for public ownership. If
Uncle Sam can run the express busi-
ness so efficiently and economically,
why not place him in charge of the
telegraph monopoly and the tele-
phone monopoly and maybe-the
railroad monopoly?
These are disconcerting questions
for the monopolies affected, and
so they are endeavoring to discredis
the entire movement at its yely in
ception by attacking and hampcring
the parcel post
Fighting Under Cover
OF course, they do not dare come
out in the open and frankly avow
their purpose. The people would
never stand for that. The parcel
post must be knitted in the dark
and that is what the express mon
opoly and its allies, the railroads,
have been dong for two years Up
to date the score is in favor of the
conspirators. They have pigeon
holed in the Senate every bit of
remedial legislation and as a final
evidence of their power they have
defeated the postoffice appropriation
bill.
But, as usual, they have "over-
played their hand" Now the ma
tional administration is aroused and
Postmaster General Burleson backed
by the President, has publicly de-
clared war on the enemies of the
parcl post.
In a statment issued on March
%, General Burleson boldly de-
clares:
THE bitter opposition to the rail-
way mail pay amendment was the
sole cause of the defeat of the an
nual appropriation bill"
He charges the railroads with hay
ing financed a propaganda, ostens-
IDLY to inform the public, but in fact
designed by its One-sided, prejud-
iced and biased presentation to mis-
lead and wrongfully influence the
public mind"
A Sample Canard.
He points out that the press
agents of the railroads and the ex-
press monopoly have spread the
story that the postofflce department
was not paying the railroads any
thing extra for carrying the parcel
post, when, as matter of fact, the
roads have already received spe-
cial allowance of $4,322,554 for
their service and the defeated ap-
preparation bill authorized the de-
partment to pay them an additional
million dollars.
1T is scarcely possible to over
state the Importance of this matter,
says General Burleson. although
the railroads contend that they are
underpaid for carrying the mails,
the facts are they are overpaid, and
that they are receiving from the
government amounts which, for
hauls of any considerable length.
exceed by about two to one the
amounts they receive from the ex-
press companies for like and sim
liar service.
Upon the two principal mail
routes, from New York to Chicago.
over which is carried the largest
daily weight OF mail transported
anywhere in the world by rail, az
gregating about 319 tons daily, rail-
way mail pay amounts to $2.5S per
100 pounds, while the railroads
proportion OF the first express rate
between those cities is approximate
ly $l.20 per 100 pounds.
From New York to Los Angeles
the railroads receive from the ex-
press companies $4.S5 per 100
pounds and from the government
| $9.06 per 100 pounds
'These are not isolated cases
| They are typical"
Effect on Parcel Post.
II is because of these inequalities
in transportation costs that the par
eel post rates for the longer distance