The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1925-01-30
RURAL MAIL SERVICE

Will q mVAc 6aAut0Ay CAAC~b 1924 eAe-
march OF that progress than tfs
Rural Mail Service of the Post OF
fee Department.
No other single instrnmentaiity
has done more than the Rural Mai
Service towari +" bringing the cit
TO the country" aud relieving the
prosaic existence OF tarm life, or li','
been as effective in establishing
closer contact between the saimef
aud his markets. IL has been the
most important foctor in making
agriculture ali exacting business in
stead OF its one TIME precariou
classification which conveyed nc
broader meaning than !" tiiilnt
1.-the soil"
Twenty-nine years ago the far
mer, and his wife, and chIldren, lee
an existence of almost conlpiet
ISOLATION, living upon widely scat
tered farms, some of them mile:
i part. They had compare We |.
| title communication with thei
.eighbors or the outside world, eA
ept that derived from weekly trip
% the adjacent village More cftel
han not the farmer lost full day
york and his crops were neglected l.
order to obtain expected mail at tn
.illage post Office.
In those days the farmers MAJ
consisted largely OF communication
rom rel: tives and friends. loda
lie daily mall includes, usually Q
he very date Of publication. tn
metropolitan newspaper, containing
market reports aid agricultural
news; the weekly and monthly farn
| journals and magazines, anu Dus
less letters from the vuiase mel
liant and the more pretentiou
establishment in the distant city
| al of these are now brought to hl
| loor or to the box a few yards aws.y
The rural carrier is the fatrers's
post Office and his agent Through
him he conducts transactions for tn.
sale of his live stock, grain, anc
other farm produce. From him hi
buys stamps ind pays h,s bills By
postal money order. In short. thu
letter carrier is the metiuIn tina.
has transformed the once secluded
habitant OF the rural district into !;
cosmopolitan citizen, CONVEX an
with. current affairs and occupyi1s
larger place In the destinies Ut
great nation.
1t was Postmaster General John
Wanamaker who first officially ug
gested in 1891 the rural mail idea
to Congress. The plan was fought
in the legislative branch OF the Gov
eminent for five years before 1t was
given a try-out.
The first bill authorizing the
establishment Of the service was III
troduced in the House by Reple
sentative James O'Donneli Of Micht
San, January S, 1897. II carried an
appropriation oil 81, OOO,0O0, oil. fa;'-
ed OF passage. A year later Con
sress was induced to appropriate
$40, zoos for experimental purposes
followed in 1884 by $29,Jv0 iAoit
Mr.. Wanamaker. believing til
amount insufficient even Tor experl
mental service, declined to use tn,
money.
On January 8, 1895, $4,000 was
added by Congress, and ON October
/, the same year, the first experi
mental rural delivery service was
I~cxohI;,h-a ri,,,,,lto ,oou.lp IN fhrc..
routes in West Virginia, one from
Charlestown, one from Uviila, anG
one from Halltown. from this
small beginning, nine months latei
found the service operating Oh 81
routes. emanating from Is pos: vi
fees, in IS states. twenty -eigh
years later, Oh June 80, 1924, tue
Rural Mail Service had grown tc
44,26O routes, with a total mileage
of 1,206,714.
In comparison with the insight
tncant appropriation of SIT, 900 made
| by Congress more than quarter Z,
century ago to inaugGrate the ser
vice, it now requires an annual ca
/ pOANAIutN VI PoJs@cVBVVV W hCCp ~
furctioniLs.
| The hIst county to be completed.
covered by Earal Mail Service 1as
Carroll County. Maryland, where
county service was established De-
cember 20, 1893. There are very
few counties in the country today
that are not honeycomDed to the
uttermost corners with free mail
delivery.
BY 1915. 26.OSO fourth class OF
ices had been discontinued as 4 re
suit, of the extension OF the klr.l
Mail Service. 1t is estimated that
IN annual saving of $1,bl5,O4u was
accomplished by the discont.nuance
OF these Offices. while the elimination
OF star, or contract, routes IS es.i
mated to save $3,4S2,biU per
annum.
| When the service was first i'll
1 q N rrnr ak I'D 10 y