OCR Text |
Show A SEW POSTAL SCHEME. The farmers' alliance has started the agitation of a new idea that is likely to command no little attention. The pro-' pro-' ject is to secure the passage of a law providing for the free delivery of mail in the country districts. It appears ab-urd ab-urd at first thought but when it is , carefully considered it is found to have ' many good points. In the cities mail is delivered at the doors of citizens, although, al-though, with the establishment of a few branch offices, it would be an easy matter mat-ter for every family to get its mail daily without the carrier S3-stem. For some years the free delivery system has been growing. It has been extended ,' to many small towns, and experiments ' are now being made with a view of still further increasing the number of towns in which delivery shall be made. In all of these smaller towus' citizens can get to the postoflice daily without Berious inconvenience. The extension of the delivery system . to such places is a convenience, however, how-ever, a move move in the line of progress, and no one would ask that any backward step be taken. But the farmer is differently situated. lie is often miles away from the postoflice with no one to send after his mail. During the busy season, particularl', he must go without his papers and letters let-ters for days at a time, and at no time can the office be visited without a pro- . nounced effort unless the visit can be made in connection with some other errand. The postoflice may have a daily mail, or many mails daily, bringing bring-ing the morning papers with the latest intelligence, but the farmer must lose the advantage that he should derive from such service. Thus Ave have two divisions of citizens citi-zens standing upon very different foot- 1 ings in relation to their mail facilities; ' one living in cities enjoying free deliv-eer deliv-eer service although it could get the mail daily without it; the other living in the country without any such service and surrounded by conditions which , make it impossible for it to get to the j office regularly. Out of these condi-k condi-k J tions it is not unreasonable that the ' 'farmers should evolve the proposition that they should be given such a service. ser-vice. 1 It is the purpose of our system of government to give every class of citizens citi-zens every possible advantage, and it is particularly the government's care to see that educational facilities are placed within the reach of all. In these days the telegraph and the printing press, the express train and the mail service are among the leading educationa' agencies, but they are dwarfed to the farmer, while the urban resident derives de-rives all the advantages that they can Tiring to him. Not only is it desirable that the farmer should have the opportunity oppor-tunity to secure information of the world's doings at the earliest moment possible, as an educational feature of his life, but he is fairly entitled to early knowledge of the markets by which the price of his crops is affected. If there is an advance in corn, in wheat, in cattle, or in hogs, the buyer of a city firm can get fax out into the country . and make heavy purchases before tho farmer knows just what is taking place on the exchanges. So there would seem to be some foundation for the claim upon which this new project of the alliance is founded. The only difficulty presented I is that of expense. The plan has been heretofore to establish the free delivery system only at points where it would become self sustaining or nearly so, and 't this has confined it to places of consid-c consid-c erable population. 15ut there is no reason why the rule should not be t. changed if the people are willing to f' pay for it. The residents of cities could not object to paying their share of the I increased expense of the department, and if the farmers are ready to shoulder their own portion, the proposition can be put in a very favorable position for securing a trial. It would require a great many thousand postmen to cover the country, lint, after all, the expense involved would not be so great that it could not be easily met. Certainly the government can afford to do anything to improve the opportunities oppor-tunities of the farming class. That class furnishes the life blood of the nation; it is entitled to every advantage which can be secured for it, and the proposition to give it a thorough mail service is one that will command the earnest attention of those who have the welfare of the farmers at heart. |