Postal Riders and Raiders

e Postmaster Genera

dering what in the name of all that is lofty it was compiled for, what service value it can possibly have and what was the ailment from which the fellow who compiled it suffered; that is, was

ranked it up. However that may be, do not let what I here say deter you from looking through this 1910 report should it come your way. It contains a variety of excellent things, some valuable information, well collated and intelligibly presented. The foolishness and fooleries in it are-well, they are of the kind common

the case with Mr. Hitchcock's 1910 production. One also finds a lot of other suggestions and space-written stuff that would make a

o officially dignified in "tone," so profusely profound or[78] profoundly pro

e people-a good many things we wish to know, in fact, ought to know. It should not give us too much talk merely to show us how much-or how little-some chief or assistant knows. If you get the opportunity, read the Postmaster General's 1910 report, and you will find many things in i

provements in Organization and Methods." Why he should stop at a round fifty I do not know. I believe he could easily have added twenty or thirty more of kind. Some of these "improvements" are most excellent; some of them are so assumedly conclu

ling and transporting mail of the several classes and of condu

Hitchcock's statement is assertive. However, just how far we may prudently indulge such hope is a matter for grave consideration. The Postmast

of an inquiry into the cost to the railroad companies of carrying the mails, the result of

he has done that, then he deserves a niche in the Hall of Fame. But here, again, I am doubtful. Did you take Britt's word for it, Mr. Hitchcock, or did you steer the "inquiry" yourself? The only point of interest to us of the commonalty

omething about the devious peculiarities of the railways in the past-say, back to the Wolcott investigation (at this moment I forget the year when this was made and have neither the time nor the opportunity to climb down and look it up)-unless the railways have had a rush of honesty and conscience into their reports, accounts and practices

connection, that the majority of those named in the report are sound, sane and serviceably economic. It is also due from me to say that I personally know that Mr. Hitchcock has already

reason of their independence, have indulged the proclivity or practice of telling the truth about corporate, vested and

ant Postmaster General, or some other "pied" subordinate who did the figuring. I do not know. However, in common with other citi

This "night-crawler" talk quite naturally-legitimately, if not naturally-leaves thoughtful people to wonder what he wants, what he is after, what

l carry gold or currency bills by express for the average mail haul, furnish valid grounds for doubt as to the good faith of his intent, to suspicion an ulterior motive back of his action and writings. To this I do not hesitate to say that his 1910 report, I mean his own personally signed sectio

evidences in his 1910 report a desire-a tendency, if not a desire,-to make the Postmaster General not only a censor of periodical literature (as indicated in the wording of that "rider" amendment printed on a previous page), but to have delegated to him

dded powers and authority to the Postmaster General. In certain minor matters, especially such as relate only to departmental methods of handling its service accounts, etc., such grant of power is entirely proper. Among Mr. Hitchcock's recommendatio

ct, it is a stealthy move to establish in this country the bureaucratic form of government which has proved a curse in every existing monarchical government, causing their peoples to rebel against them, or constantly a condition of unrest under the system-a condition which indicates either enforced submission to governmental wrongs and impositions or a dwarfed and submerged manhood, "begging for leave to live" and devoting most of

ask themselves daily, ask themselves daily so long as they exist above the level of the clod, abo

-rot and die, and when the patriotism of a nation's people begins to die, that nation is on the farther slope of its existence; it has started on the decline, more or les

the reader's attention to some powers and authority Mr. Hitchcock seeks in his recommended legislation, legislation which should not be

should be prepared to establish throughout the country a general parcels post." As a "preliminary step" to such establishment of a parcels post Mr. Hitchcock seeks authority from Congress to initiate a "limited parcels post service on r

ls post service it is needless to say[83] that among the civilized nations of the earth the United States is so far in arrears in such service as to be generally recognized as an international joke. It is quite needless to say to su

ion, and even provinces such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others, have made the "experiments," likewise the successful demonstrations. The experiments of these other nations and provinces, as well as the results of them, are ours for the asking. Not a

a few selected rural routes is a joke, or else it is an evasion in order to delay the installation of a service which every citizen wants, save, of

to show the reader that Mr. Hitchcock desires that the resul

n of a limited parcels post service on rural routes may be promptly carried in

y other route starting at the postoffice, branch postoffice or station which is the distributing point for that route, or for delivery through any postoffice, branch postoffice, or station on any of the said routes, at such rates of postage as he shall determ

sary in proof of my charge that Mr. Hitchcock seeks powers an

o has given even a cursory study to the subject of parcels post service, as merely a "stall," a bit of dilatory play to delay effective and efficien

t preceding quotation. The italics are mine

conditions under which the transportation of merchandise by mail may be wisely extended.

y mail, without loss, parcels not exceeding 11 pounds in weight; and he is hereby authorized to place in effect for one year, beginning April 1, 1911, at such postoffices as he shall select for experimental purposes, such rates of postage on f

olume I shall discuss the subject-largely aside from Mr. Hitchcock's attempts, as has be

in evidence of Mr. Hitchcock's des

plan outlined on pages 10 and 11 it is recommended t

ignate, under such regulations as he shall prescribe, to issue and pay money ord

e last day[85] of the month of their issue, but thereafter may be p

not be negotiable or transf

r paid, the United States shall not be liable for any fur

ting of salaries higher than $1,200 a year to clerks and carriers, who are paid under the present law $600 a year, whenever the postmaster "certifies to

, but subsequent experience has shown that it fails to do so. The proviso referred to has effected so great a reduction in the amount available for salaries of employees at offices where conditions are unusual that the service at a number of such offices cannot be maintained after the close of the present calendar year, unless additi

r carriers for that office at such higher rates of compensation within the grades prescribed by law as may be necessary in order to insure a proper conduct of the postal business, and their salaries shall be paid out of the regular appropriation for compensation of clerks and letter carriers: Provided, That whenever such acti

legislation granting him censorial powers without so much as intimating that fact. Maybe some of

g appropriations for the service of the

hereto the following: And the term "indecent" within the intendment of this section s

on or interest. However, the provision quoted was not retained in the penal code adopted March 4, 1909, and became void when the code went into effec

r. Hitchcock for bureaucratic po

ternational money orders. In like manner he should be empowered to determine, from time to time, as conditions may warrant, the fees to be charged for the issue of domestic money

der shall not be issued for more than one hundred dollars, and the fees to be charged for the issue of such orders shall be determined, from time to time, by the Postmaster General: Provid

confident belief that the reader joins me in the desire and confident hope that the basic principles of our government will be neither superseded nor abrogated by legislative grants of bureaucratic power and authority,

a sort of humoresque drapery when taken in connection with that "rider" Mr. Hitchcock so industriously tried to put through the necessary three-ring stunts required in the senatorial circu

empt to load his department deficit onto a few periodicals which he, likewise certain of his "influencers" possibly, does not like. Well, I want

son. I italicize merely to call the reader's attention to the elegant assertiveness of Mr. Hitchcock's "style" and to his planned determination to

kindly do this we will be better acquainted, also be mutually better acquainted with Mr. Hitchcock and his dominating purpose, whether ulterior or other, in attacking a special class or division of periodical publications in order to recoup a

r present conditions an increase in the postage on reading matter is not recommended. Such an increase would place a special burden on a large number of second-class publications, including educational and religious periodicals, that derive little or no profit from advertising. It is the circulation of this type of publications, which aid so effectively in the educational and moral advancement of the people, that the government can best afford to encourage. For these publications, and

ng matter because, being chiefly of local distribution, they do not bu

unds, to utilize for the benefit of the entire people that considerable portion of the postal

partment show that the relative weights of the advertising matter and the legitimate reading matter in magazines can be readily determined, making it quite feasible to put into successful operation the plan outlined. Under that plan each magazine publisher will be required to certify to the local p

ean environment, likewise from malnutrition and inanition, by the ship load to this country, where most of

is "His Majesty" who earns what he acquires and pays for what he gets and who does not take on an over-load of the sort of official talk Mr. Hitchcock ships him in packages similar to the above.[89] Our home-

y myself that pleasure, confidently believing that my italicization of certain of its phrasings and statements is suffic

welve annual connections with the cashier or "deposit certificates"-the reader who, I say, has followed me thus far and failed to discover that fact should quit right here. It will not cure him to read the rest of what I shall say. It is to be wors

mself. The reader should furthermore bear in mind that Mr. Hitchcock had previously reported-and more frequently asserted-that the transportation and handling of second-class mail cost the government 9.23 cents per pound. The reader should, in this i

cut out the sample copy privilege of periodicals, a privilege

ample copies at the cent-a-pound rate, legislation

9

(23 Stat., 387), as relates to publications of

by the publishers thereof and from the known offices of publication, or when sent from news agents to subscribers thereto or to other news agents for the pur

neral asks for, a 1-cent per pound rate for periodicals admissible under the acts of 1879 a

mmended legislation? If you do not, just go into the back yard and kick yourself until you awaken to the fact and then come back and read Mr. Britt's statement, page 328 of the 1910 report. Britt is Third Assistant Postmaster General

sh certain periodicals, to penalize them for telling the truth, likewise to acquire bureaucratic powers to give his department the right of censorship over ou