642 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 2 
FREE MAIL DELIVERY IN RURAL DISTRICTS. 
WHAT l’ATRONS SAY ABOUT IT. 
Wbat can you say of the experiment with free delivery of the 
mail in your district ? Are the people generally pleased with it? 
Wbat classes, if any, oppose it? What are the chief arguments 
for and against it ? 
A Colorado Man in Favor. 
I think it is a grand success, and I cannot see why 
the farmers should not receive their mail at home 
daily as well as the city patrons. It is inaugurating 
one of the many reforms of which the rural districts 
are sadly in need. I do consider it a grand success, 
and a great convenience. The classes that oppose 
it are the neighboring towns who have tried and 
failed to obtain it.; also the Wall Street bankers, who 
want one-cent postage. The business men of this 
town, with whom I have talked, are very favorable 
to it, have no objections to offer, and hope that the 
system may become permanent From my point of 
view, I think the Government would not only be 
justified in extending it all over the country, but it is 
its duty to reduce appropriations in other depart¬ 
ments, that it may be able to give the producers and 
taxpayers free rural mail delivery. M. s. l. 
Loveland, Col. 
Three-cent Postage and Free Delivery. 
We hear no complaints from any one about free 
mail ; all seem to be satisfied and those getting their 
mail by it are just perfectly happy over 
it, and will not be satisfied to lose it, as it 
gives them a chance to take a daily paper 
8nd not interfere with their work. Iam 
of the opinion that this one thing alone 
will be a great benefit, as I think a man 
well posted on the news of the day makes 
the best citizen. I am sure that the great 
majority of the farmers would pay more 
postage rather than be deprived of free 
delivery. I have taken pains to talk to 
several of the parties interested, and I 
feel justified in saying, for this com¬ 
munity, so far as we are concerned, it is a 
big success, and no one opposes it as I can 
find out. So far as the expense is to be 
considered, I believe that the people will 
be glad to meet it if they have the chance 
to get their mail in this way. I am not 
an interested party, as I do not live in 
the district in which the mail is delivered. 
‘•Let the Government go back to three- 
cent postage and give us free mail among 
the farmers,” seems to be the feeling 
here. A. w. f. 
South Deerfield, Mass. 
The Objections of a Maine Man. 
I do not regard free delivery with favor; 
I look on it as a useless expense, and pre¬ 
fer to call at the office for my mail. There 
are very few men in this world who 
haven’t a price at which they will sell 
their integrity. A free delivery official 
is no more likely to be invulnerable than 
any one else, and as he often has drives 
of a mile or more without houses, it is a 
very easy matter to do as he may wish. 
Again, if I hire a man for less than he is 
worth, I expect him to steal; a poorly- 
paid employee, if at all smart, will usually 
do what he would not do if his pay was 
nearer his actual worth. Routes are bidden for by 
contractors, they in turn getting some man for very 
much less, sometimes less than $i a day for a man, 
horse and buggy ; why shouldn’t he steal if he get a 
good chance? It is impossible for me to say what 
proportion of the people are in favor of, or against, 
free delivery. 1 know of many against it, and about 
as many in favor of it; a large proportion of the lat¬ 
ter are in its favor because they feel that the city 
people get all the luxuries and they get none, and 
this luxury of free delivery helps to even up. I have 
a friend who lives about nine miles from here, and as 
he had potatoes and the market was advancing, I 
dropped him a line telling him ; three days after, I 
met him in Portland without any potatoes. In talk¬ 
ing with him, I found that he had not called at the 
office, and knew nothing about my letter. Here is a 
case where free delivery would have worked well, as 
the market dropped the second day after, and had he 
received my letter, he could have realized 40 cents per 
bushel more than before or since, and he did not carry 
any on that trip because of the low price received 
before. A. c. f. 
North Deering, Me. 
Easily Worth $10 a Year. 
We live three-quarters mile from the post office, and 
are well pleased with the service. I would rather be 
taxed $10 per year than return to the old way. We 
are satisfied that the time and expense of going for 
the mail would exceed this. To be able to answer 
your other question correctly, I asked the leading 
dry goods merchants, grocers and other dealers 
whether free delivery had injured their trade; they 
invariably answered that it had not, except in the 
sale of tobacco and cigars. The saloonkeepers com¬ 
plain that it has seriously injured their business, and 
the entire saloon element is bitterly opposed to it. 
Farmers are well pleased with it except a few who 
want an excuse to go to town for the mail, and then 
have a drink or two and a social smoke. I think 
that we ought to have free delivery, but would sug¬ 
gest that those States which want it, or if not the 
entire State, then such parts as desire it, should have 
it, and pay the additional cost by tax, if need be. As 
we have had one year’s experience with it, we believe 
that the time saved to farmers will more than repay 
them for the additional expense incurred by the 
necessary tax. j. e. 
Somerville, Ohio. 
"Convenience and Blessing " in Alabama. 
I travel about some in the country where free de¬ 
livery is in operation, and hear the people talk some¬ 
what on the subject. The people think well of the 
new departure, and think it a success so far as they 
are concerned 1 have heard of no opposition to it, 
except from one person, and at but one point; that 
was from the carrier, who objected to going to a 
certain place, as it put him out of the way for a few 
miles. He said that the patronage at that point was 
so small that it did not pay. To my knowledge, the 
patronage at that point has largely increased. I do 
not know the effect it has had on the business of the 
town or county ; I only can speak as to the favor 
in which it is held by the people. I know that it is a 
great convenience and a blessing to the farming 
classes where it is used, and think that it will add 
much to their convenience and comfort if the Govern¬ 
ment could extend it more generally. d. m. b. 
Opelika, Ala. 
A Money Saver in Minnesota. 
Individually, I look upon free mail delivery to 
farmers as being a great deal cheaper for me to pay 
a cent apiece for mailing or delivering my mail 
matter, as I have very often to go three miles and 
back exclusively to mail or receive a letter, with the 
possibility of a serious loss from inattention caused 
by press of work or neglect. Furthermore, my papers 
are received in the order in which they are issued, 
therefore mostly all read ; while under the old pro¬ 
gramme, they were all received in a bunch, generally 
Saturday evening, and unless I devoted all day Sun¬ 
day to reading papers, some of them would not be 
looked at, and important information lost. The more 
progressive and, particularly, the Populist farmers, 
are radically in favor of the scheme, while the old- 
time, conservative, money-lending class, those whose 
sole panacea for the unequal conditions confronting 
the farmer is to work harder and live cheaper, on the 
one hand, and the shiftless, saloon-patronizing, 
farmin’-don’t-pay class on the other, are opposed to 
the scheme. The latter class very seldom receive 
reading matter or letters enough to make any ma¬ 
terial difference to them as regards loss of time, 
while free delivery destroys, in a measure, their ex¬ 
cuse to go to town. The tradesmen in town, the 
saloonkeepers the loudest, are howling against the 
scheme, because they claim that the farmers do not 
come to town as much, and it is, therefore, destroying 
business ; or, in other words, their “ vested right ” to 
pluck them I cannot see any change in business in 
the country. I consider it a money-saver; it gives 
me more satisfaction, that we, the people, i. e, the 
Government, can deliver the mail cheaper and better 
than we can deliver our mail individually. It may 
cut down the volume of business in the towns and 
villages. I am looking forward with regret to the 
time of the discontinuance of free delivery in our 
locality. I would suggest the chopping off of a few 
subsidies to counterbalance the cost of free mail de¬ 
livery to farmers. m. b. 
Farmington, Minn. 
Want More of It in Maryland. 
I know very little of the “free delivery of mail 
experiment ” you ask about, as I am some distance 
from the district in which it is beirg 
tried. In speakiDg to farmers in that 
district, I find they are much pleased with 
it, and would be glad if it could be con¬ 
tinued. The trial is over a small territory, 
and the mail not heavy, each carrier (of 
whom there are four), traveling only 
about 15 miles, as there are four or five 
post offices wiihin 2% miles of this office. 
In my opinion it has no effect on the busi¬ 
ness of the town ; the saloons, probably 
suffer from it. The farmers are benefit- 
ted in numerous ways ; outside of the 
convenience and satisfaction of it, they 
could do up many an odd job in the time 
they would spend going for the mail. I 
hear no opposition to it from any class. 
As to whether the Government would be 
justified in spending so much money, that 
is a question difficult to answer. But 
when we think of the amount of money 
spent unnecessarily each year by the 
Government, it would seem that this mat¬ 
ter of “free delivery ”, which would be 
an advantage to so many people, might 
be accomplished, even if it should cost a 
big sum of money. j m s 
Uniontown, Md. 
Let All Communities Pay for It. 
1 dislike to be either misunderstood or 
misrepresented in the papers. Both seem 
to have happened. In The R N.-Y. for 
September 11, T. S,, Unionville, Conn., 
represents me as having given the opinion 
“that the rural districts should pay for 
free mail delivery if they want it.” This 
is a very different thing from the opinion 
which I did express, which was to the 
effect that those communities which want 
free mail delivery should pay their own 
expense. I did not limit my opinion to 
the “ rural districts ” or any other districts, but in¬ 
cluded them all. I do not see any other fair and 
practical solution of the question than for the Govern¬ 
ment to furnish free mail delivery to those communi¬ 
ties who want it and are willing to pay the expense, 
and to no others. f. h. 
Climax, Mich. 
Very Satisfactory in Vermont. 
The free delivery of mail in rural districts is giving 
perfect satisfaction. I hear no growling except from 
a few who do not receive a postal except about once 
a month, and are opposed to everything except some 
whim they originate. I saw an inspector through 
this section not long since ; he told me that it was 
giving perfect satisfaction wherever it was in service. 
Please boom it through The R. N.-Y. as much as 
possible. b. e. s. 
Grand Isle, Vt. 
I think the new departure a success. People are 
generally pleased, there being no opposition to speak 
of except from the post offices when there is a pros¬ 
pect of their being closed. Of its effect on business, 
I am no judge. I think that the Government can 
well afford to give the farmers the benefit, h. c. g. 
Grand Isle, Vt. 
R. N.-Y —We favor the free delivery of mail in 
rural districts. We shall continue to work for it. 
Next thing to free service, is The R N.-Y. at 1 95709 -j- 
cen ,s per cop/. Tnat is what it costs by the year. 
THE LATEST PHOTOGRAPH OF T. T. LYON. Fig. 267. 
