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distinguished Georgian ten years ago
would have grown to such magnitude
in so short a period of time? When
this amendment was introduced the
public mind had not grasped the im
portance of this subject, and few
comprehended the great good that
would flow from this humble begin
ning in so short a period.
“In 1897 the appropriation grew
to $40,000, and only 44 routes were
in operation. In 1898 the appropria
tion was increased to $50,000, and
148 routes were established. In 1899
the appropriation was increased to
$159,000, and the routes had grown
to 391. In 1900, $450,000 was ap
propiiated for this purpose, and the
number of routes increased to 1,276.
In 1901, $1,700,500 was appropriated,
and. the routes had increased to
4,301. And in 1902, $3,993,740 was
appropriated for the same purpose,
and the routes laid off and put in
operation had increased to 8,476.
“On November 1, 11,650 routes had
been established, and the carriers en
gaged in taking the mails to the
farmers traveled 275,000 miles of
country roads to serve about 7,000,-
000 of the strictly rural population
of the United States. The area cov
ered by these routes is fully 300,000
square miles. The popular demand
for the further extension of this ser
vice has been so great as to force
Congress to appropriate $12,000,000
during the present session to further
extend this service. There is no rea
son to expect a decrease in this pop
ular demand for rural free delivery
until all available sections of the
country have been covered by the
service.
• • •
“The popular demand and the
marvelous growth of this great work
demonstrate that the farmers are
benefited by the service. On July 1,
1901, 4,301 free delivery routes were
in operation, and during the year
4,165 routes were established in
twelve months. On July 1, 1901,
10,243 petitions had been flled with
the postoffice department asking for
free rural delivery routes. During
the year 1902, 12,403 additional pe
titions were filed.
• • •
“Should the extension of the ser
vice hereafter be made at the rate
of 12,000 routes per year until it
becomes universal, within the next
three years the work will be complet
ed. Then nearly 20,000,000 farmers
who heretofore have been given little
opportunity to enjoy the benefits of
daily mail facilities will receive their
mails daily and country life will be
relieved of isolation, and the farmer
will be put upon an eqiial footing
with his city neighbor.
“The farmer will receive more di
rect benefit from the $24,000,000 an
nually appropriated to carry on the
system after completed than he has
received heretofore from the vast
sums appropriated annually to de
fray the expenses of the government.
Country life will become more at
tractive, the farmers will keep in
daily touch with the events of impor
tance transpiring, daily newspapers
will find their way into the country
homes, all classes will be brought into
close touch with each other, the far
mer will be quick to take advantage
of the new and improved methods
of cultivation of the farm, to make
home life interesting and attractive,
and such methods will tend to make
WATSON’S WEEKLY! JEFFERSONIAN.
our sons content with rural farm life.
Mr. Jefferson said:
“ ‘The cultivators of the earth
are the most valuable citizens. They
are the most vigorous, the most in
dependent, the most virtuous, and
they are tied to their country and
wedded to its liberty and interests
by the most lasting bonds.’
“The distinguished Georgian who
introduced the first resolution which
was adopted providing for an appro
priation of SIO,OOO to expeiirnent
looking forward to this great work
had spent his boyhood days upon a
farm; he knew the disadvantages
under which the farmer labored in
regard to his mail facilities.
“He not only knew of the disad
vantages under which the farmer la
bored, but sought most diligently to
inaugurate a system that would bring
to the farmer the relief he so much
sought and deserved. The amend
ment, though small, was bitterly op
posed, and at one time was likely to
meet with defeat, but through the
energy and well-directed efforts of
the author it was finally adopted.
Thus was laid the foundation for the
great work, which will, when complet
ed, be the greatest blessing the
American farmer has ever received
at the hands of Congress from the
public treasury. It is a source of
gratification to me, and to the people
of Georgia, to give proper credit to
this distinguished Georgian for the
work he performed. ’ ’
• • •
“Senator Bacon said:
“Mr. President: I wish to say a
word in reference to the presentation
which has been made by my colleague
on the origin and authorship, if I
may so term it, of the free rural de
livery system. lam very much grat
ified that my colleague has brought
forward and had reinserted in the
Record the history of the origin and
authorship of this important part of
the postal system. It is true that in all
great discoveries and inventions and
reforms in the beginning they are in
the public estimation comparatively
insignificant, and their importance
is not then appreciated, and so while
it is true that this narrative was al
ready in the Congressional Record,
yet at the time of the occurrence
there was not an appreciation of the
great importance of the inauguration
of this which has already developed
into such magnitude and which prom
ises so much for this country.
• “ ‘When there have been develop
ments in these great discoveries, in
ventions and reforms, after they have
become the agents for great growth
and development, after they have
become interwoven in the business
and life of the country, then it is a
matter of great importance to know
who it was that originated. Hence,
I think it is a matter of justice to
Mr. Watson that there should be now,
in this day of its development and
success, the recognition of the fact
that the first appropriation ever made
for the purpose of inaugurating free
delivery of mail in the rural districts
was inserted in the House of Repre
senta’ivel upon the motion of this
distinguished Georgian in the year
1893. It is due to him that this
honor should be accorded to him,
and for all time it will be to him
an enduring honor.”
Respectfully,
MARTIN V. CALVIN.
Augusta, Ga,
■ . ——a.
*lhe Dixie Business College
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