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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 THE SCHOOL FOR THOROUGHNESS Only Thorough Course in Office Routine and Touch Typewriting offered in the Southeastern States. Most Comprehensive, up-to-date Book keeping, Shorthand. Typewriting, Banking and Penmanship Courses in Atlanta. Write for Cat alog and Special Summer Rates. H. L. BRIDGES & BERNARD C. ANSTED, Proprietors. READ THIS! We will send you Watson’s Jeffersonian Magazine for four months at 50c* No commis sion on this offer. Send subscriptions direct to our office. THOMSON, GEORGIA Please Renew Your Subscriptions. Quite a number of our subscriberswhose term was six months are due us renewals. Please attend to the matter, frienda. Renew for 12 months and remit. We want you to go along with us, without the loss of a paper. Special Offer. For the next three months, we offer the Weekly at 50c PER YEAR ia clubs of not less than three. Now friends, interest yourselves in our behalf and help us swell the Jirculation of WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. V Negligee Shirts Every man wants comfort this hot weather, Our “Feather Weight Negligee Shirts” are the newest and decidedly the most comfortable shirts on the mar ket today. $1 and $1.50 They are as light as a feather, patterns neat and * fresh. In checks, stripes and figures. Silk Shirts In Pongee, all colors, with collars and cuffs attached. Just the thing for outing, golf, tennis and good sum mer comfort generally. $1.50, $2.00 $2.50 Essig Bros. “Correct Clothes for Men” 26 Whitehall St. Atlanta A good 36-lb Feather Bed for $lO. with Pil lows. All Goose Fea ther Beds, 251bs. for L sl6. Al! new. Agents j 'V Wanted. Address, // L. J. Turner, Mfr. Grover, N.C. PAGE FIFTEEN