Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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RURAL FREE DELIVERY ADDRESS «F FOURTH ASSISTANT POST MASTER GENERAL P. V. DEGRAW AT NEWBERRY. The following is in part the ad dress of Fourth Assistant Post Master General P. V. I)eGra\v delivered at the Annual meetinir of the R. F. D. earners held at Newberry. If a history were written of those national policies which ha^fe been established for the benefit of the people of this preat country, there would he none re corded of greater import, or which has conferred greater bene fit upon an isolated public, than rural delivery. It is not mv purpose today to give you a detailed history of this great branch of the i>ostal service, for undoubtly you are all familiar with the principal facts pertaining to the inception and growth of the service, but there are a few historical facts antecedent to rural delivery which may prove of interest to you and which will serve to illus trate the evolution of the policy- of government The free delivery of mail in cities was first instituted in 1863, and from then on was extended to all of the larger cities. Dur ing the 51st Congress a joint res olution was passed, and approved October 1, 1890, authorizing the Postmaster-General to test the -feasibility of extending the free delivery system to offices of the third and fourth class. In refer ring to the experiment which had been authorized, Postmaster- General Wanamaker, in his re port for the fiscal year ending Juue 30, 1891, says: “But there are a great many detailed reasons in common every day affairs, if not in social phil osophy, even, why the free de livery system has succeeded and ought to be extended. The rural dweller pays the same rate of postage and has the same right to the qommon postal facilities that the inhabitant of the city has. Indeed, it is fair to ques tion whether, w ith his pai>ersand books and packages he receives, he does not do more postal, busi ness than his city cousin does. Often he makes long disagreeable trips of the postoffice without re sult. Surely if every trip that he made w r ere to yield him a piece of mail the process w ould be bad economy, because he would be doing almost as much traveling and consume almost as much time as a single person w ould in serving the w hole neighbor hood." “There is a social view’ of thh question which seems to me quin as important as any other. /- great deal is said about thedeser tion of the farm, perhaps by the prosperous tiller of the soil who caTfafford to rent his land and go Tavtown to live; perhaps the stal wart son who craves intercourse with people because he d<>es no have it with books and papers, o with people wffio have them: per haps by the daughter of the family, who hungers even more for sympathy in her aspiratioi to be improved. The regular ar rival of the paper or magazine the easier ways to correspond^ the general process of sending and receiving things bv mail, will not only Keep many of tht boys and girls at home and make them contented there, but will add to their ambition and their determination to make the old farm pay." While the experiment author ized by Congress did not contem plate the delivery and collection of mail outside of towns and vil lages, it can be clearly seen, from the language employed by Post master-General Wanamaker, that he had in prospective the delivery and collection of mail in rural communities such as exists today. Farther along in therepokt re ferred to, Postmaster-General Wannamaker says: "I could not commend any thing to the attention of Congress with more confidence than this proposed addition to the postal facuities." v This commendation, given b a great merchant prince as as a most capable postmaster- general evidently acted as a leav en ia the liaf, for it was but a short time thereafter until the agitation for the deHvery and col lection of mail in strictly mad communities became widespread and petitions were presented to Coagrtmfrom various sasocis- INTERESTING LETTER MB. CAPERS GIUS INTERESTING AC CQINTOf HIS VISIT DOWN TOOGOODOO RIVER. ON i uk- mcks, anu 't'Tc j w here they could be I wish also to thank Dear Editor: I have just re-* Representatives in Congress from the State of Michigan, enti- jtled, “A hiU.to extend the Free i 1 >ehvery System of Mails to Rural Communities." It seems strange indeed that when rural delivery was practic ally in nelu’ae, Mr. O’DonneH’s I bill should contemplate a system of rural delivery on which it is operated today. The bill with it an appropriation $6,000,000. On May llin mv Mr. O’Donnell spoke for his bill f V*. J t . , . and made a strong appeal for its 1 f oun ^ , m >seli al U ,e t, J u * one « * ; home of mv sister. Mrs. C harles When the Post Office Appro- " here ‘ fo “ nd priatipn Bill was read.- an amend ment was proposed by Mr. Wat- the sum Zt S^h ^ hi ™ indent of ‘experimental free delivery in I t ried U synufflths^-wTiich 1 ™* what is good for the tired and lonely heart of man--that which only satisfies. A home of sweet the country as distinct from cities and towns." On that amendment Mr. Henderson of North Carolina raised a point of order, which was sustained, and the amendment accordingly re jected. Mr. Watson offered a substitute for his previous amend ment w’hich was likewise rejected on a point of order. During the second session of the 51st Congress, on February 17, 1893, Mr. Watson of Georgia, offered an amendment to the 1 pending Post Office Appropria tion Bill, authorizing the exj)endi- ture of $10,000 for eqperimental free delivery in rural communi ties other than towns and vil lages, which amendment was adopted. Postmaster-General! Bissell declined to institute the experiment, and the money ap- . propriated was not si>ent. In } x . V 1 * sympathy—which re freshes the tired soul, as do the showers and sun the drooping rose, which sent me away though very reluctantly, feeling once more like a bo>—with cheeks aglow even though time had left deep furrows on the brow, and sorrow had dug a gaping well in They reside on tjie property of j t” arm c ^ a ’ rs C B LaKochc, situated on too- l ? y ° U t 'm bus.ness since ^e ^ h 1 d d nothi "* bu * lived on irom business since . t fish, crabs, schrimp, and other Mi« EmZ ^ ,hin «- " f which this sec- M.ss hmma t ,„ n aboun(is But as a |a()y friend told me once, all good death of his wile, who was a Julia McCants, who has many relatives in your town. The house is situated directly on the bank of the river and is surrond- ed by beautiful live oaks and numerous fruit trees, which are with massive live oaks, where branches hang far out over the water of the river. Sitting upon the spacious piazzas you can see far down the Toogoodoo. At a the act making appropriation for the Post Office Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1895. $110,000 was appropriated; to be applied bv the Postmaster-! .... » . .. i u u General for experimental, d sta "«y f l** 1 f bo ‘ d rural communitie£l 'V* ' J bert, now’ the property of our friend, Piute Sanders, while on either side of the river, can be seen the magnificient dwellings delivery in but Postmaster-General Wilson j declined to expend any part of the sum appropriated, .givingas a reason that the Department had not been able to make any plan by which a satisfactory test could be conducted with so small a sum. In tk« Act approved June 9,1896, Congress made a further appropriation of^ $10,000 for experimental-rural delivery, and made available the amounts theretofore appropriated, or a total of $40,000. The first exi>erimental rural delivery service was established on the 1st day of the following October, and betw’een that date and June 30, 1897, 83 routes had b#»en established out of 43 post offices in 29 states. In the almost fourteen years of its existence rural delivery has attained a magnitude that is as tounding, and the details of its operation are beyond the compre hension of the average man. The sums of money w’hich have been appropriated for the establish ment and maintenance of this service now total close to two hundred fif’y million dollars. Its carriers daily travel about one niliion miles of roads, and during he course of a year they travel lie almost inconceivable dis- ance of 304,000,000 miles, or h ri t ho distance from the earth to the sun. It is estimated that, during the iscal year 1909, rural carriers hroughout the United States landled approximately 2,724,000, -00 pieces of mail. There are at »resent in operation throughout the United States 41,083 rural rouics. with 41,007 carriers. The appropriation for the establish ment and mainttuance of rural delivery for the fiscal year 1910- 1911 is$38,860,000. South Carolina now has in op- peration 758 rural rputes, of an average length of23.44 miles and a total mileage of 17,767.52. The present annual rate of cost of the service in the State is $677,775. It is estimated that the rural car riers in South Carolina handled during the fiscal year 1909, 35, 168,876 pieces of mail matter of all classes, an increase oyer 1905 of 156 per cent; while the increase in the number of applications for money orders received through rural carriers in 1909 over 1905 was 262 per cenk of ihe prosi>erous truck growers Manv of these houses have water, electric lights and telephons, at- tasned, wnich not only gives comfort, but puts others in touch with the outside world. Nearly every plantation owns a launch and the river is constant ly being plied by on^ or more of them, which makes it very easy to travel, to say nothing of the pleasure trips they afford. Look ing west you can see the beauti ful home, "Lem’s Bluff,” of my deceased friend and our lament ed represnntative, Hon. D. Honey Sanders. His family still reside there, the planting being conducted by his son, Earl. Looking east is the beautiful home of that golden hearted Christian gentleman, Wm. Me . ? , • . bolil* deemed to (fire me a new atomacb C ants, and hlS lovely family, md perfectly good health." For sale Cate and braieae may be healed la aboat one thtrdjtha time required by the tnatment bv appl^ -- lala'e UaioMoL Me aa aatieeptfe aad raoh ioj alias to heal wlthoat Tala lloimeat of tht Fot aal# by all daal- DIAWDY-WILSOR. „ afternoon, July 24, Lisao Drawdy and J, E. were united ia marnese To know “Uncle William," as he is called, is to love him, for he is one of the old school, character written upon every line of his face, and it refreshes one to lis ten to him, as he recounts the by-gone days. Looking farther east you see the home of W. F. Prentiss. “BiH", as we all call him. Here the waves come within a few leet of the front steps, and the river at low water, leave a mag nificent beach directly in front of this home, where I saw sport ing in the w r aves a lovely sight whilst fishing the other day- several beautiful sea nymphs, and judging by the rapidity and gracefulness of movement, they were perfectly at home in the water, i My old friend of forty years— my, how time has flown"—has a most interesting family, and all quite musical, playing all kinds of instruments. I many times enjoyed the sweet songs and beautiful music as I sat in my canoe and fished not a hun dred yards away, hauling In the beautiful trout, which abound on this “drop." ; Here is*also found the dog fish, a most repulsive looking animal When caught it growls just like a mad dog, hence its name. This river ts infested with huge porpoise and can be seen almost any hour ef the day as tney chase the fish for their food. Although the shark is a very virious animal he is deadly afraid- of the harmless porpoise sad will swim away in stantly at his approach. I saw a huge shirk in Us ter ror run Ugh up oa a mud bank toj facape the porooise. which was chasing Usn^ lhavf had a most pleasurable visit and daily caught numerous fish and snathe toothsome oysters . _ but they are not eaten in hot perfectly bv oil deeleii. many obligations to friend La Koche, for so much genuine pleasure had upon the waters of. o.d Toogoodoo, as he knew all tne tricki. and ‘fevery “drop” caught. I" „ , . W. C. La- uoche lor kindness extended me. The crons in this section are it of my son, plant- ami potatoes, could not be Ivetter, and his is no I exception. His corn will easily intake seventy-live bushels per acre. He has forty-one head of | magnificent hogs, which will be ready for the Knife as soon as winter arrives, which will make the western packers for the year 1911 and literally live at home. Here you find all kinds of fruits and vege tables in abundance and water melons and canteloupes are hauled up to the house by the cart load, and what is not con sumed is fed to the hogs. The salt breeze is most re freshing, and lulls one to sleep. Orangeburg College’ Orangeburg, S. C. J “A Thorough Education at the Loweat Co»t.” SEVENTEETH YEAR FOURTEEN TEACHERS The school stands strictly on its own merits, and offers to tht bk young people of the State the best of g-xni training, under Chris- ^ tian influences, and at a cost within their reach. No better loea- J tion in the State, and health record unsurpassed. Sewerage, Electric Lights. Artesian Water Best personal cart' taken of bk students. Here is your opportunity to prepare for life’s work, 2 without its co*tmg you a fortune to begin with. Students are given excellent board “On the Club Plan” at actual cost. By fife Applying business principles the cost of living is reduced to the ^k minimum. Patronage comes from every section of the State. ^ Preparatory, Classical, Higher English, Ger- jk man, French. Science, Pedagogy, Elocution, ^ ^ Teachers. Primary. Music, Art. China Painting. Cooking. Com- mercial. Penmanship Shorthand, Typewriting. Review. A H We w'ould like to mail you a copy of our catalogue. It is free for the asking. Write for it today -right now. I*t us J prove to you that Orangeburg College is the school for you. J ^ Address, ^ J! President W. S. Peterson jf y 147 S. Broughton St. ORANGEBURG. S. C, %%*%*%*%*****%%%%%%%%%%%*& Departments ; 11 once. things must come to an end, so had my delightful visit, and here 1 am back on my son’s farm, wearing bfogan shoes, patched breeches and a big straw’ hat, now loaded to the b «»kinK. taking a little “son kat’\ for the The r.\er bank is skirted 8tomach ’ s sake as p aul wou]d say. (wine). Monarch of all I j survey. Really friend Sntoak, alter all, how happy and delight- tally refreshing is the life on the farm, eh? For “The noblest men that live on earth Are men whose hands are brown with toil; Who, backed by no ancestral graves. Hew down the woods and till the Soil, And win thereby a prouder] name Than follows kings or warriors fame; o And worthier are their drops of sweat Than diamonds in a coronet."• W. E. Capers. Hendersonville, July 28. LUMBER, ROUGH AND DRESSED Flooring, Ceiling, Weatherboarding, Sheeting, Mouldings, Casings, Etc. We give you good grades and our PRICES ARE-REASONABLE. ■ i . Get our prices before placing your next order. * * Colleton Mercantile & Meg. Co RITTER, S. C. i SEEMED TO GIVE HIM A NEW STOMACH. ‘‘I mflVed iotanftdv after rating and no medicine or treatment I tried deemed to do a< y •.ood,” writes H M Young* pr»era. Editor of The Sun, Lake View, Onto “ The first few doeea oi Obam- berlaln’a S otnach and Liver Tablets gave me rurprUing relief and the second Caswell & Brewer Savannah, Ga. Produce Commission Merchants City Market J. t KINSEY FOREMAN OF THE GRAND JURY REPLIES- We all despise newspaper con troversies, and especially dis tasteful are the last acts and ef forts of the incompetent pub lic officer. I w’ish through your columns, Mr. Editor, to set the people right and let them know exactly what appeared on the books of the good Magistrate Mellard. When we examined them we found the following: * ’Hanging’ Witness L June Brown. Officer, Paul Ancrum. Constables Cost, 1,00, "Guilty” Sentence 2,00 or 5 days because of gross ignorauce, simplicity, can’t remit fine she hung a boy that could not be sent to jail." Now we are not saying any thing about the character or rep utation, for truth and veracity of any of the gentleman who ex amined the books of Magistrate Mellard, neither are we doubting that they did actually examine the books after they were again in the hands of Magistrate Mel lard, however we are very sure that the above was a true copy of this particular entry when the books were in our hands. When the expert for the Grand Jury proceeded to make a copy fpr the use of the court, he found this particular entry so foolish, unreasonable and absurd that he again carefully examined this entry to be doubly sure that there was no optical illusion, and that he had seen right However that was when the books were in our hands, in the hands of the Grand Jury for Col leton County. J. E. Kinsey, Foreman. Round, July 29. Solicits consignments of Poultry, Egg, Dressed Hogs and Calves. Irish and Sweet Potatoes, Peas, Onions, Celery, Cabbages, Oranges, Apples, Peaches, Pineapples, Watermelons. Strawberries, Hides. Furs, Beeswax, Tallow. We are giving our consignors prompt payments, nighest market rates, full weights and measures. We Need More Shippers. Will YOU Not Be One? Long Distance Phone 2813. M. JAFFA The Most Reasonable Seller Closes .Out Summer Goods At (Practically No Profit CLOTHING LACE SHOES EMBROIDERY DRY GOODS ETC. MXlN ST. OFFER GOOD FOR ONE MONTH WALTERBORO. S. C. Civil Engineer and Surveyor. I will be located at my home near Williams for the present, and will FOR COLLETON COUNTY communicate with those wishing surveying done, >>r any kind of engineering work. , ^ I HAVE?SOLE AGENCY FOR THE 1910 Model BRUSH AUTOMOBILE Iflt climbed Pike’s Peak in 8 hours, every inch of the way under its own power. Price delivered $525.00 in any part of the county. fWiU c take pleasure in instructions at any time. ESTIMATES PROMPTLY SUBMITTED. M. B. Gams, * WILLIAMS, SOUTH CAifeOUNiC""