Misplaced Pages

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17-477: The proposal to offer free rural delivery was not universally embraced. Private carriers and local shopkeepers feared a loss of business. RFD became a political football , with politicians promising it to voters, and benefiting themselves to reach voters. The United States Post Office Department began experiments with Rural Free Delivery as early as 1890. However, it was not until 1893 that Georgia Representative Thomas E. Watson pushed through legislation that mandated

34-420: A cost of $ 106,338,341. The Rural Post Roads Act of 1916 authorized federal funds for rural post roads. The following is a list of the first rural routes established in each state, along with the names of the (up to three) post offices served and the date of establishment. Political football A political football is a topic or issue that is seized on by opposing political parties or factions and made

51-496: A hearing) in order to offer one side an inherent advantage or disadvantage. Sometimes these matters become larger, like during an election, than anyone would have thought possible during the event itself. Other countries also use metaphors drawn from their local sport in discussing politics, such as soccer , Australian rules football , baseball , rugby union / rugby league or cricket . Rural Post Roads Act of 1916 The Rural Post Roads Act of 1916 provided federal aid in

68-478: A more political issue than it might initially seem to be. "To make a political football" [out of something] is defined in William Safire 's Safire's Political Dictionary as "To thrust a social, national security, or otherwise ostensibly non-political matter into partisan politics". In 1953 the gangster Lucky Luciano complained in an interview to Safire that "I been a political football". A less-used meaning,

85-434: Is a political issue that is continually debated but left unresolved. The term is often used during a political election campaign to highlight issues that have not been completely addressed, such as the natural environment and abortion . The Oxford English Dictionary has English examples of the use of "football" (the ball, not the game) in a figurative sense for something helplessly tossed around by others as early as

102-526: The United States to the states for the construction of rural post roads, construed to mean any public road over which the United States mail was then transported. President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into law on July 11, 1916. This legislation article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article relating to law in the United States or its constituent jurisdictions

119-500: The 16th century, for example, from about 1600: "I am the verye foote-ball of the starres". The phrase is used by the Bangor, Maine Whig and Courier in 1857. An American cartoon from the time of President Harrison in 1889 shows a clear visual illustration of the metaphor, without using the actual phrase. It is now equally popular in other English-speaking countries, where the association is naturally with association football ("soccer") or

136-558: The cost was $ 1,750,321, and over 37,000 carriers were employed. In 1910, the mileage was 993,068; the cost was $ 36,915,000, and 40,997 carriers were employed. In 1913 came the introduction of parcel post delivery, which caused another boom in rural deliveries. Parcel post service allowed the distribution of national newspapers and magazines, and was responsible for millions of dollars of sales in mail-order merchandise to customers in rural areas. By 1930, 43,278 rural routes served over 6,875,300 families, amounting to about 25,472,00 persons, at

153-681: The farmers in a coalition that finally overcame the local merchants and express companies. Indeed, Sears sales tripled in the first five years after parcel post started in 1913. The Post Office Department first experimented with the idea of rural mail delivery in 1896, to determine the viability of RFD. It began with five routes covering 10 miles, 33 years after free delivery in cities had begun. The first routes to receive RFD during its experimental phase were in Jefferson County, West Virginia , near Charles Town ; Halltown ; and Uvilla . Legislation by Congressman Thomas E. Watson of Georgia mandated

170-460: The following 16 years. Postmaster General John Wanamaker , owner of a major department store, was ardently in favor of Rural Free Delivery (RFD), with many thousands of Americans living in rural communities who wanted to send and receive retail orders inexpensively. Support for the introduction of a nationwide rural mail delivery service came from The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry ,

187-486: The late 19th century, residents of rural areas had to travel to a designated distant post office to pick up their mail or to pay for delivery by a private carrier. Fayette County in east-central Indiana claims to be the birthplace of Rural Free Delivery. Milton Trusler, a leading farmer in the county, began advocating the idea in 1880; as the president of the Indiana Grange, he spoke to farmers statewide frequently over

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204-488: The nation's oldest agricultural organization. However, the adoption of a nationwide RFD system had many opponents. Most important were the four rich, powerful express companies that monopolized the delivery of valuable or time-sensitive packages. Wayne Fuller concludes that they "arrogantly served the public, rendered only mediocre service, [and] made inordinate profits." They were unregulated and confused customers with myriad rates; in rural areas they dropped off packages at

221-428: The point of that party being seen as " fumbling " the issue. When a party or candidate ends up ignoring or putting off the issue, they are said to be " punting " it. In addition to the opponents of the politician or party using the subject as political fuel, the media may also "run with it". " Moving the goalposts " is the practice of changing the criteria of something while it is in progress (such as an investigation or

238-422: The practice, and RFD finally became an official service in 1896. That year, 82 rural routes were put into operation. Tens of thousands of routes had to be found. A massive undertaking, nationwide RFD service took several years to implement, and remains the "biggest and most expensive endeavor" ever instituted by the U.S. Postal Service . The service grew steadily. By 1901, the mileage had increased to over 100,000;

255-595: The practice. However, universal implementation was slow; RFD was not adopted generally across the country until 1902. The rural delivery service has used a network of rural routes traveled by carriers to deliver to and pick it up from roadside mailboxes. As of 2012, the Unted States Postal Service (USPS) rural delivery service served about 41 million homes and businesses. As of 2022, the USPS had about 133,000 rural letter carriers serving 80,000 rural routes. Until

272-434: The predominant local form of football. Many other American football terms are in common use in the United States. Once a topic or issue has presented itself, the opposition will take the issue and " run with it " and "try to score points". There may be many parties in opposition to take up the topic, and sometimes run it into the ground, which at times can "backfire" and end up hurting the opposing faction. This can happen to

289-462: The train depot. Furthermore many politically connected town merchants worried that the service would reduce farmers' weekly visits to town to obtain supplies, or that Sears, Roebuck and Company with its catalogs would undermine their local business. The opponents mounted a fierce opposition to the use of parcel post, delaying full implementation. However Sears and the other mail-order houses realized that parcel post would be to their advantage and joined

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