The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-06-21

we tDal nave Root means knowing that
this department efficiently successfully
administered than it has been under Judge Campbell We
bee also that the time when the department
had larger share of the public confidence But
mend to the reader The article referred TO.
JUSTITIA
THE POST.
Public mails are altogether modern affair Ancient
had their with extraordinary
despatch official communications; but they had nothing
like post Office system for transmitting and delivering
the correspondence OF private citizens The word post Is
from the Latin osas because courers placed at
venient posts along the route with horses all sadded and
brded each ready 10 hasten to the succeeding post the
arrival of the courier from the preceding The first posts Of
which have any account were in the NedoPersan
pire. They merely governmental concern Some
interesting references thereto incidentally given in the
Book OF Esther "And the letters by posts into
all the Kings provinces to destroy, KILL and to
perish all jews both young and old, little children and
women, in day, upon the thirteenth day of the
twelfth month"; which is the month Afnr.n "The posts
weno out being FASTENED by the Kings commandment and
the decree given in Shushan the palace"
And he wrote in King Ahasueruss name and scaled
with the Kings ring and letters by posts horse
back, and riders mules, cames and young droIneda
riesn At
" So the posts that rode upon mules and camels
out being FASTENED and pressed by the Kings command
mentn
The Roman emperors Of course had pretty extensive pos
tai arrangements; but they almost wholly military
being designed transmit intelligence between the armies
and the capital Tberus is said have thrown away de-
spaches with Indignation if they more than three
days in coming from the most remote points of Italy p
the East carrier pigeons formerly much employed 70
carry letters and when we'll trained their performances
wonderful They have occasionally been employed in
Europe but the pigeon may rest where the telegraph
operates 1t is wory of remark that when the Spanards
discovered Peru in 1921 they found messengers posted
short intervals along the road from Cusco Onto
NIT with speed the orders of the neaa fact which, of IL
SELF dscloses considerable advancement in civilization AT
period the butchers OF the large cities of Europe who
rode over the country to buy up aue were employed to
convey letters. The University of Pers and afterwards
the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge employed
vate messengers to convey appointed times the
spondence OF the studen the messengers commonly went
aoo The growth the occasional and irregular govern
express into regular, systematic national estab-
lishment, to have been gradual and slow We
the beginning of the English postal system in the statutes
of Edward III but it till the reign OF Queen Anne
that it assumed anything like its present form Now is
immensely superior any other in the world We wish
was half equal to it in celebrity regularity, and
certainty Virginia has the credit of projecting post of
lice In the American colonies early 1892 patent
was laid before the assembly and passed for making Mr.
Neal postmaster general of Virginia and other parts of
North America The act however did 90 into pract
cal effect the few inhabitants dispersed In ITO
the first post Office in the colonies established by of
Paramonthe act tor establishing general post office
for all her Majesys domnionsthe Postmaster General
OF Great Britain being Eat liberty to keep chief letter
office in New York. and other chief Offices
nen place or places in each of her Maesys provinces
colonies in America disappointment of Dr. Franklin in
1851 deputy Postmaster General for America and his
removal in l772 by the British ministry for his connection
with the celebrated Hutchinson and Oliver letters mpars
During the revolution post office affairs were course
badly deranged and they did acquire complete system
TIL the adoption of our national constitution in lT79 II
was wise IN the trainers of the constitution to confer upon
Congress the exclusive power of establishing post offices
and Post-roads. To this much of whatever de-
spatch precision, and reliability national post office
system possesses This system of the precious bless
ngs well us bonds of the Union but whose value
suppose, seldom appreciated The German post office
establishments were for long time extremely clumsy and
inefficient because they could be made unit each
separate State having its independent establishment
For the same reason, to less extent they still in
very encountered condition The post oshc~ great civil
zer and it ought to be trained 70 IL highest efficiency Il
very interesting TO consider the extent ad fidelity of its
operations, in our country In its present imperfect
state We enclose letter which we have written a dis
ant friend, perhaps to distant stranger in enve
ope which costs three and one-h cents drop through
an aperture in wall labeled letterbox and the chances
are many to that II quietly proceeds with little delay
and perhaps with tremendous speed to his hand whether
he resides in solitary dwelling upon the borders
mote western prairie or amid numerous thousands in the
bewderng CITY, II our letter is directed the
say to the anpodess cheap and faithful transmission is
all the wonderful Ii we should employ n special
IL cosY Then the danger OF accidents and Of untaithfu
ness would be greatly multiplied The operation is beau
tful no less than useful, thanks to government.
We had elaborated somewhat q continuation of this
paper inquiry the defects 10 the American post Of
foe system and the appropriate remedies We re-
the inquiry For several years have directed
the subject critical observation and close study from
son in which the practical operations OF the system in
the gross and in minute details been distinctly before
U.s. we regret TO be constrained 10 Join with the political
partsans in pronouncing the establishment shamefully
The Post Office Department always receives
the hottest fires OF the opponents of every admin
istration, and with justice say though doubtless with
deep injustice to tho excellent who administer the
functions of the department The fault not in them
We take pleasure in tesfng to the capacity energy
fidelity with which the department Is at present admins
tered while in the declare without par
adox that there Is rotienness now heretofore In the
practical operations of the establishment We speak strong
ly, and we mean TO- We know what say The depre-
daons upon money by mail in the aggregate en-
ormous The number Of letters that suffer detention some
where and thereby fail reach their destination by due
course of mail In immense The detention printed mai,
ter 10 much and considerable amount OF printed
matter y somehow lost the way. We have lost proof
sheets OF this periodical and copies of the periodical Tina,
have carefully wrapped and addressed ourselves and
deposited in the mailbag with hand though we
may have sent duplicates, have in instances failed 10
reach the Subscribers Great numbers Of letters ana ma
pers missen Sometimes they brng up at the end all
route as at Emory tVirginal post office having eooy
come hundreds OF miles of the These and hume
rous kindred facts disclose deepseaied disorders IN All.
practical operations OF the post Office system The fault
we are persuaded does not lie chiefly in theory Of The
System which Is generally excellent in the conduct
Of the department at Washington. The present Postmaster
General The Hon James Campbell has shown himself com
petent and efficient and the First Assistant Postmaster
General Horsiio King ESQ., whose position renders him
Ufrnt rit In fha A