Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-10-07
The Herald on pOormasrer CowIes.

a malignant article, full of fslsehOOds,
false insinuations and sOreheadism, attack
ing Postmaster COwLEs, fOrsoOth, because
he has announced his intention to carry
out the following instructions;
PosroFF1cE DEPARTMENT, FINANCE OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, Sept. 80, 1862.
sIR: The recent demand by the public for
postage stamps, under an erroneous impress
sion with regard to the law authorizing the
issue Of " postage currency" has entirely
exhausted the surplus stock, and the Depart
ment is now dependent upon the daily man
ufaeture to meet the requisitiOns Of Postmas-
ters. Sales Of stamps must therefore be re-
stricted to such as may be needed by the pub
lie for prepayment Of postage, the ordinary
demand at any office being the guide.
And inasmueh as the unadyised use of post
age stamps as a circulating medium has soil
ed or defaced them in a greater or less de-
gree, and evil persons, taking advantage of
that circumstance, have put in circulation
stamps which have evidently been used in
payment Of postage, every postmaster is
instructed to treat as unpaid any letter placed
in a postofiee for mailing which may be COW
cred with a stamp at all sOiled or defaeed, or
which has apparently been used in payment
Of postage. Such letters will be sent at once
to the dead letter Office. This Department
has repeatedly, by special letters and official
announcement, declared its opposition to the
sale and use of postage stamps for currency,
foreseeing the results Of such course on the
part of the public. Respectfully yours,
(signed,l A. N. ZEyELT,
Third Assistant Postmaster General.
Mr.. Cowles thereupon stated the neces-
sity he was under of obeying the instrue-
tions as follows, and added few sugges-
tions, advising care in the selection of
stamps:
The public are hereby notified that the
instructions contained in the above circular
will have to necessarily be carried out at this
Office. No stamps will be sold for currency
purposes. All letters covered by stamps
having the appearance Of being cancelled,
will be treated as unpaid and sent to the
Dead Letter Office.
It will be well for all interested to exam
inc their stamps closely before using them,
and ascertain by Appearances whether they
have been used. All stamps that are IN
gummed, it may be taken for granted, have
been used, and consequently are not good.
Stamps that have a particle Of black on their
faces, will be considered as having been can
celled. Stamps that are apparently printed
on thin paper, have undoubtedly been put
through some chemical process for the purpose
of oblitorating the eRncelling marks, or have
been pulled off from envelopes, thereby split
ting the paper and making it thin. These
should not be used. Stamps with lighter
shade than the proper color, will naturally
suggest that they have been through a chem
icaI process which has obliterated the ca n
III III Of Ne
color. These also should not be used
Stamps that are torn also suggest that they
may have been torn in being pulled off from
an old envelope, and should not be used.
The public are cautioned against the use of
old issue stamps, which are being used for
currency purposes, by enclosing them with a
number Of the new issue, in an envelope.
E. C0WLEs, P. NJ.
The Herald commented on the above in
the following BeHsdietiUs style:
The circular from the Postofice Depart
ment, stating that it is impossible to sup
ply stamps as currency, is, of course, all
right enough-it is also but right that
cancelled stamps should be repudiated, but
to say that stamp Eat all soiled or de-
faced" shall be repudiated is downright
wrong. But, inasmuch as every sensible
Postmaster would construe the circular,
taken in all its bearings, as merely in
structing them to repudiate postage stamps
that evidently had once been used for pay
ment Of postage, the matter would work
no serious injury except where some sHOb
Postmaster, such as our city is blessed (?)
with, takes it into his wise head to
dilate, and enlarge upon the or
der from the General Postofhee. Mr..
Cowles has come out and given extra in
structions, and tells us that stamps having
a particle of ink on them will not pay
postage, stamps that have become bleached
by exposure will not pay postage, and q
torn stamp will not pay postage. Now,
fortunately, the Postoffice clerks have bet
ter sense than their principal, hence, we
hope, if the Postmaster himself does not
:-apaa4 oil tho 1affnra IL fOu VIII DU sent
to the dead letter office. 1t would be well,
however, for the Postmaster General
either to employ our Postmaster as conf
Dental adviser or instruct him to issue the
General Postofiee circulars without any
comments Of his own.
The public should take this matter in
hand. Under the circular as enlarged by
Mr.. CoWles, at least one half of the letters
deposited in the Cleveland Postofice, will
go to the dead letter Office. No one can
estimate the distress, trouble and anxiety
that the ridiculous construction put upon
the General Postofice Circular by our
consequential Postmaster will ensue. The