The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1862-09-04
The Post Omce.Its Rlse and PRO.
gross,

| The Post Office has formed an i'm
portant department in every civilized
country since the days of Cyrus, the
Persian, who is accredited with the
origin of regular postal arrangements
between different parts Of his empire.
Ills cou'icrs, however, only carried
] government dispatches, still this was
the Imitation Of the system. The Ger.
mans claim that regular postal system
for carrying the letters Of citizens was
first adopted III the Republic Of the
Hanse Towns in the thirteenth century,
aud from the;ice.it extended 10 other
parts Of Europe. No well defined system
existed in England up to the reign Of
Charles 1, who, by royal proclamation,
established post Offices in various cities
and towns in England and Scotland. and
transmitted the mails regularly between
them. In those days the mail bags
were carried on horseback and on foot.
as travelling by carriages was unknown,
and macadcmized roads had not been
invented. No provision, however. was
made for the transmission of letters in
side Of cities until about 1868, when an
npholstercr in London, named Robert
Murray, set mp penny post and ex-
press, and delivered letters and par .els
several times every day in various parts
of that city. This enterprise was very
beneficial to the merchants and people,
and it promised to be lucrative to it's
author but the Duke of York CATER
ward James II. claimed that it was an
infringement ofa post office monopoly
granted to him by his brother the king,
and SO the profits Of the first London
penny post went to swell the revenues
Of the selfish duke.
In 1892, postal system was projec.
ted for the American colonies, but i,
was not organized until ITO. In 1853
Benjamin Franklin was appointed Post.
master General for the colonies, and his
practical mind soon devised superior
modes Of managing the details and inn
proving the revenues. III 1889. the
adoption OF the Constitution conferred
the power upon Congress Of managing
the post office. In 1890, there were
on!, IS post Offices in the United States
aud the total revenue was but S37 1856
The rates Of postage from the new Or
ganization ofthe department until 1916.
were for u letter written on a single sheet
Of paper 8 cents, carried distance IN
der 10 miles; over this and unde- 90
miles 10 cents; over this and under $50
miles l24 cents; over this and under
500 miles 25 cents. These rates were
modified, but not reduced in 1916, and
SO continued for many years atterward
although they We're felt to be very high
In 1896, the Hon. Edward Everett
brought up the subject Of reducing the
postal rates in Congress but no we'll
digested plan was offered for adoption.
About this period nearly the same rates
Of postage prevailed in Great Britain,
but new Parliament elected under the
Reform Bill had come into power, and
one member Of it-Mr. Wallace, 81
Kelley II had resolved to devote his
energies to reforming the post office,
anil he Was ultimately successful. No
proper occasion was neglected by hin,
in introducing the subject, and he sue.
ceedcd in obtaining the appointment 81
a committee TO investigate the whole
system and report to Parliament. An
original and practical man in the person
Of Mr.. Rowland Hill, secretary in one
Of the Government Offices, had his mind
directed tothe subject, and BY through
examination Of the income and expendi.
lures and the modes Of conducting the
post Offices and carrying tho mails. he
came to the conclusion that universal
penny post system for the United King.
dom would be successful. lie, there
fore, made his plans aud proposed the
new system for adoption. At this period
| -1837-there were but 76 millions ot
letters carried annually BY the British
Post Office, and to pay all expenses by
the new system it required o,OOO, 900
letters to be carried. Mr.. Hill calculated
that the reduced rates Of postage would
vastly increase the number Of letters,
and his method combined improved
modes for reducing the expenses Of
managing the offices. In the strong
faith that such an increase would Be
obtained in . few years at fnrthest, thu
Reform Post Bill passed Parliament il
1850, and went into operation in ls4o