Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-10-13
THE POSTAGE STAMP oURRENCY.
Statement of City Postmaster WalsemRl
IN Re1erence 20 Delaced POsIage sIampa.

TAE EOSFAoE STAMP CUkhENC4s
Statement Of City Postmaster WaIseman
III heierenee TO Delaced Postage stamps
PosToFBICE, NEw YORK, Oct. 16, 1862.
To the Editor Of the Nsr York Times:
Numerous letters, critical and advisory,
friendly and denunciatory, have recently
been received at this Office in regard to
regulations of the PostOfice Department
respecting postage stamps
Time will not permit me to reply to them
in detail: beg leave, therefore, to submit
the following statement which 1t is be-
lieved, will explain the various points
raised
Postage stamps" have been and are
very generally confounded with "POstage
currency" This error has been the cause
of fmisapprehensions and difficulties.
" Postage stamps" are issued by the
Postofice Department only, and by law
they can be used only for the prepayment
of postage.
f'Postgge currency is issued only by the
Secretary Of the Treasury or his Assist
ants pursuant to the act of Congress ap-
proved July II, 1862, and cannot be used
for prepayment of postage, but can and
was intended to be used for the purchase of
"Postags stamps" as currency.
''POStdge stamps" cannot be used as cur
rency without diverting them from the
purpose for which they were designed, and
violating the orders of the Postofice De-
partment. To use them as such is to wrest
them from their proper Office, and apply
them to a purpose for which they were not
designed or adapted. On the contrary,
"Postage currency" was expressly de-
signed for a circulating medium. By the
act referred to- the Treasury Department
is expressly authorized to furnish the
"PostGge and other stamps as currency"
Generally, the public enormously assumed
that this act legalized as currency 'ipostdge
stamps" then in use for prepayment of
postage, and furnished by the POstofice
Department, and Immediately commence
their use as such.
The Department, fOrseeingthe evil con-
sequences which would result from this
course, gave immediate and full notice,
that it did not and could not furnish stamps
for currency, and would only sell them to
be used in prepayment of postage. Pur-
suant to this notice efforts were made to
restrict the sales of stamps to the demand
for postage currency but notwithstanding
these efforts their use as currency became
very general.
Their unftness for this purpose soon
gave, and continues to give, the department
great difficulty. Being common paper, COW
cred with mucilage on one side and paint
on the other, they soon became sOiled, de-
faced and torn. Evil disposed persons
finding that stamps could be used as mo-
ney, and that the wear incident to circula-
tion rendered detection impossible, collect
ed large quantities of stamps that had
been used for postage, and by removing
the cGnceling mark by washing or other
wise, procured their further use for cur
rency and as postage. The crime of max
ing, using, or vending stamps that have
been Cancelled is felony, and is punisha-
bic by Imprisonment for three years, and
by a fine of one thousand dollars. Yet
this crime became so frequent that there
was reason to believe that large portion
of the stamps used as currency have been
thus fraudulently put in circulation. 1t
became in many cases impossible to deter
mine the worn, but valid, from the cancelled
and washed stamps. As a consequence,
hundreds Of letters have been deposited in
this Office having on them stamps that have
evidently been cancelled. The false could
not, however, in most cases, be distinguish
ed from the genuine and the Government
was being defrauded to a very large ex-
tent. To arrest this state of things the
order was issued by the Department, that
letters covered by soiled, defaced, or
washed stamps, would be sent to the dead
letter office.
In the execution Of this order, and in
accordance with its spirit, only such let
ters are withheld rs are clearly covered by
fraudulent stamps, or those so soiled or
defaced or washed as to render it impossi-
BILE to determine whether they are valid or
not
It is submitted that this course is not
unreasonable. Postage stamps are sold
for a single purpose, viz, the prepayment
of postage. Contrary to the orders of the
Department, they are applied to another
purpose for which they are not suitable
and were not designed. In this way they
are so injured that they cannot be distin-
guished from those that have been can
celed; and as a further consequence dan
gerous and extensive frauds are committed
to the great loss and embarrassment Of the
Department.
In view of these facts, can it with fair
ness be said that because the Department
declines to forward letters covered with
stamps so injured that they cannot be dis
tinguished from the fraudulent that it is
guilty of reputation? Is it not just and
fair that the loss, if any, should fall upon
those who, by improper use of these stamps,
have rendered it impossible to determine
their validity?
But it is said these frauds complained
Of are mostly the result of imperfect can
collation., and that the Department is in
fault in not providing more perfect
method.
To this it is answered that previous to
the use of these stamps for currency the
cancellation with indelliblc ink was sufh-
cient The frauds complained of are only
the result of using "postage stamps" as
money. Since this practice was entered
upon it has been impossible to change the
mode of cancellation. Although a new
method has been devised, and is now in
use in this office, and which, so soon as it
can be generally adopted, will render the
cancellation complete, to change the method
throughout the Department, embracing d.
900 different offices, necessarily involves a
very large expense, and must be a work of
time.
It is said again, if the Department did
not wish postage stamps to be used as cur
rency, it should have provided the neces-
sary supply of "postage currency" pur-
suant to the act of July last.
To this it should be said that this act
was passed without the slightest consulta-
ton with the Postofice Department, and its
execution is in terms devolved upon the
Secretary of the Treasury. Although, ap-
parently, delay has occurred in its execu-
ton, yet it should be remembered that