The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-05-14
No. l..
EARLY MERIcAs POSTAGE.

The very general discussion over the
provisions of the Postage law calls up
the whole subject of postage. Among
young people but few know how high
the rates Of postage in this country used
to be. In the commencement of our
postal system the rates were: On single
letters 80 miles or under. cents; 80 to
60 miles, s cents; GO to 100 miles, 10
cents; 100 TO $50 miles, II cts. $50 to POO
miles, Is cts. 20O to $50 miles, Il cts;
$50 to 800 miles, 20 cts. $50 to I5O miles,
81 cts; 450 miles and over, 25 cts. For
newspapers, 1 cent each, anywhere in the
State; cent for not over 100 miles from
one state to another; one cent and a
half for distance not over 100 miles, and
brother printers" might send TO each
other one copy in exchange without any
charges. 1t should be remembered that
newspapers in those days We're very
small affairs.
There We're only about hundred post
Offices in all the fourteen States, and the
heaviest mails Those made up in New
York and PhiIadelphia) were n light
burden for one man to take on his shOul-
derS.
During the war with Great Britain the
rates of postage were considerably ad-
vanced, the schedule in 1914 Is beingas
follows: Single letters, not over 40
miles, II cts. 40 to 80 miles, Is cts 4: 80 to
$50 miles, IS cts. $50 to 800 miles, %
cts; 300 to 500 miles, so cts; over 500
miles, 80 cents. Double, triple, etc,
were charged corresponding rates and
the number of sheets, not the weight,
determined the postage. Many people
will remember disputes about such ques-
tions as, if you write a letter on one
sheet and tear the leaves apart, is it
single or a double letter. At the same
time newspaper postage was advanced
to one and half cents for less than 100
miles and within the State, and two and
the State.
Not long after the war closed, news
paper postage was reduced to one
and half cents. Subsequent
changes brought letter postage down,
and about twenty years ago we got on so
far in the direction of common sense as
to charge letters by weight, and reduce
postage to 3 cents if prepaid, or 5 cents
if not prepaid, for all the country ex-
eept California and Oregon, to and from
which States it was 10 cents At the
same time newspaper postage for regular
subscribers was fixed at cents a quar-
ter (three mOnths) ola weeklies for 80
miles or under; so to 300 miles, 10 cts.
800 to /, 900 miles, Is cents. Transient
papers we charged ! cent for 800 miles
and upward, according to distance.
About this time We think, newspapers
We're sent free through the mails to sub
scribers, in the counties where such pa-
pers We're printed or published. The
next change of Importance was the abso-
lutte requirement of payment in advance
on letters. The uniform rate was 3 cts,
except for Pacific States. Newspaper
| postage was once more tinkered, and the
schedule fixed mt five and half cts, per
| quarter for weeklies, 13 cents for semi
weeklies, 90 cts, for tri-weeklies, and 80
cts. for dailies, payable in advance.
Transient papers 1 cent, if paid in ad-
vance, or 2 cents on delivery. Soon
after this the extra price to the Pacific
States was dropped, and some further
notifications We're made in the charges
on printed matter.