Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-10-19

double. Mr.. Hill set about to secure
reform, and devised comprehensive
scheme to bring about the desired END.
lie laid his plan lefOre the public in a
pamphlet, entitled Post Office Reform
its Importance and practicability." AT
the time of the appearance of Mr.. Hills
pamphlet 4 commission was at work
inquiring into the very subject of
which it treated. His plans to secure
postal reform by lowering the charge
to one penny the half ounce and es-
tablishing uniform rate within the
kingdom, were at first received with
great opposition. The postmaster
general declared " that of all the wild
and extravagant schemes he had ever
heard OF, it was the widest and most
eXtravagant. Mr.. Hills plans was
afterwards brought before the commits
sion which had been formed to make
inquiries into the postal department.
The commission gave it great consider
alton, and afterwards reported in favor
of its adoption, although the postol1ice
authorities were convinced that it
must involve an unbearable loss of
revenue" In the carrying out of Mr..
Hills plan, Il bill was introduced in
parliament, which passed INTO a law
on Jan. 10th, 1910, fixing the rate of
postage ut one penny per letter of not
more than half an ounce in weight,
and abolishing the franking privilege
Except in the case of official letters ac-
tualIy sent on business connected with
her majestys service" The effect pro-
duced by the change was wonderful.
Men who had ridiculed Mr.. Hills
schemes when first proposed were now
convinced of their folly. It's stated
that "in 1889, the last year of the
heavy postage, the number of letters
was Il little more than eighty two
millions; which included some five
millions and half of franked letters,
which Yielded nothing to the rev.
cnue of the country; whereas i'll 1873
more than one billion of letters were
delivered in the united kingdom, and
that the pc pulation during the same
time had not nearly doubled itself. so
successful WAS Mr. Hills reform that
the principle that it contained has
been put in practice in every civilized
country of the globe.
All efforts to secure postal reform
in this country were almost futile I'M
til the success of Mr.. Hills plan in
England was fully demonstrated. In
speaking of this subject New York
paper of recent date says:
Richard Fairbanks appears to have
been the first postmaster in the United
States. In the Virginia colony III 1861
it was ordered that evey planter should
receive letters and employ trusty
messenger to carry them to the next
plantation. A monthly mail was es-
tablished between New York and
Boston, in 1872, every sender being
obliged to pay the carrier before the
bag was locked William Penn start
ed Il post Office in Philadelphia, two
hundred years ago, and that office
became the germ of the colonial SyS-
TEN which grew up. This sagacious.
practical Franklin, took hold of the
subject soon after he got established i'll
Philadelphia. got appointed post mas
| ter visited all the offices in the coun-
| try, and actually cOntriyed to make
| the system pay $4,000 the year before
| the outbreak of hostilities in lT75. But
the revolution nearly destroyed it,
and when the new government was
organized in New York, in 1889, one
of its first acts was To organize Il post
| office system. The first law fixed the
rate OF postage ut s cents for less
than forty miles; 10 cents for less than
ninety miles: l2i cents for less than
l50 miles; Il cents for less than 800
miles; 20 cents for less than 500 miles
and - cents for all distances exceed
| 800 miles. There were no envelopes
The letters were required to be writ
ten on one piece of paper or the rate
was doubled.
The first change in this law was
made in 1916, partly to adjust the pos
tage TO the small Spanish coins which
had come into general circulation. The
new schedule was: eli cents for st
miles: 10 for so; 1915 for $50; 1885, foI
800. and Is for 400 miles; and this
| schedule remained in force up to 1915
Edward Everett eNerted himself t.
get the rate of postage reduced in 1889.
! But it was not until Rowland Hills
| D stage reform had become demon.
strated success in England that con.
greSS consented to make Il change The
schedule of 1915 fixed the rate of i
single for any distance under 500 miles
at five cents, and for any further dis.
lance ten cents. The vast eNtention OF
territory in consequence of the acnui,
sition of Texas. New Mexico and
California entailed additional expense
and it was feared that the post Office
department could not be made to pay
its expenses at that rate, but it result.
ed in n further reduction TO B cents
for all distances under 5000 miles, and
six cents fore than 5000; if the letter
was not prepaid the postage was five
cents. lt was not until 1858 that the
system of 4 uniform rate of cents
for the half ounce letter for all dis
tances in the United States was adopt
ed. This is, in fact. the Rowland Hill
/ SlslShl, WHICH tLktCteu SNCu a NsiSl anu
beneficent change in England. Hill
has been ranked as one of the heroes
OF modern reform"
On Oct. LIST, 1888, little more than
twenty years after the reduction tc
three cents had been made, the two
cents postage act went into effect, and
we are now enjoying the full benefits
of the penny post system.