Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-08-27
THE FIRST PoSTAGE.sTAMps.
the Thlrty-eighth Anniversary OF
Their Use-A History OF the Inven-
ton.

N all cases prepayment was optional
Good old John Haywood, who in 1880
became the " worthy master Of posts"
at Boston, and the first postmaster ia
Amer ca, employed chance convey
ance instead OF postage, with by the
kindness or some traveller as his
postal service; and nothing was
thought Of stamping until 1871,
though such men as Franklin, Baene,
Pickering, and Kendall had been at
the head of the postotice department..
and though the number of officers had
come TO be nearly Ia, 900. On the
25th Of March, 1910, John NJ Niles, Of
Hartford, became postmaster general,
and sienalIzed his administration by
many reforms. He turned the wrong
side out of his predecessors work, and
convinced his party and the president
that Amos Kendall was not such a
great man as had been imagined. 1t
was necessary to cap all by a genuine
innovation, and he performed this by
suggesting the postage stamp. The
suggestion was received with r~idicule,
and Mr.. Niles soon afterward retired.
HIS successor, Charles 4. Wickliffe,
put the department into the ancient
ruts again, and when Cave johnson
assumed the portfolio on the 9TH of
March, 1915, he found it
AN HERCULEAN TASK
to reinstate the reform measures of
Mr.. Niles. During Wickliffe's adj
ministration the number OK postoiices
bad increased by only 695, but John
son saw in his term of office 4 251
Offices added to the rolls, and witness
ed cther tokens Of prosperity. Among
the measures of Mr.. Niles that he
adopted vas the postage stamp idea.
The president had converted his post
master general from opposing the re-
ductlOn OF postage TO q Championship
of the lowest paying rates, aud John
son garnished his conversion with
fathering the suggestion originated
six years before. The matter took
form as a bill before congress,
AVID though it was quite the fashion to
oppose any cabiaet suggestions, the
net authorizing the issue OF stamps OF
s and 10 cent denominations was pass
ed aud approved March 3. 1S47. The
date cf the issue was appointed as
Jaly 1, but there was a delay in the
contractors work, and the Time ran
over a month.
On the 9Th day of August, soon after
the opening of tia postmaster generals
Office for the day, an old gentleman
called to see Mr.. johnson on business
The gentleman was the Hon. Henry
Shaw, a New Yorker, who was not a
stranger in Washington in those
days, and whose nome was in Lanes
borough, Mass. He was a Berkshire
county magnRte. u politician of no
mean qualifications, and the father 81
the well known Henry Shaw, Jr.
Jos Bllings). Twenty three years
before Mr.. Shaw had recognized in a
youth Of II
TANNERS BOY
who came to LaAesborough to study
law-the germ Of great life. He as.
sisted the lad in obtaining a library
aud thus inaue urated friendship that
death could only sever. After twelve
years Of practice, 10 the fall Of 1880,
| kDt AOAiE Ia WV was CANtltA W WI
gress from the Eleventh Congression-
al District OF Massachusetts,. When
George FL. Briggs took his seat in
December, 1881, he was determined to
work, and he carried out his determin-
alton so we'll that his constituents
kept him in Congress twelve years.
During that time he did long and la
borious service as the Chairman of the
Committee of the Postofiice and Posts
roads, and was both IN the committee
and IN Mr.. Niles Office the advance of
the reforms above alluded 10. In the
Twenty seventh Congress he crowned
his series of reforms by inaugurating
a movement for reducing the rate OF
postage to ten and five cents. The
House passed the bill. but the Senate
did not reach it, and il failed of be-
coming a law until the following
year. Mr.. Briggs had passed mean
while from Washington TO Boston,
and Mr.. Shaw was full of admiration
for ms friend, whose seven years as
Governors Massachusetts were
GOOD NEWS FOR THE BAY STATE.
Mr.. Johnson came into his Office,
accompanied by the printer Of the
new stamps, a few minutes after Mr..
Shaw had arrived. on that August
morning. Sheets of the stamps were
laid before the Postmaster General,
who, after receipting for them, hand
ed them to his visitor to inspect. Mr.
Shaw returned them after a hasty
glance; and then drawing out his wal
let he counted fifteen cents, with
| which be purchased two OF the stamps
the first two ever issued. Use five
cent stamp he kept as a curiosity, and
the ten cent stamp he presented to
Governor Briggs as an appropriate
gift,
These two denominations OF stamps
remained in use four years. In July,
1851. appeared a new series of / and
3 cents, and soon after a subsequent
issue Of the additional denominations
of :. 10, Is, 81, 30 and 90 cents. In
1861 this series was called ia BY
Montgomery Blair, Lincoln's Post
master General, and a new series Is
sued. July 1, 1888 the first two cent
stamr appeared, and was to coon
let local hostage. Anril / 1965