The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-09-23
The First Postage Stamps.

5th- the first postage stamps were used IN
the United States For 175 years postage
had been collected entirely in money,
and N all cases prepayment was optional.
Good old John Haywood. who IN 1850 be
came the worthy master Of the posts" at
Boston, and the first Postmaster in
America. employed chance conveyance in
stead Of postage, with by the kindness
Of some traveller Is his postal service;
and nothing was thought about stamping
until 1S4l, though such men as Franklin,
Bache, Pickering and Kendall had been
at the head Of the Postofice Department,
and though the number of Offices had
come TO be nearly 1900. On the 18th Of
March, 1910, John II. Niles Of Hartford,
became Postmaster-General, and signal
lied his administration by many reforms.
He turned the wrong side out Of his pre-
decessor's work. and convinced his party
and the President that Amos Kendall was
not such a great man as had been
imagined. II was necessary 10 cap all by
a genuine innovation. and he performed
tins by suggesting the postage stamp.
The suggestion was received with rIdlcule,
and Mr.. Niles soon after retired. His
successor, Charles a Wickclife, put the
department into the ancient ruts again,
and when Cave johnson assumed the
portfolio on the 9TH Of March. 1915, he
found If an herculean task to reinstate the
reform measures OF Mr. Niles. During
Wickchffe's administration the number Of
postofices had increased by only 695, but
johnson saw IN his term of Office ,231
officers added to the roll and witnessed
other tokens Of prosperity. Among the
measures OF Mr. Niles that he adopted
was the postage-stamp idea The Presi-
dent had converted his Postmaster Gene
raj from opposing the reduction of postage
to q championship Of the lowest paying
rates, and johnson garnished his CONVEX
sion with fathering the suggestion origin
ated SIX wears before. The matter took
form as a bill before Congress, and though
It was quite the fashion TO oppose any
Cabinet suggestion, the Act authorizing
the issue Of and 10 cent denominations
was passed and approved March 3, lS+7.
The date OF the issue was appointed as
July Ist. but there was q delay in the
contractors work, and the time ran over a
month
On the 9Th Of August, soon after the
opening Of the Postmaster-Genersl's office
for the day, an old gentleman called to
see Mr.. johnson on business. The gen
tleman was Hon. Henry Shaw, q New
Yorker, who was not stranger II Wash
ington IN those days, and whose home
was IN LanesbOrough, Mass. He was 6
Berkshire COMFY mEgnate, politician Of
no mean qualifications, and the father OF
the Tell-Enowu Henry Shaw Jr. e. Josh
Billings TEenty-three years before,
Dir. Shaw had recognized IN youth OF
seventeen tanners boy who came TO
Lznesborough to study law-the germs
Of q great Hfe. He assisted the lad in OBJ
tanning 2 library. and thus inaugursted
friendship that death only could sever.
After twelve years Of practice, IN the fall
Of 1880. the young lawyer was elected to
Congress from the Eleventh Congressional
District Of Massachusetts,. When George
H Briggs took his seat N December, 1881,
he was determined to work. and ne carried
out his discrimination 50 well that his con
stitUents kept him II Congress twelve
years. During that time he did long and
lsborious service as the Chairman Of the
Committee Of the Postofice and Post
roads, and vas, both IN the committee and
N Mr.. Niles Office. the advocate OF the
reforms above alluded TO. In the Twenty
seventh Congress ne crowned his series OF
reforms By InaugUrating movement for
reducing the rates Of postage to 10 and
cents The House passed the bill but
the Senate did not reach 1t, and It failed
to become law until the following year.
Mr.. Briggs had passed meanwhile from
Washington TO Boston, and Dir. Shaw
was full Of admiration for his friend,
whose seven years as Governor OF Mssss-
chusetts were years for the Bay state.
Mr.. johnson came into his office accom-
panied by the printer Of the new stamps,
few minutes after Mr. Shaw had ar
rived, on that August morning. Sheets
Of the stamps were laid before the Post
msster-General, who, after receipting for
them handed them to his visitor to in
spect- Mr.. Shaw returned them after d
hzsty glance: and then drawing out his
wallet, he counted out fifteen cents, with
which he purchased two Of the stamps
tie Fra; trg srsr fssrs5. The scent stamp
Il kept q { curiositv. ard the l0-cent