Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-02-06
THE MAIL CARRIERS OF OLD.
Beginning and Growth OF the Ameri.
can Postal Service.

/
can Postal Service.
POST OFFICES AND POST RIDERS IN COLONIAL
DAYs-THE GENERAL POST OFFICE AS EsrAB-
LIsHED BY THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
DR. FRANKLIN's LEDGER.
HPrior to 1875, when DIR. Benjamin Franklin
was appointed Deputy Postmaster General for
the colonies" said Mr.. Ben Douglas, who has
thoroughly Investigated the history of the pos
tai service, to a STAR reporter, 1.-THE general as
sembly of the province of Maryland, in 1861,
passed an act entitled, IAN act for conveyance
ofletters concerning the state and public affairs
which was to remain operative for three years,
but which, by reyiving acts, was yitalized and
kept in force until 1862.
''From the Potomac river to Philadelphia, in
the year 1895, regular post was established,
at a salary of fifty pounds per annum. The
condition of his contract required that he ira
verse his his route carry all public messages
Inhabitants eight times year.
Parliament established 2 general post Office
for all the colonies in ITO, and In I717,
a settled post was organized for the transmits
sion of letters once month, from Williams
burgh, Va, through Maryland and the North
mated by that of the Revolution, the post was
conducted under the parliamentary law of
stances, annoyingly inefficient and insufficient,
when riders, remunerated by individuals, were
employed In many sections where the public
carrier was a stranger.
sHEEIFFs AS PosFMASTERs.
"The assembly Of the province Of Maryland,
in 1T13," continued Mr.. Douglas, passed an
act entitled, AN act for the more speedy con-
veying of public letters and packages of this
province and defraying the charge thereof, and
to prevent the abuse OF breaking open and con-
cealing any letters whatever By the provi-
Si0nS OF this act, 1t was enjoined aud made i'm
peTative upon the Sheriffs of the different cOun-
ties to assume proPriet9rship OF all public let
sheriff, or some subaltern in his employ of the
next or adjoining county, and for this service
they were to be compensated by specific sums
from funds accruing from the public levies OF
the province. When shrinkages and shortages
in money resulted, the Indian weed stood as
the equivalent 1t is recorded by a correspond
lished in Biddeford. Maine, that sometime
Portsmouth, =. H., to point called Wells Sc Shy by
a dog, having the package fastened to his neck,
and which, until killed by the Indians, would
traverse the line and distance by himself.
ExPEnITING THE SERVICE.
But innovations and expedition ia the SER
vice of the mails are not wholly characteristic
OF the present generation or present time. The
progressive steps and postal enterprises of the
eolonists were few aud slowly made; neverthe-
less they came, and with them outburstS OF joy
and the dawning of the better day, for which
the star OF hope rises in every earthly sky. In
1754 the people were startled by the joyful
proclamation that the mails from New Eng
land, which formerly had departed from Phila-
delphla semi-monthiy in winter, would leave
once week throughout the entire year. 1t was
in 116O that Franklin made the proposition to
establish line of stage wagons between the
Quaker city and Boston for the more satisfac-
tory transit OF the mails, one to depart from
each city on Monday and reach its destination
In SIX days, thus enabling the people 10 receive
answers to letters sent between the cities in
three weeks instead OF six, as heretofore In
TIA the British ministry removed DIR. Frank
lin from his official position, which was a detri-
to ftnn onfD ,tap
leaving them without any recognized or suS-
tanned postal facilities whatever, casting them
means of communication or inter-communica-
ton. and that, too, at a time when the problem
OF independence was in solution and the fires
and forces OF the Revolution were visible on the
horizon.
THE CONTINENTAL POST OFFICE.
''in this unhappy condition of AFFAIRS" Dir.
Douglas said, the Continental Congress now
appointed a committee ''to devise a system of
post office communication" which soon re-
ported, submitting a system which, on July &c,
1915, was adopted, and benjamin Franklin, on
the same day, at a salary Of -. 900 per year,
was appointed Postmaster General. TO the per-
picking duties OF the work assigned him, not
withstanding the embarrgssments which, like
Scyfia and Charybdis, encompassed him. he APP
piled the power and vigorous Observation-Disclosures
of his great intellect, and before the end of the
year he had projected and perfected system,
cess1ul running order All of the colonies, with
the possible exception of Vermont. were sup
Piled with one or more offices, many OF the
postmaSters sending their returns for the
quarter terminating January 3, 17T6. And
be 1t said to the deepest regret of his feiIoy-
eountrynen and the detriment of the postal
service that his administration of the affairs of
the department. was OF brief duration, having
been succeeded by his brother-i,i-law, Richard
same salary but which, by act OF Congress,
Dec p, 1873, was augmented to So, 900 per
annu:4l. There was {. widely marked distfnc-
ton between Mr.. Bache's administration OF the
department. and that of his iilustriOus prede-
ceSsoT. Though a man OF conceded ability he
seemed destitute of the conceiying genius, the
originating clement, grasp and comprehensive
ness OF mind, execuiiveness and aggressiyeuess
OF business spirit SO absolutely necessary to the
exiseRcies and perpetualiy new demands of the
postal service and the requirements of the people
In their then unsettled, transition state In
Ginning to details and surrounding himself with
the pestiient minuiise of the service, rather
than establishing posts and celebrating sys-
TENS, he required that the Office SHOULD be held
IN the same building with the city post office,
that lac might direct his personal attention to
the opening of the mails and thus be assured
that il wOUid be safely done. His successor was
Ebenezer Hazard, January IS, 1852, and was
the last under the confederation. His manage
ment of the department. administration of
the postal service, was dull and monotonoas
without change or detection from the old cur
Nature OF methods, with little augmentation in
the number of offices and perceptible mo-
.nentuIn 10 postal facilities already in opera
ton.
THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT.
'Ths Post Office department proper was now
organized under the general government and
the hrst Postmaster General appointed to pre-
side over 1T was stephen OsgoOd, of Massachu,-
sets, his appointment bearing date September
20, 1889, with salary OF $1,000 per annum
bis tenure OF Office embraced period of about
two years, and was succeeded by Thomas Pick
ering, OF Massachusetts August IL, 1871, with
an increased salary OF 81 GEO per annum. Dur
ing his admin iSt alton OF the Office he largely
augmented the facilities within the province Of
the department., 1ostereu, ENCOURAGED, estab-
iished post offices, and impaired efficiency and
~ Ia I...tSS Ia1 Lal~~
airy %, 1875, by Joseph Habersham, of Georgia,
whose salary was made $1,000 per annuIu,
under whose management OF the department
material aid and encouragement was cornInu-
hicatea To- the service OF tie mails, the number
of post Offices in existence having been tripied
al the close of his term Of office.
In 1890 the general Post Office was estab-
lished In the city OF New York. il formerly hav-
ing been located in Philadelphia. AT that time
tlere were sc Eenty-iye post offices and 1875
miles OF post roads in the United States. Six
years thereafter the Office was re-esiabiished at
OF government was located at Washington,
when II was transferred and established there
THE PosTAASTERs GENERAL.
The names with the respective dates of ap-
pointments of the distinguished gentlemen who
have held the position OF Postmaster General,
since the transfer OF the government to W ash
lHgtoD, are hereuntO appended
bideon Granger Connecticut, appointed 2Sth
N0Eemoer. lS0l, in recess of the Senate in
place OF j. Habersham, resigned: Return Jona-
than Neigs, jr., Ohio, 18th March, 1914; John
Mclean. Ohio. 26th June, 1923; VIM. L. Barry.
kentucky, 9th March, 1929; Amos Kendall,
Kentucky, LIST May, 1855; john N. Niles, Con.
necticut, 18th May, 1Si0; Francis Granger
New York, 9th March, 1871; Charles A. Wick.