The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-13
90 old letters OF Ben Franklin's, and some

see old letters OF Ben Frnnklins and some
of his account books are kept In glass
case 60 show the visitors. The first gen.
eral pos;otIice in the United States was
that established by parliament for the
colonies in 1910, and it was in 1875 that
DR.. BENJAMIN Franklin was made deputy
postmaster general. In 1914 the mails
were carried from New England - Phila-
delphia every week. and few years later
a line Of stage wagons was inaugurated
between Boston and that city to carry the
mails and passengers. The Continental
postoficc department was inaugurated
with benjamin Franklin as postmaster
general at the beginning Of our govern
ment. and Franklin was 10 receive salary
Of S.. 900 a year. The postmaster general
now gets S. 0C0 year; but the first post
master general after the revolutionary
war was over and the new government
was organized was appointed in l's9 and
his salary was only 1890. He was a
Massachusetts, man, and his name was
Stephen Osgood In 1890 there were
seventy-fvc postofIices in the United
States, and The general postofiiee was
taken from Philadelphia TO New York
city. Wien congress was carried 20 PM
adelphia it was taken there, and when the
government was removed TO Washington
its headquarters were established here
-
The postmaster general was for years
considered very unimportant man in the
cabinet. He was looked upon more as a
clerk than "a a cabinet officer and ! do
not think he ranked as n cabinet officer
proper until the days Of Amos Kendall
and the presidency Of Jackson. Kendall
was one Of Jacksons kitchen cabinet
lie was a man of brains. an editor and n
shrewd wire puller. lie is charged with
having written some of Jacksons state
papers. and the truth seems to be that
jackson used HIN as a high class private
secretary. He would, it is said, tell Ken
dali his ideas and have him write them
out for him. Kendall would have 70 write
again ard again 4 sentence until II ex-
pressed the exact shade of Old Hickory $
mind. The result was that be was one Of
the most influential men at Washington,
and he had bis voice in The cabinet meet
ings. -
\ number of postmasiers general OF
the past are stiil living. and Judge Joseph
Holt and HoTatio King. both Of whom were
postmastcrs general under Buchanan. re
side at Washington John A. }. Creswell,
who was postmaster general under Grant,
is we'll TO do. and lives at Washington.
Marshall Jewell died only "a few years ago,
and Judge Tyner. another of Grant 5 post
masters general, is practicnag law here.
Judge Walter @ Gresham is on the bench
In Indiana, and is II candidate for the
presidency Frank llatton has been an
editor in New York and Chicago since he
left the pcstoflice and OK Postmaster Gen
eral Villas is now secretary Of the inte-
rlor.
Tho position is now the most important
one Of the cabinet and it<ontrols greater
amount of patronage than any other Its
10000 postmasters are supplemented by
an immcnse number Of clerks, who serve
both at Washington. on the railroads ard
Is examiners and inspectors al over tho
country and its chief is to the people at
large almost as important man As tho
president himself
FRANK G. CARPENTER.