The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-14
MAILS 200 YEARS AGO.
There Was Difficulty in Transporting Let
ters in Early Colonial Days.
T From the Postal Record. 1

Intercourse between the American
colonies, previous to 1893, was so slight
as not to call for special facilities or
regular lines. IL urgent cases special
messengers were sent, but the bulk of
correspondence, such as it was, went by
friends, especially in coastwise vessels.
The first idea for postal line along the
coast from New England to the Caro-
linas originated in New York, and was
approved by their lordships in London,
provided at least one-tenth of the gross
receipts were paid over to the Duke OF
York. Of course the plan failed. Be-
fore there could be any gross receipts
somebody had to pay for post riders to
travel those long roads from Nova
Scotia to Carolina, of which the great
men in London expected profits for the
Duke. Not to mention other schemes,
Andrew Hamilton of East Jersey had
occasion to go to London in consequence
of the Andros troubles. He was far
sighted man, and while he was in Lon
don patent for an American postoffice
was issued to Thomas Neale, and And
rev Hamilton was appointed American
postmaster general, an appointment
so happy that after lapse of two CEN
/ turies we ought to be thankful for it..
Hamilton, the father of the American
postofice, was very wise man and he
was successful. He had nothing to
start with other than the patent, which
gave him a monopoly, but might
arouse the opposition of the colonies
and their local postmasters. He had to
select a post route through a country
very little travelled. He had to engage
trusty mail carriers. He had to buy
horses and the regulation horns for his
post riders. He had to replace the local
postoffices and he had to get the consent
of each colony for bis postage rates.
Late in the summer of 1892 he returned
from London to America, where he
travelled from colony to colony, getting
from each what he could in the way of
subsidies and law, and then starting
his mail service.
Jealousy between the colonies was
great, the prejudice against strangers
was greater and distrust of suggestions
from the mother country was greatest.
Hamilton overcame all obstacles; he
actually induced all colonies % pass
substantially the same postoffice act,
prescribing the same postage rates; he
obtained from each colony what au-
thority he required and in 1888 the
mail was carried from Portsmouth, n.
H., then known as Piscataqua, to
Philadelphia, and beyond. It has been
carried ever since with but accidental
Interruptions. The mailrou was from
Portsmouth to Boston, Saybrook, New
Haven, New York, Perth Amboy, Bur
Ington and Philadelphia. The chief
point beyond was New Castle. The
question may be we'll asked, which was
the greater achievement, to create this
service or to get Pennsylvania, New
York and Massachusetts, not to men
ton the other colonies, to be of one
mind in renouncing local rights and
local Offices, to agree on postal system
that did not exist, and to promise
money to carry the enterprise into
effect? Neither before nor after 1893
has there been a like triumph in all
American legislation. The greatest of
these Hamilton acts is the Massachu-
setts law of Jure 8, 1898, which pro-
vides even for the receiving stamp to
be put on all mail matter; but the most
important, perhaps, is the Pennsylva-
MIA act, passed on May 80, 1893, at
Philadelphia. The reason for this state
ment is the fact that the Massachusetts,
act was disallowed by their lordships
in Lon ion, while the Pennsylvania act
was not subject to superior approval.
Virginia, New York and Connecticut
passed similar acts; New Hampshire
helped. If date for the great bicente-
nary of the American postof1ice must
be uamed, May 80 appears to be the
most appropriate, the earlier steps being
preliminary, while the Pennsylvania
act assured the success Of Hamilton's
plan, and was promptly followed oy
the post-riders making their regular
weekly trips between Portsmouth and
Philadelphia. If there is to he a gen.
eral celebration it ought to be in the
latter city. Hamilton deserves monu-
ment, which ought tn stand in front of
the Philadelphia postoffice. More than
any one thing, Hamilton's postof1ice
served to establish a closer union be-
tween the several colonies and their
people. His postoffice was not only a
great civilizer, but a vast political need
that helped to establish the united
colonies, just as the postoffice under
Benjamin Franklin, IN l775, helped in
no small degree to establish the United
States. No department of the national
government except the postoffice can
boast of an unbroken history covering
two centuries and no service had for
its originator and head a man superior
to Andrew Hamilton.
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