River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-06-29
MAILS TWO CENTURIES AGO.
There Was Difhculty In Transporting Let
ters In Early Colonial Days.

t"t' 81 Early totoniat Ddfs
Intercourse between the American
colonies, previous to 1898, was so slight
as not to call for special facilities or
regular lines. In urgent cases special
messengers were sent, but the bulk OF
correspondence, such as il was. went
by friends. especially in eoastwise yes
sells. The first idea for a postal line
along the coast from New England 10
the Carolinas originated in New York.
and was approved by their lordships in
London, provided at least one-tenth of
the gross receipts were paid over o the
duke of York. OF course the plan
failed. Before 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 Lordon 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 Andres
troubles. He was far-sighted man.
and while he was in London patent
for an American post Office was issued
to Thomas Neale, and Andrew Hamil-
ton was appointed American post
master general, an appointment so
happy that after lapse of two cen
turtles we ought to be thankful for it.
Hamilton, the father of the Ameri-
can post Office, was a very wise
man and he was successful. He
had nothing to start with other than
the patent, which gave him monopoly,
but might arouse the opposition of the
colonies and their local postmasters.
He had to select 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 post offices, and he had TO get
the consent of each colony for his post
/ age rates Late in the summer of 1892
he returned from London to America,
where he travelled from colony to colo
ny, 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 to pass
substantially the same post Office act,
prescribing the same postage rates; he
obtained from each colony what au-
thority he required, and in 1898 the
mail was carried from Portsmouth. n.
H., then known as Piscataqua, to Phil
adelphis and beyond. 1t has been car
ried ever since with but accidental in
terruptions. The mail route was from
Portsmouth to Boston, Saybrook, New
| Haven, New York, Perth Amboy, Bur-
| lington and Philadelphia. The chief
point beyond was New Castle. The
| question may well be asked, which was
the greater achievement, to create this
service or to get PENNSYLVANIA, New
York and Massachusetts,, not to mer-
| ton the other colonies, 70 be of one
mind in renouncing local rights and
local offices, to agree on a postal sys-
! tenn that did not exist, and to promise
money to carry the enterprise into eff
! feet? Neither before nor after 1895 has
there been like triumph in all Ameri-
can legislation. The greatest of these
Hamilton acts is the Massachusetts law
of June Q. 1898, which provides even for
the receiving stamp to be put On all
mail matter; but the most important.
perhaps, is the Pennsylvania act, passed
on May 80, 1898, at Philadelphia. The
reason for this statement is the fact
that the Massachusetts, act was disal-
lowed by thSir lordships in London,
while the Pennsylvania act was not
subject to superior approval Virginia,
/ New York and Connecticut passed SINH
lar acts; New Hampshire helped.
| The Pennsylvania act assured the
success of Hamilton's plan. and was
PROMPTLY followed by the post riders
making their regular weekly trips be-
tween Portsmouth and Philadelphia.
Hamilton deserves monument, which
ought to stand in front of the Philadel-
phia post Office. More than any one
thing, Hamilton's post Office served to
establish closer union between the
several colonies and their people. His
\ post Office was not only great civil
izer, but a vast political need that
helped to establish the united colonies
/ just as the post office under Benjamin
Franklin, in 1775, helped in no small
! degree to establish the United States
No department of the national govern
ment, except the post office, can boast
of an unbroken history covering two
centuries, and no service had for its
| originator and head man superior to
| Andrew Hamilton.-Postal Record.