The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-26
ABOUT POSTAGE STAMPS
REVENUE DEVICE THAT WAS UN-
KNOWN SIXTY YEARS AGO.
Introduced in England In 1910 and In
This Country In 1S47-Austria
Invented Postal Cards.
Brooklyn Ea gle.

Brooklyn Eagle.
There is probably no one article outside
| of money that enters into the daily life of
SO many hundreds of millions of people all
over the globe about whose history so little
| is generally known as the postage stamp.
| These little bits Of colored paper occupy so
| important a place in all domestic and for
| eign affairs that it seems as though they
had always been in use, and it is difficult to
| comprehend the fact that less than sixty
years ago the postage stamp was practi-
| cally unknown in any country in the world.
1t is true that during the first half of the
present century there-we a number of de-
vices in use to denote the payment of
postage dues and that certain stamped en-
velopes were issued between the years 1890
and 1897 by the Sandman States, but the
idea of the modern adhesive postage stamp,
such as we have to-day, originated in Great
Britain, with Mr.. James Chalmers. of Dun
dee. Scotland. who proposed their use in
1887, and through whose efforts they We're
adopted by the British postofice (under leg
islative enactment, Dec. p, 1890, and issued
for public use on May 6, 1910. With his SIM
pie invention Mr.. Chalmers virtually con-
quered the whole civilized world. Under
Mr.. Rowland Hill, who was at that time at
the head of the English postoffice, penny
postage was adopted, and it was the penny
postage stamp that was first brought out.
In July, $780, 2-cent stamp was issued and
| subsequently complete series, ranging in
value from half-penny to shiIlings
Brazil was the first country after Eng
land to adopt postage stamps QS4S) and
they first came into use ON the continent
of Europe in the latter part of 1913 by
the issues of five of the cantons of Switzer-
land--Basel, Geneva, Neufchatci Winter
thur and Zurich. Then Russia adopted
them in 1S45 and France followed in 1S4S;
Belgium and Tuscany in 1S49, Prussia and
Saxony, Austria. Spain and Japan in 1850,
Canada in 1851. Nova Scotia in 1856, New
foundland in 1857 and British Columbia in
1861.
tenn until 1S47 when they were first author
| lied by act of Congress, March g. and their
issue in denominations Of and 10 cents
| only to meet the then existing rates of
| postage was begun July of that year,
| the collection of postage dues previous to
| that time being entirely in money, the pre-
payment being in all cases optional. The
| total value of all the stamps issued in this
| 1851 postal rates were reduced and a new
| set of stamps was issued the first being
1 and cents and later the additional de-
nominations of 5, 10. IL, "a, 80 and 80 cents.
THE COLUMBIAN STAMPS
Until the Introduction of the famous Co
| lumbar stamps in 1893, with few exceptions
| all the postage stamps of the United States
have borne portraits of ex-Presidents or
| other noted men, The pictures of Wash
| ington, Jackson, Franklin, Jefferson, Lin
coin, Webster, Clay, Hamilton, Perry, Grant
and Garfield have each served in turn. In
1869 a 15-cent stamp was issued which bore
picture of the landing of Columbus, and
| in 1876 a special stamped envelope was is
sued in commemoration of the century of
the Declaration of independence. In 1873
| official stamps for the use of government
| correspondence were issued, but their use
was discontinued in 1884 and the penalty
| envelope issued in their stead. Newspaper
and periodical stamps were first issued in
| 1875, and postage due stamps in 1Sl9 and
| special delivery In 1885,
There is of course a peculiar and dis
| tinctive feature in the different stamps of
| every country-a national or specific feature
| according to the country issuing them. All
the stamps of Great Britain and the col
| onieS bear the portrait of Queen Victoria
| The stamps of Germany have the Emperors
| portrait upon them French stamps have in
! turn borne the head of liberty, the likeness
| of President Napoleon and that of Emperor
| Napoleon. Now they are of different
| character and bear the words, "Republique
| Franchise" The first Brazilian stamps were
simply covered with intricate engraving
| and bore in large figures in the center their
value in refs, as thirty, sixty. ninety ne "a
Pedro III. Many Egyptian stamps show
portrait of the pyramids, While Turkish
| stamps bear the crescent. The new Can
| adian Jubilee stamps have two portraits of
| the Queen-1S37 and 1897.
! 1t is said that since 1910 more than ten
| thousand varieties of stamps and other pos
| tai delivery devices have been introduced.
| Thirty years after the introduction of the
| postage stamp the postal card was intro
1 duced. That useful and desirable adjunct
! to the postal service first made its appear
| ance in 1870 in Austria, to which country
| belongs the honor Of it's conception and in
| PRODUCTION. The British postofice adopted
! them the latter part of the same year, and
| federation Hungary Belgium and Holland.
THE U. S. POSTAL CARDS.
Other countries followed later, and on
! May l. 1873 they were first issued in the
| United States. In two months 31,094O00 were
| sold, and the first full twelve months sales
| ran up to 81, 079OO0 In 1880 the 2-cent cards
| were issued, and in 1893 the Accent cards.
| In twenty-three years no fewer than 1885,
| 567 $50 1-cent cards have been issued, and in
| sixteen years 32,5 $50 2-cent cards have
| been issued The total number of cards
supplied to postmasters throughout the
| United States for the year ending June 80,
| 1886, was 524 S20,150.
! Some idea of the enormous extent of the
| sales of postage stamps in this country may
| be had by a glance at the following figures:
| For the twelve months ending June 30 1896,
| the total number of ordinary, special de-
| livery and postage due stamps issued was
| stamped envelopes there were issued 616-
| Gao $50, having a value of sl23lS, 1889. OF
| periodical stamps there were issued 5, sos 672
having a value of $2,S19.l77. and of postal
cards there were issued 4,S20, $50. having a
| value of S.. 305, OBS The grand total of all
these various issues is 4l95, G65, 523, the value
of which was $79,17S 101.S9. The value of all
| the postage stamps issued in the United
States from 1S47 to 1896 was s., 004, 363. 241.30
| The following shows the number of
| stamps Of the various denominations issued
| in the course of twelve months:
| l cent 81 POS 800
cent ...... ...................2,6 97 947 600
| cent?. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1884 $50
4 cent ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. % 402 $50
4 cent. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. As, 9S5 $50
| cent ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 5,637 25O
| 8 cent ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 9,1S5O 600
| 10 cent 24,306 295
| Is cent ........................... 1893 $50
| rs cent OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 434 440
| 30 cent ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 10o60
| 50 cent ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 53S 229
| l dollar ............................ 1851
dollar ............................ 1S9 as
| dollar OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. "a 557
| 10 dollar ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 27SS2
| 20 dollar ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 15S53
An