The times., 1897-05-09
MIR. KASSON'S GREAT SERVICES
A History of the First international
Congress and What 1t Has Led
Up To-Uniform Postal Rates Es-
tablished- The Many Improve-
ments Which Are Necessary.

at her request at Paris in the spring or
1863, to have opened the way for the
splendid accomplishments in the improve
men5s OF the postal laws that have marked
the last thiIty-fiye years.
In view OF the fact that the fifth Con-
gress is now in session here The story Of
that first conference cannot fail TO be OF
interest 1t was called directly through
the influence of MI John A Kasson, at
lifetime FirstASSistantP Postmaster General,
and TO him more than any American the
important part she United States has played
Ia the postal history of the world is due.
The nomination OF Mr.. Kassonto he First
Assistant Postmaster General was the
second name sent to the Senate for con-
firmation, that of Norman ID. Judge, the
President 5 old and tried friend, minister
to Prussia, being the first, after the IN
auguration of MT Lincoln, and to no one
was his appointment greater surprise than
toMr KaSso1 himself. Hetook up the work
of his new position, however, with the deep
interest and enthusiasm that has charac-
terized all OF his public service, and set
about learning the details OF his official
duties, a difficult matter at that crucial
time when the internal affairs OF the
country werein chaotic state. The most
pressing duty that confronted him was that
of changing the postmasters, made the more
necessary by the number OF disloyal men
holding office at the outbreak of the W ar.
This business having been disposed OF,
Mr.. Kasson turned his attention TO the gen
eral Improvement of the postal service. He
found much difficulty in mastering the
great variety Of regulations and laws gov
erning the interior postal service, and un-
dertook to simplify and render them uni
form, with the result Of preparing code
eliminating obsolete and harnoniZing con-
flicting laws and regulations Having
prepared this code, and placed the interior
postal affairs. then characterized by 10
cent rates to the Pacific coast, and differ
ent newspaper rates to different parts of
the country on a simple basis, he turned
his attention to foreign postage, which was
quite as complicated and troublesome, and
In some Instances more complicated and
troublesome than was that of our interior
postal service.
At that time we had different rates to
each separate country. There were, TOO,
transit charges through intermediate coun-
tries to be paid, and the accounts, com
plicated in the extreme, kept with for
eign nations, resulted in a balance against
Us When orr money became deprecated
we were compelled to pay these balances
An gold. and it cost the Government some
where between $500, 900 and 100000
every year to meet the amounts due from
our department to foreign departments
The embarrassment Of the citizen in
sending a letter abroad was such, owing
= 1fr4f,. lat
he had invariably to go to the postoffice
with his letter in bis hand TO inquire of
the postmaster what the rate was TO its
destination. This was an intolerabfe con-
dition. and after reflecting upon it, Mr..
Kasson called Postmaster General Blair's
attention to the necessity OF some reforms
in our foreign postal regulations, at the
same time submitting to him plan for an
International conference, as the most df-
rect and only speedy means Of arriving at
tie reform OF the system. Postmaster Gen
eral blair spent some time in looking into
this project. and finally authorized the
conference. Mr. Kasson immediately pre-
pared letter to be sent by Mr- Seward
to foreign countries, inviting them to par
ticipate I'm an international conference
In due time answers came from ma
jority OF them accepting the proposition.
second letter was sent out by Mr.
Seward, naming the countries that had
accepted, and proposing that the con-
ference should assemble in the following
May, 1868, in Paris To that the countries
adhered, and several additional countries,
from whom answers had not been received,
subsequently, adhered
The conference met, according to the
arrangement. with fourteen governments
represented, as follows:
Great Britain, whose commissioners were
Mr. Rowland Hill, son OF the famous Sir
Rowland Hill, the author of the biIl pro-
xiding for penny postage in the United
Kingdom; and B1r. Rea; France, repre-
sented by NJ Vandal, director general OF
the French post department, and president
OF the conference; NJ. Maunn and NJ De
senne; Prussia, by Herr MetZner, one OF
the officials from the government postal
service, Italy, by NJ. Pagni and NJ Agos-
TIM: Belgium, 10y NJ. FasSieuX and NJ.
Thinuster; the Netherlands, by Herr Hof-
stede, who is remembered as wise and
solid man; Austria, by Herr Lowenthal;
Switzerland, by NJ. Kern and M. Jean
Renaud; the Hauseatic cities by Herr Ros-
ing, Portugal by Senior de Antas; Spain,
by Count de Taso; Denmark, bg NJ. Levy
and NJ. Sick; the Sandwich Islands, by
Sir John BowerIng; Costa Rica, by NJ. de
Lucy, and the United States, by Mr.. Kas-
son aud a Mr.. Noble, whom Mr.. KaSson
took with him because of his knowledge
OF foreign languages and foreign methods.
The conference took up ihe proposition
of reform, submitted by tie United States,
mn dnn qtx- odl rGsln
ing international postal relations, which
were recommended for incorporation In
all subsequent postal treaties as the basis
OF that class OF conventions regulating in
ternaiIonal postal intercourse. Under the
new system International postal accounts
were to be abolished, and each country
to give foreign mails transit across It's
territory without charge, the nutuality
of the arrangement affording ample COM
pensation. AS q rule, every letter re-
ceives an answer. and each country would
retain the pre- pa yrnentupon the correspond
ence transmitted, thus financial profit
would be substantially eQualized Pre-
vious to this congress different standards
OF weights as well as of postage in diff
ferent countries had been in vogue 1t
was desired to have uniform Weights, and
the rule OF 3 grammes, very nearly the
equivalent OF half an ounce, was adopted
as unit, instead OF the local units en-
ployed in different countries, which was
Q very important simplification, and pre-
payment was TO be required on all printed
matter. Many other regulations OF detail
were adopted at the conference.
As the authorof theconference Mr.. Kasson
took q leading part in all the deliberations.
and SO won the regard, esteem and approba-