The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-03-19

mention made of letters from Bosto 4
The reason was that city merchants
made themselves popular with then
country customers by receiving letters al
their stores to be forwarded. Thus if &
Boston man wanted to send letter tC
Peacham, instead of putting it in the
post office, he left it at certain store
to be enclosed in the next package OF
goods going Peacham way.
Only small portion of letters were pre-
paid, and people of standing allowed then
postage bills to run several months.
Among the johnson papers are many
bills like the following:
NEWBURY, OCT. l, 1908.
Ben Porter, Esq, DR..
To postage on letters received
since 1st July, 50 "a
Do. newspapers, 80
50 SO
Mr., Porter was lawyer and large land
owner. One of his SONS became editor of
the New Orleans Picayune, and a member
of congress. Allowing a very low average
of twelve and half cents ON each letter,
that would give him emily eighteen letters
by mail in three months, probably only a
small number of his actual receipts.
Ingenious persons continued to eyade
postage by means of dotted words, and
letters in newspapers, which passed
through the post office for two cents, and
these indicated words, when read togeth-
er, conveyed information.
Another way still remembered by some
elderly people, was to send blank sheet
of paper made up like letter. Peculiar
tiles in the address and in the forms of the
letters used, understood between the par
ties, conveyed information as to the writ
er'S health and circumstances. The per-
son addressed would receive the letter,
examine it, and return it to the post mas
ter, protesting inability to pay the postage
having meanwhile obtained intelligence of
the writer without expense. When let
terS costs twenty-five cents each or more
from distant places, such evaslons were
very common. There was something
wrong in system which drove people to
cheating in order to crafty their natural
desire to hear of each others welfare
In 1910, the efforts of Rowland Hill and
Otkers, in the face of great ridicule and
opposition. effected the reduction of letter
postage in Great Britain from one shilling
to one penny. Six years later, in this
country, postage was reduced to five cents
for three hundred miles or less, and ten
cents between places more distant.
Postage on newspapers was fixed by act
OF congress IN 1872 at one cent per copy for
less than one hundred miles and one half
cent for each additional hundred.
In 1898 Colonel Asa Porter who lived on
Horse Meadow in Haverhill and received
his mail at Newbury, paid $3.50 postage on
BacheS General Advertiser printed
sem-weekly at Philadelphia. These rates
were afterwards reduced somewhat.
In 1917, Rev. Mr. Lambert of Newbury,
paid seventy-eight cents postage on the
Boston Recorder" and fifty cents on
the "Panoplst," a small monthly pam
phlet.
Arthur Livermore says that in 1918, the
only papers taken through the post-otfice
at Haverhill Corner from below Concord, |
were the Boston Recorder" and the Dos
ton Courier"
Country newspapers were frequently |
delivered to their subscribers by post |
riders" Such one left Danville, on the |
day of publication of the "North Star"
for several years previous to 1911, and dis |
tributed about two hundred and fifty |
copies through Walden, Greensboro, SUIT
ton, Lyndon and st. Johnsbury. In that |
year he sold his ''route and goodwill |
thereof" for quite asum. These carriers
were an institution in their day. They
were intrusted with commissions and
carried money for their patrons.
No great revolution ever accomplished
the good to humanity which resulted
from the introduction of cheap postage.
We can hardly comprehend such a state
Of things as existed when communication
was so slow and costly. Still the study
IF these times is well worth our while. if
t does nothing else than to convince us
hat the wise man was right when, he
,aid. that it was not well to suppose that
he former times were better than these.
F. p. WEIAs,
Newbury Center, Jan. 81. 1897. shin