The representative., 1898-01-19
POSTAGE STAMPS,
A Hard Nut to Crack,


Did you know. that the government
has refused to redeem its own postage
stamps in gold or any other kind Of
money? Aye, worse than that; it
won't even exchange other postage
stamps fer them. The facts are that
1t looks as though the postoffice de-
partment is getting most damnable
stuck up and independent. A few days
ago one OF our many admiring friends
clean, -had-been-l licked and stuck
postage stamps in payment of his sun
scription. Being in the postolIice short
ly afterwards we called at the window
and asked the stamp clerk to give us
the cash on them. With look OF dis
dain and with an Importance that
comes only from long service in a pub
lie capacity he Informed us that he
was selling postage stamps and not
buying them. We then requested him
to exchange and give us one-centers
for our twos. He simply pointed to
printed notice that Uncle Sam does not
even exchange stamps. We expected
that as soon as the word got out, stamps
would depreciate and be worth possibly
less than the paper upon which they
are printed. So we hurried to drug
store and found, to our surprise and
pleasure, that postage stamps were still
worth their face value. That has been
several days ago and we are told this
morning that they are still selling al.
over the city at the same old price. 1t
seems kind O strange how this is Why,
they are not legal tender for any
thing; they are not fit for money even
If they were, because Of the nasty STICK
um-tight on their backs; the govern
ment won't have them after it sells
them once; and still they are worth
two cents apiece and it now looks lust
like the price is going to stay up right
where it is. There is only one use that
anybody can make Of the things, and
that is to pay postage; and Still they
don't depreciate. Well, as you ran-
not pay postage with anything else but
stamps, we wonder why somebody
hasn't got a corner on them? Why
don't some Of these smart bankers get
together and buy all the postage stamps
at two cents apiece and then raise the
price? Possibly they have not thought
Of it. But they have thought OF every
thing else; wonder why they have not
thought of this? They corner I'D the
governments money and make Uncle
Sam dance around and beg like a little
puppy dog and make him issue bonds
and do lots Of other humiliating things,
but somehow they have never thought
to tackle the postage stamps. After
looking it up little it seems that Uncle
Sam got it into his old head that he
could run the pOstoffice without the aid
of the bankers. He seems to have for.
gotten to make any provisions for his
banker boys in the matter, and SO he
keeps his postage stamp mill going all
the time; and if they buy all the stamps
and some more, and some more, and
keeps right on smiling; and the more
they buy, the more he smiles If they
should conclude to buy up a big lot Of
them and ship them to "Yurrup' he
would keep right on smiling and smil-
ing and printing more stamps The sup
ply of stamps seems almost ineXhauSfa-
ble 1t looks like Uncle Sam might ge1
tired Of it after awhile and delegate the
issuing of his stamps over to the banks
as he has done in the matter of money.
and his banker boys could have a real
picnic. They could have regular hi3h
old time, and there would be hot time
in the old town. you bet your life. The
boys would put the price Of stamps
down till they got possession of what
are on hand; then they would bull the
market and make a nice pile. They
could limit the supply; they could slip
them off to Europe and a great many
other things they could do. They could
give Uncle Sam lots Of pointers in bust
ness Stamps could be used just like
the money is if Uncle Sam was not such
a blasted old mossback as to stand right
in the way of progress. Funny, isn't
| it? Suppose you put in about five min
utes thinking this over.-Warren Fos-
ter's Paper.