The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-05-12

| year wives Will bc dNdltiH- bhS iNNu'" "
| husbands aud children the return of fathers
who will never be heard Of any more
But. rs Alcalde MARITIME SAYS 1t was
meant to happen and it has happened, &
let Us ask that the food will not come
back soon.
Postal Facilities, Past and Present,
In his speech at the banquet given IA
! Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith,
and others connected with the postal ser
vice. at Westminster, Md on April 30,
Superintendent Of Free Delivery August
w Machen, in reply To the toast The
Postal Service Its Past and Present,
gave the following interesting account Of
the postal service in the United States
The toast 10 which am requested 10 re
spoad covers a subject OF such vast importance
aud scope that It's proper treatment would Ill
volumes: indeed, careful review of the growth
of the Posgotfice Department and the postal
service would tell the story Of the gradual de
yelopmeut III oar abole economic, social aud
political system from the DAYS of the Revo,R
lion 10 the present time. Il would b. folly,
then. on INV part 10 attempt % handle the sub
ieci wilhiu the brief t5me usually allowed for
aiier-dianer remarks. A few statistical CON
parsons showing the coutrast between the
past and present ot our postal system SIii sui
ice 10 impress upon you ~ rapid progress
and the immense proportions Il has reached
TODAY.
''Thsre IS little or 90 trace Il postal record
PRIOR to l5e0 The only rrport before thai
day IS The year l7S9. showing only pos:otiices
ami gross rcveuac Of bat 81 I'D, amOuHl
barely Sufficient to-day 20 maintain the rnrs
free delivery service ia Carroll cua"Iy Tor hNe
months.
The 6rst constitutional postmaster general,
Samuel Usgooi, cf Massachusetts, ~sss appoint
rd g., President Mash!nsinn ia l-gso Hi'
hrss saupsi report ssnGAius lh- siztemeul thai
- fs,stntiiers, coupr5ssnz the entire a~rvc~,
Welded a r,veuue % AiseaJ St3.Wa JudeJ
stimulating effects 81 rural free delivery ihs
postal seryicr 81 Carroll eoautr alouc wl
! produce THAT amoaut during The NEXT taviSs
months.
.sIhe war 1929 - credited a5tb aboul
Z 81 7di 80 ia postal revenues, during the rH
Z sninE hscsi ysar more Jhan that amount all
I b. expended n ilgs country for rural free DC
I livery alone Within period u less ihaH
seventh years the gross ~ reHue 81 the eutIrs
( postal service h.s aaitipltrd fifty fold, reach
( ing ihis YEAR She enormous SUM e oac bun
drea millions Tea reani numbers
''Bai It Is NOS necessary 90 - hack ~ la
/ for 6eurcs th illustrate the rapid advancement
7 OF lhs. service Let ls keep sighia the mem
ury OF ALMOST every ore here tonight Take.
+ l1r instance, ihe 1eag l>si9, thIrty wears ago
Z record, .how lhai the service welded shal yrAF
{ $40. SO. 600 Hos. comparatively small that
I sound. sheu tell yaa tina, daring The coming
year Nc ssu require about 4 ullllon uiore than
T those 6guFrs represent O. properly maintain
( the tree delivery service. CfsF and rsraL
Y Another lamp 81 taenIy years brings a. down
( e. leSI. The revenues 81 THAI rear, Sc. 90.
I 90. ab1al equal Tho iands required today g.
meet she disbursements Of bot one BUREAU
Z oi she Postoiieo Department. namely. the
s Bareau of the tsrsi Assistant Postmaster
I General
I Franklin. A. Postmaster Ciraersl u ihs
4 Coianirs, startled the people os Pbiladelphss
I when be announced his determination "a rau
Z u seekiy mail between philadelphia and B0s
/ tau. leaving each niIiee NogdAy moraiHg sad
{ reaching is destination the following SaiurG-y
I evening. The announcement tina, be ~ AID
{ reduces the stage uime between Philadelphia
I aud New York, oae way, from thirty six hour
I to twenty four hours Was even m,rs sfartiia.
I To the public He succeeded IN both scheme.
I as be DID ls most Of h.s undertaking. Coz
/ ,rast that service with the transportation
I methods ul the present time nAiiy dying
4 nustofics leaves New YORK. throwing of and
taking GA mail ia its mad fight. until Il
/ reaches Chicago, within tweaty four hour
[ from is starting time. Five days betSecl
{ New York aud san Francisco marked ius
{ provement indeed over 1850 when thirty -eigh
days we're required for the transportation o.
] T. - = Er.s..4s.....
Eighty Years Ago.
zone fne morning. eighty five or SIX year
/ ago. the old stage from Baltimore rolled ints
your village, bearing the old baltimore Amer
/ lean sith the news Of Perrys victory on Lake
( Erie. iusg iourtgen days after the battle hAc
taken place. To-day every movement OF Ih,
4 conflicting armies IN the Irausyaal aud III our
. own army IN the Philippines j. hasbet
1 through cables aud over wires 10 every news
paper office ia The United States There tn,
news Is taken up BY the postal service ans
( hurried 10 the residents Of oar large cities and
1 by the grace Of an efficient rural free delivery
service is brought 10 the homes Of the farmer
I Of Carroll county within twenty four hour
after il leaves the distant shores.
| The presence here tonight OF the repre-
sentatives Of the press, and the fact that oui
own chief and his first assistant are journalists
promp, me TO briefly review the relations tina
existed between the postal service aud thu
press Of early days.
AT the time Franklin took charge of ID,
postal service the postmaster usually was th,
/ proprietor and editor OF a local paper, which
of course, was regularly transmitted through
/ the mails free Of cost, while the publication
of his competitor as regularly barred
/ Franklin's sense Of fair play soon put stoI
to this sort Of discrimination, aud ou his orde
equal privileges were granted all publishers
However. the dispatching Of any paper mai
al all was left optional with the postmaster
4 Consequently. complaints were frequent,
made by prominent journalists that thei
papers were purposely held back or deaye,
ia transmission by competitor postmaster
aud post riders. This unique system coutin
ued until 1892, when, by an act of Congress
it was decTeed that postmasters should uC
longer receive papers free of postage Tn,
new law was tiercely denounced in man,
/ quarters. II was argued that the postage OF
/ newspapers was a vile tax on knowledge;
that newspapers should be spread broadcas
without charge, for they disseminated usefn
knowledge and much valuable information
concerning things politically, especially tn,
doings of Congress, about which the peopl
wished TO keep posted. Some even went 81
far as to charge that Congress intended tn,
Law to act rs revenue measure TO offset tn,
loss caused by the franking privilege, whicI
in those days was sarcastically referred to a
AN aristocratic distinction and privilege TO
the favored few Under this unpopular law
the newspaper subscriber was compelled to
pay annually S4.6S for postage on his weekly
journal, which, added to his subscription 0
$500 year, made the cost of the paper
very heavy drain on his limited means.
at is worthy of note that in 1892 but two
journals had daily issues, and that the highes
number of subscribers reached by any ont
newspaper was barely 5000.
''Today the shoe is on the other foot. In
stead of magazines aud periodicals suspendinl
on account of burdensome postal law. man,
publications called newspapers, but devoted
exclusively to advertising private business
have sprung up in all parts of the country OF
account of the advantages afforded them b.
the construction placed on the postal law
today The abuses attending the application
| of the law regulating the transportation o