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

meant to happen ana IL mas Unopened, 50
let us ask that the food will not come
back soon.
Postal Facilities, Past and Present.
In his speech at the banquet given to
Postmaster General Charles Emory Smith,
and others connected with the postal ser
vice, at Westminster, Nd, on April 80,
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 to which / am requested to re-
spond covers subject of such vast Importance
and scope that its proper treatment would bill
volumes; indeed, a careful review ofthe growth
of the Postofice Department and the postal
service would tell the story of the gradual de.
velopmeDt of our whole economic, social and
political system from the days of the Revolu-
lion to the present time. 1t would be folly,
then, on my part TO attempt to handle the sub
iect within the brief time usually allowed for
after. dinner remarks. A few statistical COM
parsons showing the contrast between the
past and present of our postal system will suf-
fee TO impress upon you its rapid progress
and the immense proportions it has reached
today.
There is little or no trace of postal records
prior to $780, The only report before that
day is the year 1889, showing only postotfices
and a gross revenue of but 81, 500, an amount
barely sufficient today to maintain the rural
free delivery service in Carroll county for five
months.
"The first constitutional postmaster general,
Samuel Osgood, of Massachusetts, was appoint
ed by President Washington in 1870. His
first annual report contains the statement that
10 postoffices, comprising the entire aervice,
Welded revenue of about $4,000 Under
stimulating effects of rural free delivery the
postal service of Carroll county alone will
produce that amount during the next twelve
months.
"The year 1929 is credited with about
ST, 700, 900 in postal revenues; during the en-.
suing fiscal year more than that amount will
be expended in this country for rural free de-
livery alone. Within period of less than
seventy years the gross revenue of the entire
postal service has multiplied fifty-fold, reach
ing this year the enormous sum of one hun
dred millions in round numbers.
''But it is not necessary TO go back so far
for figures to illustrate the rapid advancement
of the service. Let us keep within the MEM
DRY of almost every one here tonight. Take,
for instance, the year 1869, thirty years ago;
records show that the service yielded that year
SIG 5000 How comparatively small that
sounds when l tell you that during the coming
year we will require about million more than
those figures represent to properly maintain
| the free delivery service, city and rural.
Another jump of twenty years brings us down
to 1889. The revenues of that year, $50 900, :
| 600, about equal the funds required today to
meet the disbursements of but one bureau
of the Postofice Department, namely, the
Bureau of the First Assistant Postmaster
General.
"Franklin, as Postmaster General of the
Colonies, startled the people of Philadelphia
when he announced his determination to run
IA weekly mail between Philadelphia and Bos
ton, leaving each office Monday morning and
reaching its destination the following Saturday
evening. The announcement that he would
reduce the stage time between Philadelphia
and New York, one way, from thirty-six hours
to twenty -four hours was even more startling
10 the public He succeeded in both schemes
as he did in most Of his undertakings. Con-
trast that service with the transportation
methods of the present time. Daily flying
postoffice leaves New York, throwing off and
taking on mail in its mad flight, until it
from its starting time. Five days between
New York and San Francisco marked i'm
provement indeed over 1850, when thirty eight
days were required for the transportation Of
mail from St. Louis to San Francisco.
Eighty-fve Years Ago.
"One fine morning, eighty-fve or six years
ago, the old stage from Baltimore rolled into
your village, bearing the old Baltimore Amer
lean with the news of Perry's victory on Lake
Erie. Just fourteen days after the battle had
taken place. Today every movement of the
conflicting armies in the Transvaal and of oul
own army in the Philippines is flashed
through cables and over wires to every news
paper office in the United States. There the
news is taken up by the postal service anc
hurried to the residents of our large cities and
by the grace of an efficient rural free delivery
service is brought to the homes of the farmer
of Carroll county within twenty-four hour
after it leaves the distant shores.
"The presence here tonight of the repre-
sentatives of the press, and the fact that oul
own chief and his first assistant are journalists
prompt me to briefly review the relations tina
existed between the postal service and tn,
press of early days.
s'At the time Franklin took charge of tn
postal service the postmaster usually was tn,
proprietor and editor of a local paper, which
|
the mails free of cost, while the publication
of his competitor was as regularly barred
FrankEn's sense of fair play soon put sto
, to this sort of discrimination, and On his orde
equal privileges we're granted all publishers
However, the dispatching of any paper maj
at all was left optional with the postmaster
Consequently, complaints were frequent
J made by prominent journalists that thei
, papers were purposely held back or delaye
in transmission by competitor postmaster
and post riders. This unique system contin
ued until 1892, when, by an act of Congress
it was decreed that postmasters should NJ
longer receive papers free of postage. Th
, new law was fercely denounced in man
quarters 1t was argued that the postage O
newspapers was "a vile tax on knowledge
> that newspapers should be spread broadcas
, without charge, for they disseminated usefu
knowledge and much valuable informatio
concerning things politically, especially tn
doings of Congress, about which the peopl
} wished to keep posted. Some even went 8
J far as to charge that Congress intended tn
law to act as a revenue measure TO offset tn
loss caused by the Thanking privilege, whic
in those days was sarcastically referred to o
, AN aristocratic distinction and privilege 70
, the favored few Under this unpopular Law
the newspaper subscriber was compelled t,
pay annually $4.68 for postage on his weekly
journal, which, added to his subscription O
/ $500 a year, made the cost of the paper
| very heavy drain ON his limited means.
: st is worthy of note that in 1892 but tw,
journals had daily issues, and that the highes
number of subscribers reached by any on
! newspaper was barely 5000.
To-day the shoe is on the other foot In
stead of magazines and periodicals suspendin
!. on account of a burdensome postal law man
publications called newspapers; but devote
, exclusively to advertising private business
have sprung up in all parts of the country O
account of the advantages afforded them b
the construction placed on the postal law
today. The abuses attending the application