The National tribune., 1903-01-15

The entire list, embracing 20 poSt-Omces IN
1870, contained none located west Of Win
chester, Va; the Auditors Report for 1902
enumerates 6 offices in Alaska, 06 in
Hawaii and 20 in Porto Rico-all as fully
naturalized and domesticated as any Of
their 10000 colleagues within the limits
of the old Union as it was"-four long
years ago! The annual transportation Of
mail by railroads in 1875 was 75.154.910
miles; and in 1901 it was 302.613,325
miles. There have been no important
changes in rates of postage since 1885,
but the revenues Of the Department, which
were 70 cents per capita in that year, had
risen to $103 in 1891 and to $1.4S in
1902.
A comparison of the work of employees
Of the Railway Mail Service for the past
year with that of 1877 shows that each
mail, while the proportion Of errors made
has been reduced nearly one-third.
Prior to ITO this country had no regu-
lar post-ofice system. In that year one
was established for the Colonies, but it
was not thoroughly organized until Benja-
min Franklin was appointed Postmaster at
old. and held the position until 1753 when
he was made the Colonial Postmaster-Gen-
eral, and the British Government guaran-
teed salary of 5000 "for himself and
his assistant" After holding the Office
about q years, he was turned out in liza.
because he was not a Tory.
Thus for Al years Franklin. in one capa-
city or another. was connected with the
postal service. Still later he became the
Postmaster General of the United
States, and, as in all the great public
measures with which he was connected,
he anticipated the enormous growth of the
country; many of his plans for post-ofIice
management and systems Of accounts were
Incorporated in the earliest post-ofiice stat
utes. and continue in force until today. In
1877 mail was received from New Eng
land and New York in Philadelphia every
Wednesday and dispatched the following
day for New Castle, DEL, and from thence
through Patapsco to Annapolis. where it
arrived on Monday, and finally reached
Williamsburg, Va. in 10 days. Now this
service is performed in 10 hours.
The United States expends nearly a
quarter OF q million Of dollars a year for
the transportation of carriers in street
cars in free-delivery cities. For example.
including substitutes. there are 2I5 car
riers in Washington. These carriers. when
riding on the surface roads, do not pay
IdTeS either WIFI LIChetS OF III CtSn. ne
Department allots the Washington City
Post-ofIice an annual allowance Of $4,000.
to be used exclusively for the car-fare Of
letter-carriers. The Postmaster is author
lied to contract with the companies to
transport all carriers While on duty for q
lump sum. The carrier must have his
pouch with him. which lis evidence to the
conductor that he is r..op duty the mere
wearing of his uniform being insufficient.
This rule obtains in some cities. while in
others special tickets are sold at reduced
rates. to be used only by carriers. or the
cash is handed direct to the carrier for
a certain number Of daily trips. Thus.
while Washington receives $4,000. Chicago
gets $4,000 for carriers csr-fare because
Of its large territorial extent. Boston is
delphia about $4,000 EACH. Few people
know that the Government expends such
large sum yearly on such an apparently
small item.
Some peculiar mail routes are main
tanned by the United States Postal Ser
vice. Even in the rich and populous At
lantic States scores Of carriers drive. ride
or climb along roads that are old Indian
trails. Some carriers have to ride armed.
There are real Western rough riders. who
go through defiles Of the Rocky Noun
tains on broncos. There are Indian run
ners and canoemen in Alaska. All kinds
Of steamboats, carry the mail. They range
in size from great coast-liners and tramp
steamships to little putting launches. They
go to islands far out of sight of the main
land. The fishermen Of Nantucket. that
lies 30 miles out at sea. like ship. have
their mail delivered to them as regularly
as il they dwelt in a city. Men dwelling
on coral islands in the Gulf Of Mexico are
sure Of one visitor at least. and that is
the mail-boat. Stern-wheelers go into the
beautiful, dreamy bayous Of the South.
ligators and herons. and deliver mail In
lonely marsh settlements.
Shortly after Leslie NJ. Shaw, now Sec
rotary Of the Treasury, was elected Gov
ernor Of Iowa. and while Mrs. Shaw was
still at the family home in Denison, the
Governor scrawied this address on an en-
velope containing a letter which he had
just written to his wife:
ITO the best woman in the world.
Denison. Iowa."
Ali there was to indicate the origin Of
the Communication were the Executive
Office. State of Iowa." up in one corner
Of the envelope. but Mrs. Shaw got that
Denison smiled as he tossed the bulky
package into the Shaw box. He did not
hesitate for q minute. for Mrs. Shaw had
lived in the town for score OF years, and
had never made an enemy.
In the decade beginning In 1890. the
deficit In the postal service, according to
| the misleading system OF bookkeeping
which prevails, was $79.8Si .28027. But
| there are many expenditures not charged
which justly should be. Assuming that
the rent. maintenance and care Of public
| buildings furnished free for postal pur-
poses by the Treasury Department pays
| the Governments free postage, as Post
| master General Wanamaker claimed, there
is still to be added the salaries and main
| tenance of the Post-ofice Department. its
auditing, printing and deficiencies. and the
railway mail pay Of the bond-aided Pacific
railroads. none Of which appear in the
Post office accounts. Thus the loss in that
decade Is raised to $l1O,O00.0O0.
Considering the BULK Of business. the
mails are interferedt with so seldom that
the letter which IL said to have been sent
and was never received may be regarded
as q myth. and the letter which Il said
not to have been received. though II was
certainly tent. may bel held to have got
there. We know that this reflects upon a
very common form Of apology for seeming
neglect. discourtesy and Incidence. but the
| figures do not lie. They simply give rise
to the painful suspicion that there Is o
lack Of veracity in another quarter when
the mails are accused: 80
The money.order business Furnishes q
| wide field for the exercise of criminal pro-
pensities. Embezzlemenfs and defalca-
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