Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-10-27
THE POSTAL SERVICE
THE STEADY EVOLUTION OF OUR
MAIL SYSTEM.

How II Has Grown From a Small Beginning
to Its Present Perfsction-It Is More Close
to the People Than Any Other Branch of
the Public Service Some Very Interesting
Facts Of Postal History.
The postoffice is the one Department
in which the Government of the Unit
ed States comes in contact with the
plain people. Very few of the citizens
of the republic, when our eighty mil
lions are considered, have ever had the
remotest connection with any other Of
the eight Departments presided over
by the members of the Presidents
cabinet. We know that there is De-
partment of State which sends ENJOYS
and agents to all parts OF the world,
but how many of us could tell what
they really do in the furtherance of
our interests? We know that there is
Department of War and of the Navy
which could be relied upon in any
hour OF need, but with most of us the
existence OF both army and navy is a
matter of information and belief"
and based upon no personal knowledge
whatever. We know that there is a
Treasury Department which gathers
six hundred millions OF dollars each
year, but before this money is extract
cd from our pockets the an9sthetic Of
indirect taxation is applied, and most
OF us rest in the blissful and foolish be-
lief that We entirely get out of paying
taxes to the Federal Government, and
that by some unparalleled feat of
craftsmanship this great sum is raised
without cost to anybody.
The Department of Law, of the In
terror and OF Agriculture we know have
their existence, but they never enter
our own experience. Congress we re.
gard rs kind of gloritied debating SO.
ciety, where members OF our own party
patriotically defend the interests OF
our beloved country from the villain.
GUS attacks of the unprincipled other
fellows. When it comes to the Post.
office Department the matter is dif-
ferent We all know the postmaster,
the letter carrier, or tho delivery clerk.
A change OF President is liable to affect
us little il at all, but change Of post
master in small community is likely
to mean much to all the patrons Of
the Office. The development of the
wonderful system by VIII ich we can
write a message on postal card cost
ing one cent, drop it in a box at the
street corner and walk away with the
knowledge that without any further
concern on our part the card will be
carried half way round the world, and
placed in the hands OF the person for
whom it is intended, is the story of .
growth reaching back beyond the
dawn OF history.
Long before men were able to read
and write, messages were sent with
verbal communications, but the first
messages containing the germ OF our
modern postal system were tokens
which would be recognized as coming
from the sender, and would convey q
certain meaning previously agreed
upon. At first q special envoy would
60 from the sender to the receiver, but
in the course OF time the messenger
would learn to deputize some one for
the latter part of the journey, and here
we have the beginning Of our postal
system, OF which the essential feature
is the carrying OF the mails in relays,
from post to post"
How this plan was gradually evolved
may be readily inferred A man wish.
ing to have message carried beyond
the limits that we're safe or practicable
for the first messenger, could depute
to the latter the task Of finding a re.
putable carrier for the remainder of
the journey. The latter might then
give his charge to still q third inter-
mediary, who would depend upon the
receiver OF the message for his reward.
In time these hardy runners would
organize themselves along certain
routes. each being responsible only
for himself and the immediate relay
upon either side.
AS governments were established, il
became necessary for rulers to com.
municate with their deputies in var.
ious parts of their dominions, and
royal couriers were chosen to make
regular trips, carrying the commands
of the King and bringing back the re-
plies. Very quickly these trusted
public servants would zee the advant.
age OF turning an honest penny to
themselves by carrying unauthorized
private messages. Then we have the
King learning of this trick, and ap.
propriating the revenues himself.
Here we have the actual beginning OF
the postoffice.
AS early as the 18th century we'll
defined routes were established in the
German empire and elsewhere in Eu-
rope.
In 1886, British patrons OF the ex.
isting postal system made formal com
plant OF the slowness OF the mails
urging with what seems good reason
that two months was too long time
to get an answer from Scotland or Ire