Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-10-27

~-" W Loiluou. n weekly service
was accordingly established on eight
main lines reaching to all parts OF the
Kingdom. The plan in those early
days was to farm out the privilege Of
carrying the mails for the enrichment,
OF the ruler and his favorites. Not
only was this abuse carried to the full
limit, but much violation OF the mali
contracts took place for the sake oil
discovering political secrets. In a
proclamation of Postmaster General
ONeill, dated May %, 1868. postmas.
ters were warned not to open letters
not addressed to them Except by
warrant OF our principal Secretaries
In Virginia at that time the Colon.
ial law required every planter, under
penalty, to despatch the letters which
might be handed him on to the next
plantation, and thus from farm to
farm the letters made their slow way
for hundreds Of miles. If the farmer
failed of this obligation, the statute
provided that he be fined one hogs.
head of tobacco.
New York in 1872 announced the
establishment of" a post to goe month.
ly between New York and Boston, :"
and advising" those that bee disposed
to send letters to bring them to the
Secretary's Office. where in a lokt box
they shall be preserved until the mes
senger calls for them, all persons pay
ing the post before the bsgg bee sealed
up" Thirty years later this mail was
despatched twice month!
In 1892 the Office OF Postmaster
General for the North American colo.
nies was created. When the revolted
colonies organized their own postal
system in IT'S Benjamin Franklin
was the first to hold that office.
Mail robberies we're go common in
the early days that they came to be
looked upon as the regular thing, and
the British government calmly ad-
vised its patrons that in sending bank
notes they had best send them cut in
sections by successive posts! In 1852,
John Palmer, a theater manager, pre-.
sented plan by which the endless
succession of robberies would be elim-
mated. With customary shortsight-
edness the postal authorities decried
and derided the plan until overruled
by the prime minister, Pitt. Palmer s
idea, which was put into effect, was
merely to have specially built mail
coaches with armed guards and with
frequent relays OF horses sufficient to
maintain a high speed at all times.
The new plan proved marvelously sue.
cessful, robberies were ended at once,
and the revenue was enorm ously in.
creased. Pitt made Palmer Comp.
troller OF Postal Revenues, but the
conservatives" in the Department
made the place too hot for the new
incumbent to hold, and they defeated
every plan looking to his suitable re-
ward. Eventually, however, when q
quarter of a century had gone by, he
received grant of money and q pen.
sion in return for services the value OF
which was simply incalculable.
Notwithstanding these improve.
ments, which were initiated in other
countries, the service in every land re.
mained in charge of narr0w.minded
bureaucrats who were intent upon the
object dear to their little souls, the
increase of revenue" or the "pre.
vention of a deficit" That the im-
portant part of the service was the ac-
commodation OF the people. aud not
the making or saving OF money, was a
matter absolutely incomprehensible to
their limited understanding. Under
the able management of these Grew
enue" makers, the service Jagged, and,
what they were too stupid to perceive,
the revenue itself suffered by their
management.
In 1887, Rowland Hill, an English
man holding no official place, made Q
bold attack on the system as then ex-
listing, and advised that the exorbitant
charges based on distance be done
away with; and q penny charged fol
carrying letter to any part of Eng.
land, Scotland or Ireland. In answer
as to how he would collect the money
on the enormously increased cores
pondence, he made this memorable
suggestion "Perhaps the difficulties
might be obviated by using bit ol
paper just large enough to bear the
government stamp, and covered at the
back with a glutinous wash which, by
applying a little moisture might be
attached to the letter." From this
modest suggestion came the postage
stamps.
OF course the great conservators ol
revenue" in the Postoffice Depart
ment were simply Mortified at this
suggestion, and were able to fight il
off for q time, but the public at last
was reused to take the position OF hav
ing some rights in the matter, and the
reform was carried out.
This truly epoch-marking innovo
vation began with January 10, 1910
One by one other nations fell into line
and to-day the magnificent system o
rapid postal communication at low
rates is one of the very necessities o
civilization.
In most foreign countries the tele