The National tribune., 1906-06-07

18th century when Europe and America
were convulsed by revolutions. Out of
the battle-fres kindled at Bunker Hill
in ITS, and rekindled on the other side
of the Atlantic in 1886, the spirit of
liberty rose, Illuminating the political,
social and commercial world.
For centuries the rich and powerful
had ruled church and state alike; the
many were kept in serfdom that the
few might enjoy wealth and power. A
few years of struggle changed this. The
Declaration of Independence in Ameri-
ca, the eloquence of Chatham and Burke
in England, and the teachings of Frank
lin impressed new ideas on Europe and
America. Freedom came, greater re-
sponsibility for the individual and great
er liberty.
One method of expressing this sense
Of greater liberty and responsibility was
found in the organization of better mail
facilities. They in the business world
reach down to the people as the ballot
box does in the political world. The
ballot-box enables man TO assert him.
self in the politics of the Nation, and
post offices furnish him the opportunity
of sharing in its prosperity. 1t was
therefore natural that when equality
came into political life the rapid postal
service should quickly follow it, each in
and strengthen the Nation.
Queer Mail Routes.
One of our mail routes in Alaska uses
ships and canoes and dog teams and
sleds. 1t is route more than 1000
miles long. and carries the mails into
the far interior, where the Yukon River
roars in the solitudes. Four round trips
are made over this route each year, and
each trip costs s1.495. The letter car
riers who do this work do not wear the
neat uniforms that we see on the car
riers at home. They are gaunt athletes,
ready to swim a river full of drift ice
Il need be- and thinking nothing of
sleeping in blanket and a rough tent
by the side Of the trail with the Their
mometer far below zero. The post office
at Point Barrow, In Alaska, is the most
northern office in the world. Never be-
fore was mail delivered so near the
North Pole, and, of course, the two-cent
stamp only pays a fraction of the cost
of carrying each letter.
Mails on whalers.
Even whaling ships are used in car
rying the United States mails. They go
far north into Boring Sea. One mail
route is attended to entirely by steam
whalers that sail from Seattle. These
ships take letters and packages from
home to men hidden away in the frozen
country north of the Boring Straits. The
whalers and sealers in the Arctic Circle
are hunted for by the Postal Service,
and it tries to deliver their mail to
them, though they may have been cruis-
ing for a year or more. Sometimes it
will send their mail from ship to ship,
until at last one will find the vessel and
send the letters aboard. They may be
many months old by that time. but they
are none the less welcome, and they are
x nd in na i'm, iot, Fl nm.
Dill lamps in the laboring, tempest-beat-
. en- ships.
Extra Labor of Improbable Features.
AS evidence of the additional work
thrown on Postal Service by the saw
: tngs bank and telegraph features ii may
+ be stated that while Great Britain mas
less than one-third as many post Offices
as the United States she has more than
.two-thirds as many employees. both
these ventures are, moreover. notorious
~ Improbable.
An OmeiaI With q Grievance.
A Postmaster VINO is not afraid to
assert his claim for larger measure
of consideration writes: Il have been
handling our stamps and mail matter
for over Ave years, and haven't very
much TO complain OF personally in my
relations with the Department at Wash
fngton. But / am impressed with the
fact that In the newspapers, the COM
munications Of the Department TO Con-
gress nor anywhere else under the star
spangled canopy does 1T occur to ary-
one that improvement is needed in the
condition of things as far as fourth
class Postmasters are concerned. Over
10000 of Us, and We have less influence
than a little bunch of letter carriers or
railway mail clerks. OF course, the, Sc
cret is organization and the ability TO
impress Congressman. But / don't
grudge them what they get; 1t is none
too much. 1t is We who don't get
enough. The idea of having to fur
nish facing slips, note-heads for our
correspondence and hundred other ne
cesSities of the business does make a
man warm under the collar when he
stops to think about It,"
A Day of Small Things.
An ancient letter recently discovered
I'm Massachusetts, shows the small be-
ginning OF the Postal Service that now
handles hundreds of millions of dollars
in it's administration and operation. Ii
was written by Timothy Pickering, the
second General. and is ad-
dressed to Alexander Hamilton, Score
tary Of the Treasury. 1t is dated in
Philadelphia 10 years ago, and timidiy
seeks to ascertain whether an annual
expenditure of 5000 for the administra-
II
would be regarded by the guardians OF
the peoples money as a frfghtful ex-
travagance. The MIR. Osgood mentioned
was the first OF the long line of Post.
masters-General The letter strangely
contrasts the cost of the service in those
days and the present as follows:
General Post Office. March 9. 1892.
''To Hon. Alexander Hamilton, Score
tary OF the Treasury.
''Sir: After much inquiry have foun6
a house which would accommodate my
numerous family and at the same time
give me Office room. The greatiyex
tended business of the Department.
think. may be accomplished with thu
same help which has been used sine,
the time of Mr.. Osgood's appointment
TO wit, an assistant and a clerk. Fo
these. with the necessary writing desk
table, boxes. cases and shelves for
considerable bulk of books and papers
would sufficiently occupy one room ant
another would be convenient for my
self servant, also. will be wanted 4
keep the rooms I'm order. make fire anC
perform other services. These services
however. not being constant, l coul,
employ a domestic servant, but one 90
lectet with reference 10 such publ
service.
III for the two rooms for the genera