The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-11-07
handlers of mail matter.

handlers of mail matter.
1t is possible that if a postmaster S
wife were interested in the love affairs
of some belle of the town, and letter
came from one of her suitors, the ofici-
ais spouse would instruct him to
the missive and see that its COZ
were entirely loyal to the Goverrm
At all events, the abuses of indiscrim e.
nate letter opening was paused and the
sheriffs Of the several counties were
commissioned to carry mall each trans
porting the letters for another CON-
to the border between the two, w q
he was met by the sheriff Of the adjoin-
ing county.
Three years later, or in l717, irregular
postal service was established between
Maryland and Virginia. This was sup
posed to be pan, of a loug route reach
ing from Massachusetts to Williams
burg, but the far distant was not nan
died altogether sa,.sfa ,toriiy Indeed,
it was very common practice for the
carriers on the long routes to delay their
starting until sufficient mail hssa accum-
ulated to wal art their outlay ilg the
expenditures necessary for the trip.
TIE Eastern Shore of Maryland and
the St0tei capitol we've brought into
touch with one another in 1927, when Q
mail line was established which was
scheduled to go once a fortnight in sum-
mer and once a month in winter. This
route was a land one via New Castle.
Maryland developed her postal system
very rapidly, and, according to one
authority, the colony boosted IA miles
of post routes in 1748, while Pennsyl-
vania had but rs miles at that time.
The foot carrier and horse relay post
gave place in 1865 to mail coaches,
which were in many ways more salts
factory. In this same year a coach mail
service was inauG atcd between Balti-
more ard Philadelphia.
During the Infant yeas eff goveln-
mental postal service the charges for
transporting letters and packages were
regulated according to distance. Thus
it was in England, until the uniform
postal rate was established, the charges
for carrying a letter of not more than
prescribed rate was pence for dis
tance not exceeding Is miles. The
prices were scaled up so that the charge
for distance Of from 22O to 500 miles
was II pence, while an additional penny
was added for every 100 miles above
that distance. There was also an extra
charge of one-half penny for carrying a
letter over the borders.
In Maryland the charges were based
on somewhat the same rate. Thus it
was that the cost Of sending a letter
from Baltimore to Philadelphia would
be 9 pence, while the charge to New
Castle-which was an important point
in the affairs of Marylanders in those
days-was pence. These prices OBJ
tanned in the earlier part of the eigh-
teenth century, while in the years i'm,
mediately proceeding the American Rev
olution the charge for carrying a single
letter was calculated at = cents fol
each 60 miles.
The mail was slow and insecure ir
those days, and even as late as 1929 the
time allowed mailcarrying boats fol-
making round trip over the Atlantic
was los days. Yet on occasions com.
paratively good time was made. Fol
example, the manner of sending the
news of the engagements at Concord
and Lexington, in the dawn of the
struggle for independence, showed the
American spirit of restless energy.
This news handled by regular posts
reached New Haven by $50 on the
morning of April "a. At 2 p NJ. of the