New-York tribune., 1908-10-04
FIGHT FOR PENNY POST
SLOGAN Sounded ESQ Years Ago
International Rate the Gilman.

International Rate the Gilman.
It is almost exactly $50 years since the slogan
"A Penny POST was first sounded The penny
post became fact throughout the United King
dom only sixty-eight years ago In the Unlted
States the people obtained that rate on letter
only twenty-five years ago AS that event occurred
on October 1, 1888. the establishment last Thurs
day in a very quiet manner Of penny post De
tween Great Britain and the United States was In
reality only a most fitting but an epocn max
ing celebration the reduction OF internal letter
postage to two cents. 1t is believed that only a
few years will elarss before this rate VIII De
adopted between many countries.
Reductions and improvements in posta rates
have been obtained only by constant battling 1t
has required broad-minded men willing TO sacrifice
money and time to obtain the inestimable boon OF
inexpensive communication In writing Ihere are
a number of little known facts connected with the
fight of the true phianthropists who have won so
much for the development OF the worlds ciViiiza-
ton The struggle for the transfer Of a letter or
message at a cost Of penny English. or two
cents American, began in the days OF the EngIish
Commonwealth. Charles I. the impecunious mon
arch, several years before his execution. estao-
Ished the Letter Office OF England This was
farmed out to Thomas Witherings for he he re-
ceving a monopoly OF the carrying OF letters Ihe
charge was sixpence letter This was such a
high price that many persons made use OF other
means of getting their letters to their destination
Private ''undertakers' undertook to perform the
service at cut rates, and Parliament at odds with
the king refused to support his letter carrier IN
the latter's efforts to punish the undertakers Dy
Imprisonment. Ten years later the "undertakers
were still thorn in the flesh, and the official letter
carrier and a5.other did in a ryotous manner, with
swords and other weapons, by force break into the
house. where the Goods and Letters OF the Under
takers were, and thrust their servants out OF
doores; and after threatnDg speeches and many
more outrages restraygned these undertakers from
receiving Letters
Although persecution seemed to follow the I'm
dertakers" and they said to have lost approx
mately $500. there such promise of ser
vice and profit that in 1853 seven years after this
''ryotous' attempt at suppression. they undertook
to carry in all the usual Roads" Of England
letter for penny. One of the persons who assist
ed in these efforts 20 obtain for the people low
letter rate curiously enough. was a man named
H-John Hill Men of this name have had
great deal to do in obtaining penny post" John
HILL with others undertook the business OF carry
ing letters at the penny rate Like SIT RoWlano
HILL his namesake OF nearly two centuries later
he was pampheteer on postal reform In lt9S ne
published a pamphlet entitled "A PENNY POST
or a VINDICATION of the LIBERTY AND
BIRTHRIGHT of every ENGLlSHMAN IN carry
ing Merchants and other mems Letters, against
anv restraint of Farmers of such Employments
He thought it a strange imposition. that man
cannot have an accompt of condition of his Wife
or Family without paying thrice much as he
need; and it seems as unreasonable for man 10
he forc'd to pay Sd. what may be done for a
penny (in relation to Letters as for a man to be
compelled to pay thrice much for meat or any
other commodity as the price currant." He urged
that 'f for reasons of State Posts must be erected
certainly he is not the fttest man that Will give
the most money for it,. but rather ne that VIII
undertake the service at the cheapest rate which
must be the best advantage to the Common
wealth."
The penny post system was first established in
cities. In 1850 Robert Murray and William Dock
wra set up the London Penny Post The sys-
tenn which they organized lasted more than cen
tury. The skeleton of the system was the fore
runner of that used cities of the United States
to-day. There were seven sorting stations, and
between four hundred and five hundred receiving
stations which correspond TO branch stations and
letter boxes. The foot messengers employed were
under bonds, and persons having letters 10 be
transported asked not to pay them. as. &C
cordlng the circular sent out describing the plan
these Messengers have their Wages duly paid
them every Saturday night" When one realizes
how long it requires to deliver letter mailed in
one part Manhattan to the addressee in another.
this postal service of two and half centuries
ago speedier than special delivery. The "un-
dertakers' used Stamps TO mark the hour of the
Day on all letters when sent out from their office
TO be delivered by which all persons are to expect
their letters within one hour Uittle more less.
from the time marked thereon, excepting such Let
ters as TO be conveyed to the Out-Towns and
RemOtest parts which will he longer) by which the
viz whether it be really in the Office. their
own Servants Tor Others) with whom Letters
left"
In course of time other English cities had local
penny post services Then came Rowland Hill,
who in the first half of the nineteenth century
tirely reformed the postal system by obtaining the
introduction of prepaid postage in the form of ad
hesve stamps and the governmental sanction of a
fee of a penny for half ounce letter for any dis
tauce in the United Kingdom. Formerly II had
been the custom collect the fee from the person
who received the letter. This. being often a hard
ship served to discourage letter writing With tho
charge the total number of letters circulated in the
United Kingdom jumped from 75.901.572 in 1893 To
16S.76S.244 in the following year In the year
ed March g. 1905 the number OF letters inter
changed in the United Kingdom approXlmat tely
31t0.22j 900
The next step, obviously in the campaign for
Benny postage was obtain international letter
transportation at that rate. Elihu Burritt. the
learned blacksmith of Connecticut. urged Great
Britain to undertake to transport half let
ters from British port any port
touched by vessels flying her flag for a penny.
Then followed the plea for universal penny post
age. The accomplishment Of October l gave a
mighty impetus to this programme. 1t is pos
sible to mail in Manila letter destined for London
weighing with two-cent stamp
tached and IL will be delivered without further
payment of postage.