Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-12-31
THE POSTAGE OF LONG
AGO AMI THE PRESENT

der the provisions of the war reve-
nue. act. is something quite new IN
the history of our postal system. 1t
reaches the pockets of more of our
poople than any other feature OF
this enactment but this is not say
ing that it will not be willingly ana
practically borne, SO long as addi-
tional revenue is necessary to meet
our extraordinary expenses.
A whole generation has elapsed
since it cost three cents to SEND a
letter through the mails, outside To-
cal limits. From the time of the
original establishment of the Federal
Postofice Department, more than a
century and a quarter ago, the ten
dency has been toward decreasing
rather tina increasing rates.
We must go back to the war OF
1872 to lind the only precedent for
the present change in an upward di-
r~ection. IN that year ordinary let
ter postage was doubled, the increased
rate continuing for a period of four
years before the former rate VAS re-
stored.
JIlSl, dS nON, liz "do "
help the Government In defraying
the of the war.
Our postal service was still in a
very primitive state of development
in those early days, and rates, even
in times Of peace, were high. Com
m~unication by mail was chiefly con-
fined to tho few.
Doahling the then existing rate
realized only a few thousand dollars,
whereas the present increase of one
third will bring in as many millions,
so tremendous has been the growth
of n letter writing habit, both for
business and social purposes.
When our postal system was first
established there were rs postoffices
in the United States. Now there are
$4,000. The postal revenue then
represented about one rent per
capita, now it is about $500. Post
riders carried the mails through will
derness and forest and post routes
did not exceed 1000 miles. They now
cover 1850, 600 miles.
As late as 1870 our lowest letter
postage was Is cents for letters not
carried further than 80 miles and
containing but a single page. If
the distance exceeded 80 miles the
charge was 10 cents for each sheet.
increasing gradually to % cents for
400 miles.
In l845 the rates were reduced to
) cents for distances not exceeding
300 miles, and 10 cents for longer
distances.
The ordinary adhesive postage
stamp. now in universal use, was
then unknown in this country. 1t
had lately been introduced in Eng
land, but the suggestion that it be
introduced here was not popular and
it was not until the postal officials
threatened to make its use compulsory
that it was officially adopted by the
United States in 1877.
Prior to that timc, the ordinary
envelope had not been devised. The
sheet on which a letter was written
was folded and sealed before being
deposited in the mails and the rate
of postage varied with the length of
the letter.
The postage was paid by the re-
cipient Of the letter. instead Of by
he sendor-a circumstance which
probably accounts for the early un-
popularity Of the postage stamp.
The cost of the postage under the
old system was passed on to the
other follow, who could refuse to ac-
cept and pay for the letter if he saw
fl.
The introduction Of the adhesive
stamp changed all that, greatly to
the benefit of both the Government
and the patrons of the ~postonice. and
he postal receipts increased ire
mendously.
Meanwhile rhc popular demand for
cheaper postage grew with the in
crease Of postal facilities and the
subject was 4 constantly recurring
political issue. IN England the name
OF Rowland Hill, the author OF
penny postage, was on eyerybody's
tongue and the benefcient infection
soon reached this country.
Communication Of intellieence
with frequency and dispatch and at
cheap rates from every part of the
continent 70 every other part is es-
sentialiy requisite to it's safety and
welfare" SO read n resolution of
the Continental Congress. It was
now repeated and emphasized everv-
where as often as politicai cam
paigns came around n the agita-
ton OF the subject was invariably
effective.
In 1851 the rate Of ordinary letter
postage was reduced from five and
ten cents to three cents for letters
carried 4 distance Of not over 5000
miles. which practically meant that
rate for all distances throughout the
length and breadth of the land. A
year later the rates on wsnapers
and all printed matter were radically
lowered.
These reductions did not avail to
stop popular agitation for still
cheaper rates, and further changes
downward would undoubtedly have
been more promptly made out for
our Civil War and the financial re-
quirements of the Government in
that critical period.
The expenses Of that conflict did
not bring about any advance in the
postal rates, however, and later on.
in 1850 not only were letter rates re-
duced from three to two cents. but