Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-14

! Franklin sent the money in sailing
vessel to the British postmaster gem
| eral in London. After that. regular
remittance was forwarded from Amer
| lea to the British crown covering
annual earnings of the colonial postal
service.
! Although il is not generally known
! Benjamin Franklin was dismissed in
! the year 1874 by the British crown
, as deputy postmaster general OF the
American colonies The charge lodg-
! ed against him was that he made
| public a number of private letters
passing through his hands from Gov.
| Hutchinson and Lieut.. Gov. Oliver of
Massachusetts written to friends In
England. These, letters contained
descriptions of the rebellious spirit
displayed by the people in this colony
against the depotism of English rule
| and urged the use of military force
! to suppress these growing sentiments.
Vitally interested in seeing the strug-
gle for justice and freedom succeed
Franklih permitted the publication of
these letters, which resulted in the
general assembly of Massachusetts
adopting resolutions condemning
| Hutchinson and Oliver as meters and
! breeders of oppression and petition
| ing the king for their removal from
office. A widespread feeling of resent
| ment swept over England against
| Franklin and no time wac lost in
| summarily discharging him as deputy
postmaster general.
| Made First Postmaster General.
! After the Boston riots in September
1874, it became inevitable that the
colonies would separate from the
mother country. A continental con-
gress was organized at Philadelphia
| for the purpose of establishing q
separate government and one of the
| first questions that came up before
| the delegates was the matter of pro-
viding for the conveying and delivery
| of the mails. Benjamin franklin, as
! chairman of a committee of investi-
| cation, made a report providing fol
/ the appointment of a postmaster gen.
eral of the thirteen American colonies
| to conduct postal system, and his
| report was adopted, Franklin, him
| self, being named to the office.
| line of posts was established by him
| from Massachusetts, to Georgia, with
many cross posts, and postmasters
were selected for the principal com.
| munities.
| Thus was the foundation laid for the
| present Post Office Department of the
/ United States, which has survived the
vicissitudes of peace, war and politica
| upheaval. Franklin served as colonia
/ Postmaster General until the election
| of George Washington as President OF
! the republic under the new Constitu.
I ton. when Samuel Osgood of Massa
| chusetts became Postmaster Genera
! of the United States.
! From this time on the rapid develop
ment of the postal system paralleleC
! the amazing advancement of the ma
| ton commercially and industrially
| The big problem that confronted the
Postmasters General in the early day.
| of the United States was the trans
| portation of the malls. The road.
were poor and impossible during tht
/, winter seasons. In many instance!
| only narrow trails through dense
forests formed the connecting link:
| between the villages and hamlets
where post offices were located
| Couriers travelling by foot and riding
| horseback carried the mails during
1.-THE early part of the nineteenth cen.
! tury as they did in FrankIin's posta
| regime. Then it was discovered thai
/ the stagecoaches that made regular
! trips between Boston, New York
Philadelphia and other points could
! be utilized for this purpose and tht
| first leather mail pouches sufficient t
hold large quantities of letters came
| into existence.
| There is a glazing contrast between
| the stagecoach numbering heavily
over the public highways in those