Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-19
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

ROWdIlCe yOI Itle Mails, Ine StSIy VI
the carrying Of intelligence and the de-
velopment of the postal system, is pre-
scented in an ornate booklet compiled by
Representative Edmund F. Erik of Pitts
burgh, Pa, copies of which are being
received by his many friends at the
Capitol, who prize the many similar
human-intereSt memorabilia, hand-
somely engraved with facsimile repro
! auctions CT historic documents, which
Mr.. Erik delights in getting out period
ically.
In a concluding summary. Mr.. Erik
emphasizes that "the United States
Post Office Department is enc of the
biggest business enterprises in the
world. It has 49,063 posi- offices and
gives employment to 371,625 persons;
The annual receipts last year amounted
to $705, 484,098.15.
"The airmail, instituted May Is,
1918, has had prodigious growth. There
are 20 regular airmail routes, employ
ing 225 pilots and using from ITS to
300 planes: The average daily nignt OF
the mail planes is 65,137 miles, and ap-
proximately 60 per cent Is flown at
night. In the meantime, commercial
aviation in the United States has adj
vanced to a stage where it exceeds by
far that of every other nation" says
Mr.. Erik.
The survey of the postal system is
made under the following interesting
headings: 1.-THE Earliest Organized Pos
tai Systems" "Great Medieval Mes
senger Systems of the Orient" 'The
Roman Era and Middle Ages" early
Colonial Posts in America" "Pennsyl-
vania's First Mail Service" benjamin
Franklin, Postmaster General" THE
American Post Office and City Deliv-
cry" THE Origin of the Postage
Stamps" and THE First Railway Mail
Service"
Nowadays when there is great re-
vival among the youth of the land who
are indulging in the educative pastime
of making postage stamp collections,
even as some of the great men of the
country have been doing for many
years, Representative Erik thinks that
the boys and girls should learn briefly
the history of the humble postage
stamp.
When the postage stamp was intro
duced in England in 1910 it was greet
ed with ridicule. Despite the public
clamor against it, the stamp survived
and led American postmasters, part1cu-
larly in New York, Baltimore, st. Louis,
New Haven and other cities, to issue
their own stamps printed from wood
and of different designs. The method
proved so popular that in 1847 the
United States introduced stamps, the 5
and 10 cent denominations bearing re-
spectively the heads Of Franklin and
Washington. Stamps gained favor in
this country and in 1851 new series
was adopted, consisting of denomina-
tons of l and 3 cents, but afterward
in larger amounts. Stamped envelopes
were first used in 1853, and the follow
ing year the registration system was
introduced.
One Of the most energetic Of American
Postmasters General, Mr.. Erik points
out. was BENJAMIN Franklin. who is
credited with having developed the Co
lonial system of posts. He took Office
in 1888 and directed postal affairs until
after the outbreak of the Revolution.
Franklin, who, when serving under the
British crown. had franked his letters
thus-'Free, B. Franklin now jovially
superscribed them, in honor of the spirit
OF the tines-"B. Free Franklin
The important part that Massachu-
sets PLAYED in establishing the postal
system of the United States is stressed
by Representative Erik, who points out
that the first suggestion fer the estab-
lishment Of postal service in America
originated in Massachusetts in 1888,
when King Charles I was asked to grant
a patent to some one who would set
up an institution $50 useful and abso-
lutely necessary A fee Of two pence.
''the least coin there" was proposed as
the charge on a letter. This request
was not acted upon until many years
had passed.
The first legislative action was that
Of Massachusetts in 1889 providing for
foreign mail
I'm 1852" quotes Representative Erik
from Harlow's "Old Post Bags" Samuel
Symonds Of Ipswich, Mass, wrote to a
friend: I cannot say but its beside my
intentions that 1 write not more fire.
quently unto you; can only plead this
for my excuse $50 farr as it will goe)-
the uncertainty when and how to con-
vey letters
For several decades after the first
European colonistS landed in America
the uncertainty existed, the only means
OF sending letters to and fro being as
primitive as were those of Europe in
the Middle Ages. In the French-Span-
ish settlements in Florida and Louisiana,
as well as in those of the English and
Dutch farther north on the Atlantic
coast servants, acquaintance, nner-
chants, peddlers, friendly Indians and
ship captains were the casual @postmen,
some making charge for their services,
some carrying letters free" AS our
postal system and our Nation had their
beginning In the English and Dutch
colonies. Representative Erik traces the
early history of the great postal bust
ness through these early pioneer fields.