Evening star., 1933-03-05
psSETA 81 s

Lllc OOutulCIlIdl pSSt OAAACC OCPoA ehASA,
was created, with headquarters .,
Philadelphia, he was elected postmaster
general and resumed charge, July 26
ITS. He was succeeded by his son-in-
law, Richard Bache, November z. 1776
In 1882 Ebenezer Hazard was named
to the place.
The Continental Congress authorized
the establishment Of line of posts be-
tween New Hampshire and Georgia
land to such other places as Congress
might direct" Rates Of postage, fixed
by law, were: Single letters, under &c
miles, IA cents; so to 100 miles, Ill
cents; 100 to 200 miles. 14.8 cents; and
34 cents additional for each 100 miles
The revenues of the 10 principal post
offices for the year 1790-179l were
Philadelphia, $7,087; New York, So, ,788;
Baltimore. $3,O34: Boston. $2,883;
Richmond, Va, $2,777; Petersburg. Va.
$l.472: Alexandria, Va, 1924; Fred
ericksburg, Va. $l,059; Norfolk, Va,
$1.016; and Charleston, S. c., $8l0.
The First Congress Of the United
States convened, March 4, 1889. On
February 20, 1892, 1t passed an act to
reorganize the post office system and to
extend franking privileges to members
of Congress. The Second Congress pro-
vided that 'letter carriers are to be
employed at such post offices as the
Postmaster General may direct, for de-
livery of letters. who may collect on
each letter cents, unless persons lodge
in the post office a request that their
letters be not delivered" The date was
May 8, 1874, and the act was not re-
pealed until 1872.
On March 3, 1897, it was decided
that "all letters to George Washington
be received ana conveyed by post during
his life free Of charge" The postal
laws were revised in 1899. and hogging
substituted for the death penalty for
robbing the mails. The franking privi-
lege was extended to John Adams in
1901. In 1902 an act was passed to
the effect that mail between Peters,
burg. Va, and Louisville, Ga, (should)
go in matl coaches instead Of on horse
back" A general post office had been
established in Washington May 20,
1900.
In President Madison's time the
postal rates were changed. Single let
ters were carried for from to Is cents,
depending upon distance. Sunday de-
livery was arranged in 1910, and vari-
o0o ASA46ASAo bOAASo NOAAeA4dCo w "a
test to Congress against the "sacrilege"
during the ensuing 20 years. Mails were
first carried by steamboat In 1913. New
rates were placed in effect in 1876
letters, consisting Of one piece of paper.
not going over 80 miles, cents; not
over 80 miles. 10 cents; not over $50
miles, 1872 cents; not over 400 miles.
1872. cents: for greater distances. Is
cents. These prices remained in force
until 1e45.
The Postmaster General became q
cabinet officer in 1929. Mails were first
transported by rail in 1884. The frank
ing privilege was granted to Dolly Madi-
son in 1886. Every railroad was de-
clared a mail route in 1888. Envelopes
were introduced in 1889.
A revolutionary reform came in 1843,
when postage stamps were ofiicially
adopted by the cantonal government at
Zurich, Switzerland. the first philatelic
issues Of the Continent. On March 3,
1847. the United States Post Office De-
partment secured congressional permis-
sion to issue stamps. Two denomina-
tions We're placed on sale-5 and 10
cent values representing Franklin and
Washington, respectively. now collee
tors prizes. A new series appeared in
1851, and stamped envelopes in 1852. A
registration system for letters was in
troduced March 3, 1855.
Meanwhile the Pacific Coast towns
had been linked to the East by a postal
arrangement August IA, 1848. rate 40
cents for each letter. The first over
land mail ran from st. Louis to San
Francisco in September. 1858. About
the same date iron letter boxes were
placed at street corners in Boston.
General postage rates were reduced
to cents per one-half ounce for less
than 5000 miles March 3, 1851; and
was admitted to the mails
February 27, 1861. City carriers in New
York were authorized in the last named
year. A money order system was put
into operation November /, 1864. Free
delivery by uniformed carriers was
called for under an act Of June 8, 1872.
The same bill provided for l cent postal
cards, and they were placed on sale in
May, 1873. A further reduction Of
letter rates was ordered March 3, 1888.
and a special delivery system was inSti-
tuted March 3, 1885. The parcel post
was established in 1912.
In the century from 1900 to 1900 the
Of post offices increased from
903 to about 10000; miles Of mail
routes from 20,817 to about 100000;
and revenue from $280,000 to about
$50 900 900.
The roster of Postmasters General is
as follows: Samuel Osgood, Mass, ap-
pointed 1879; Timothy Pickering, Mass,
1871; Joseph Habersham, Ga, 1875;
Gideon Granger, Conn, 1901; Return
J. Meigs, jr., Ohio, 1914; John Mclean,
Ohio, 1923; William T. Barry, KY,
1929; Amos Kendall. KY, 1885; John
NJ. Niles, Conn, 1910; Francis Granger,
1841; Cave johnson. Tenn, 1845; Jacob
Collamer, VT. 1849; Nathan X. Hall,
N. Y, 1850; Samuel D. Hubbard, Conn,
1852; James Campbell, Pa, 1858;
Aaron v. Brown, Tenn, 1857; Joseph
Holt, KY, 1859; Horatio King, Me,
1861; Montgomery Blair, Md, 1861;
William Dennison, Ohio, 1864; Alex
ander w. Randall, Wis, 1866; John A..
]. Creswell, Md, 1869; James w. Mar
shall, Va, 1874; Marshall Jewell, Conn,
1874; James N. Tyner, Ind, 1876;
David NICK. Key, Tenn, 1877; Horace
Tenn, 1880; Thomas l..
James, NJ Y, 1881; Timothy o. Howe,
Wis, 1881; Walter @. Gresham, Ind,
1888; Frank Hatton, Iowa. 1884; Will
liam F. Villas, Wis. 1885; Don M. Dick
inson, Mich, 1888; John wanamaker,
Pa, 1889; Wilson s. Bissel, N. Y, 1898;
William L. Wilson, w. Va, 1895; James
A. Gary, Md, 1897; Charles Emory
Smith, Pa. 1898; Henry c. Payne, Wis,
1902; Robert J. Wynne, Pa, 1904;
George B. Cortelyou, N. Y, 1905;
George L. Won Meyer, Mass, 1907;
Frank H. Hitchcock, Mass. 1909: Albert
8. Burleson, Tex, 1913; Will H. Hays,
Ind, 1921: Hubert Work. Colo, 1922;
Harry S. New, Ind, 1923, and Walter F.
Brown, Ohio, 1929. James A. Farley,
N. Y, has been named as Postmaster
General in the cabinet Of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The administrations of President
Coolidge and President Hoover were
friendly to philately. The Philatelic
Agency, established in 1922, under the
patronage of President Harding, has
proved invaluable to collectors. Stamp
collectors in general owe debt Of
gratitude to Warren Irving Glover,
Second Assistant Postmaster General,
and to Michael L. Eidsness, superin-
tendent of the division of stamps. To
them eSDecial1v is dIIp the yoet in.