The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-11-08
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M h. Frederic Haskin aM
b. Frederic j. askin

Il @ BY Frede'
II %Acendsnsed Chapter
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THE POsTOFFICE DEPARTMENT.
Washington, D. c., Nov. 3. - O
the GROWING attic walt Of the ne,
So, 600 900 home Of the Post Offic
Department in Washington thera l
inscribed In large letters:
1.-THE Post Office Department In 1t
ceaseless labor pervades every chan
mel of commerce and every theatre o
human enterprise, and while visiting
as 1t kindly does, every fireside
ningles with the throbbings Of almos
every heart In the land In the amp
litude of its beneficence 1t minister
to all climes and creeds and pursuits
With the same eager readiness an,
equal fullness Of fidelity 1t is the de
licate ear trump through which alik,
nations and isolated individual
whisper their joys and their sorrows
their convictions and their sympathie'
to all who listen for their coming.
This beautiful ideal sets spiritua
halo for matter Of fact enterprise
which is the largest business In al
the world. It started delivering mai
on foot. on dogsleds, on ponies. OF
reindeer, and on COACHES, and does II
today on steam and electric railways
on ships. and on airplanes. In Is.
years it has built up = business o.
nearly $1,000, 100000 q year. Il
started with postmaster genera
and now has q nationwide organiza.
ton Of almost one-quarter million
persons. It's postoffices number $1,000
Il does not handle mail alone, vast
though this business be. It Is also
the largest banker in the world. Ant
through its parcel post 1t now car.
ries cheaply enormous quantities o.
farm produce direct to the consum.
ing householder. It moves by posi-
tobacco, eggs, print, fllrs and laundry
The history Of postal service date.
back thousands Of years. The Per.
sian empirs under Cyrus was the
first great example Of the post.
widespread and efficient use. Hero
dotus, the Father Of History" in the
fifth century before Christ, wrote
Neither rain, nor snow, nor heat
nor gloom of night can stay those
couriers from the swift completion
OF their appointed rounds" Tho SER
vice was improved by the Romans
but deteriorated greatly during the
Middle Ages. We hear Ct 1t In Queer
Elizabeth,s time, and Of the London
penny post in l640.
That brings us to the establish
ment of the postal service in Amer
lea, the earliest date Of which Is 1899
when the general court Of Massachu-
sets issued an ordinance directing
that all letters arriving in Boston
from beyond seas or intended for
transmission should be taken to
Richard Fairbanks tavern. The first
step toward domestic post connect
ing the colonies was In 1877, when
Governor Lovelace of New York de-
creed that post should 60 monthly
between New York and Boston. Under
King William III q patent was
granted to Thomas Neale for q years
for q postal service among the col
onies.
vicissitudes Of Early Days
Neale named Andrew Hamilton as
his deputy in America. He was man
Of great energy and ability and was
successful in getting legislation from
the colonial legislatures on essential
postal features. He established q
weekly service from Portsmouth, N. H.,
to Philadelphia in 1890, but there was
nothing except heavy deficits in the
service, and In 1707 the British gov
eminent took 1t over by paying 1854
pounds for the Neale concession, which
had been exclusive. In ITO, parlia-
ment passed q comprehensive post
office law, which included the COL
onies, all under q postmaster general.
The rates were fixed. not to pay for
the service, but as q means to raise
revenue to defray the expenses Of the
war Of the Spanish Succession. In
1853, Benjamin Franklin and william
Hunter were jointly appointed deputy
postmasters general in America, and
they put the service on paying basis.
In l764 they transmitted q surplus Of
5000 money pounds to London.
During the seventeenth century the
horse and rider were used as carriers,
and in the eighteenth century We
hicles were used with tires on wheels
from six to 10 inches wide. The Con-
estoga wagon was introduced In l750
to remain In service for q century,
and as prairie schooner" It formed
caravans traversing the continent from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. In the
second half Of the eighteenth century
the stage coach service displaced the
postal riders on important routes. The
earliest stage coaches made the trim
from New York to Boston In . week
and it took George washington Il
days to 60 from Philadelphia to Boston
to take command Of the Continental
army. BY It'll q special coach made
the trip from Philadelphia to New
York in day and one-half, and It
was advertised as THE Flying Ma
chine" All these carried mail.
The Continental Congress estab-
lished an independent postal SER
vice In TITS. Benjamin Franklin was
In charge with headquarters at Phila-
delphia. So Franklin is called the first
American postmaster general and Is
honored as such by the United States
post office department. He employed
fresh riders every 80 miles and estab-
llshed tri-weekly day and night ser
vice. The service was q blow to the
British post In the colonies. The con-
gress OF the new republic established
in 1892 q new postal service, fixing
postal rates and general service, with
the postmaster general receiving q
salary Of $4,000 q year. Samuel Os-
good, Of Massachusetts,, was the first
postmaster general under the new
conditions, but the postmaster gen
eral was not member Of the presi-
dents cabinet until made SO By Presi-
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