The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 6, 1901, Page 6

Che +S5kse Call. ..APRIL 6, 1901 SATURDAY. JOHN D. SPRECKELS, Proprietor. Address All Communicstions to W. 8. LEAKE, Manager. MANAGER'S OFFICE........Telephone Press 204 PUBLICATION OFFICE...Market and Third, S. F. Telephone Press 201. EDITORIAL ROOMS .217 to 221 Stevenson St. Delivered by Ca Cents Per Week. Single Coples, G Cents. Terms by Mail, Including Postage: DATLY CALL (including Sunday), one year. .00 TAILY CALL (including Sunday), 6 month 00 DAILY CALL drncluding Sunday), 3 month 1.5 DAILY CALL—By Single Menth. 3 NDAY CALL. One Year. 1.8 EKLY CALL, One Year.. 1.9 ters mre authorized to receive subscrir‘ions. Eample coples will be forwarded when requested. Mall subseribers in ordering change of address should be perticular to give both NEW AND OLD ADDRESS in order to insure = prompt and correct compliance with their request. L1118 Brondw-~ Colunibia—""The Little Minister."” Central—"The Gladiator Tiveli—"The Idol's Eye. Orpheum—Vaudeville. Alcazar—*“Tennessee’'s Pardner.” Olympie, corner Mason and Eddy streets—Specialties. Chutes, Zoo and Theater—Vaudeville every afternoon and evening. Fischer’ s—Vaudeville. Tanforan Park—Races. AUCTION SALES. By F. H. Chase & Co.—Tuesday, April 8, at 11 o'clock, Horses and Mules, at 1732 Market street. hsen—Thursday, April 15, at 12 o’clock, Busi- at 14 Montgomery street. — > ——— 70 SUBSCRIBERS LEAVIKG TOWN FOR THE SUMMER. Call subseribers contemplating a change of residesce during the summer months can have (heir paper forwsrded by mail to their mew dresses by motifying The Call Business Office. This pager will also be on sale at all summer resorts and is represented by a local agent in all towss en the coast. ness Proj THE AVERTED STRIKE. WASHINGTON’S BURDEN. E do not refer to the father of his country, but to the capital of his country. : We have noticed the complaints of Washing- ton thrift about inauguration time. That- thrift does spike compared to the way the city flourishes for a week during the quadrennial spectacle. The scene it- self is attractive. of pomp beat against the world’s high shore, and it Mr. Shakespeare, who noticed that trait in man, were in Washington March 4, at the beginning of a Presi- dential term, he would see “high water large” in re- gard to pomp. True, it is said that it was not always thus. Tradition pictures Jefferson riding into town on a gray.mare, reflectively chewing a piece of sassafras bark, tying his nag ‘o a tree and taking the oath’ of office as quietly as he would have verified a bill of sale of one of his “niggers.” s But alas! this is tradition only. Neither man nor mare nor hitching post is left to verify it, and Jeffer- son’s wine bills while in the White House.remain to testify that if he didn't take his inauguration cut bias and frilled he sozked his statesmanlike clay in 2 mighty good quality of,old liquor. But let the dead past bury its dead, and it has many. In the living present the American people don’t want to take a new President au naturel. They want him dress paraded just one-day, and thereafter he may smoke a cob pipe in_the White House, like Jackson, or eat out of the pantry, like Lincoln. ~This desire crowds the town, and the hotels charge five prices, because sightseers are willing to pay. But let us not therefore conclude that it is all beer and skittles with Washington. The District has to set aside a home- sending fund to transport the horde of impecuniois and unsuccessful office-seekers back to their rurai homes. Just after every inauguration the draft on this fund is heavy, and it is suspected that many start out having only their fare cne way, in the expectation that if they cannot ride out of the city on a commis- sion they can on a free ticket. Then the demand on the hospital and police facilities of the city is enor- mous. But all these are mere trifles compared to. other burdens that must be borne. For several years the Pennsylvania militia-has descended upon-Wash- ington at the inauguration with results much like those that followed the descent of the Christian troops on Peking to inaugurate peace on earth and good will toward men. Four years ago the Keystone troops al- most looted the city® They knocked the police to a standstill,” destroyed property, and put the city in a state of siege. This gear these Northern barbarians Y wise action on the part of all concerned the B strike threatened at the Union Iron Works has been averted. Upon that fortunate ending of | controversy between the company and the em- wes San Francisco 1s to be congratulated, and due | zredit should be given to the men who arranged erms upon which the fortunate result has been ned. A strike or any protracted discord at the Union Iron Works would under any circumstances be hurt- | ful to the interests of the city; but at this juncture, | when such an occurrence would prevent the comple- tion of the Ohio in time for her to be launched when the Pres , it would be in the nature is in the ci cf a public disaster. It would have interfered with 1 much of the pleasure the President expects of his trip, : and might even have led him to postpone it. ‘ Fortunately all such fears may now be set aside. | labor leaders havs shown a public-spirited inter- | the visit of the President and have cordially co- | rated with the company in seeking 2 basis of agree- | ment upon all points 2% issue. Their efforts were not | e in wvain, and, as was announced in The Call | yesterday, concessions were made by the employers | irich were satisfactory to the men, and the work of the establishment is now going vigorously on. The controversy out of which grew the menace of a strike is not properly s subject of criticism by out- siders, since it concerned the business affairs of the | and the workmen; but their agreement 7 which all danger of a strike is averted is a matter upon which the public can rightly express opinion, nee it concerns the whole community. That opinion is one of universal approval. All San Francisco wishes to see the Ohio launched while the President is with 3 moreover, ail wish that he shall find at:the { Iron Works and indeed throughout the eity full har- mony between labor and capital. icKinley has beea the agent of prosperity for us | He has tried to so direct the legislation of the country as to encourage enterprise and provide work ! wages for all classes of labor; and it is gratify- ing to know that when he asrives here he will find ing the best cf the opportunities his admin- T w mpany ad 1l maki :tion has given, and working together for the gen- welfare. ADAM ZAD. TOMMY ATKINS VS, THE spectacle at Tientsin has not been inspiring to the conscience of man. "Russia and England have ceased pressing China to come almost o blows in 2 dispute over the prey. There in miniature 1s an illustration of what wall bappen if the attempt be made to carve up China and Givide the pieces among the carvers. A world-wide war would resuit. England and Russia have becn kept from each other’s throats only because .one is kept busy by the Boers and the other has not“a sufficient mavy to defend the coast she has already solen from China. Otkerwise Tommy Atkins and Adam Zad would be pumping dumdums into each other, and the bear woauld be chewing the lion’s tajl while the lion chewed his paw. Those who want honor to prevail in dealing wiih China should hasten conclusions. America stands for equity there. Let no urgency be omitted that will close megotiations. Some Americans have other views, and we are sorry to say that they are the missionaries. They are doing all they can to run our claim for indemnity to an enormous amount. They have put in prepasterous cleims for the manuscript of their old sermons, lost or destroyed in the Boxer outbreak. If they should alsc claim damages for the spirif of Christianity lost in the shuffle it would be more valid, for that spir cuts no figure in the zttitude assumed by many of them. 1t is daily becoming plainer that civil govertiment must cut loose from responsibility for missionaries and their work. Civil government has no mission to evan- gelize other lands. Its duties are secular, and these can be discharged everywhere with less friction than any missionary efforts can be carried on. When the missionary goes forth to save souls let bim leave thrift and political intrigue behind. China will do herself great credit hy future tolera- tion.of every effort distinctly ‘religious; but by im- mediately complaining to the country concerned of impudent missionary interference with the execution of her laws upon her own people, or’of that efirontery | goods. | starkness and compelled them under pain of death | to run the streets in that condition. A i e 1 plirf\;)se'jbr which it wus created. | State. appeared again, like a swarm of four-year locusts. They Carrienationed hall the bars on Pennsylvania | avenue, first taking the precaution to drink them dry without payment of the'shot. Every fruitstand in sight was cleaned out, 2nd the proprietors trom sunny Italy were hammered into pulp as a receipt for the They caught negroes, stripped them to biack In-two instances they served women the same way, only varying the proceedings by tossing them in a blanket. It seemed for a time that martial law would have | to- be proclaimed and artillery brought from Fort Myers to clear the streets. But liquor finally over- powered them and, they sank to rest, not by their | country’s wishes blest. After they were safely out of town the claims for damages began to pour in upon the District Commissioners, aggregating nearly $10,000, and now it is a question whether the District will pay the bill or hand it up to the State of Penn- sylvania. Now, in the face of such an invasion why should not the owners and lessees of fine hotels charge in- surance rates to those who can pay? If the wild men from Pennsylvania, 10,000 strong, should assault a | hotel like the Shoreham, Colonial or Chamberlain’s they might not leave one brick standing on another. Seriously, the affair is becoming a quadrennial scan- dal. Washington is th: national capital, and inaugura- ! tion is a great national event which attracts not only our own people but thousands of foreigners. When theusands of men in the uniform of the National Guard make the main avenue of the city a dangerous thoroughfare and riot in all sorts of excesses the na- ticn is disgraced. . Pennsylvania should be made to understand that if her militia come again they mi behave like civilized men or the regulars will be called ‘| out to pepper their shins. It is noted that Funsion tried to get an appoint- ‘ment as a cadet at West Point sixteen years ago, but failed in the attempt—so he may be cited as another illustration of the mea who miss the first jump but get there just the same. —————————— THE STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. PPROPRIATION by the recent Legislature of forty-five thousand dollars to pay the in- debtedness of the State Agricultural Society was wise and commendable. This will relieve the so- ciety from the limitation of a burdensome indebted- ss and enable it to use its every resource for the The Agricultural ~S'or.iety has been one of “the agencies in the great agricultural, horticultural, viti- cultural and livestock development of California, and | it fills a place to-day in cur industrial and educatiogal | system which our State could not afford to dispense with. : f t: ] 1In the products of her soil California, in comparison with much older communities, unquestionably occu- pies a proud position. In many particulars she leads the world. : ‘When it is realized that in but fifty years of state- hcod we have far surpassed competitors which have . been pratticing agricultural arts for centuries, it ex- | cites the inquiry, what influences conspired to this end? Giving due credit to a naturally superior popu- | lation, and a peerless soil and climate, the fact fe- mizins that the State A_gricultural Society has been conspicuous in this development and has been a major agency in Californian progress. It has intro- deced new breeds and seeds, new varieties and meth- ods, has gathered them together at its great annual fairs, and exhibited and illustrated them. Thousands of our farmers and those interested in industrial pur- | suits have seen these high types and studied these ad- vageed practices and aiterward adopted them, to the | great advantage of our people. ° : The Agricultural Society bears a definite relation to bu: educational system separate from any other in- | stitution, indispensable to our progress and the at- | tainment of that agricultural suprémacy which is our | certain destiny. During recent years, under newer | influences, the society has been more of a farmér's organization and has been devoting its energies chiefly to the advancement of purely agricultural featur The favorable attitude of the Governor and t e ' legislators toward the society is doubtless in recog- | which has likewise attracted the | faverable notice and friendship of ‘the press of .the nition of this policy, When this State shall have fulfilled her prom- assume an acute stage. The green bay tree is a hand-- Human nature loves to see the tid=" - mwight be made beautiful as well as useful. In short, -we import from the East or from foreign nations ise, when her area teems with a chosen people and ter acres are:rich with peerless growths, when her schools send out teachers to the world and her products are borne upon eyery current of the world’s commerce, a just analysis of the causes which have wrought out these consequences will discover that the State Agricultural Society was one of no inconsid- erable influence. Do e s THE ARTS OF CALIFORNIA. ORE than ordinary interest attaches to the work now being done by the ladies of the California Clup in arranging for a comprehen- sive exhibit.of the industrial and allied arts of Cali- fornia. This is to be the second notable exhibition directed by the club, and from the success of the first good auguries may be drawn of the outcome of this. The public may therefore expect that' when the expo- sition is opened at Mechanics’ Institute on Wednesday evening there will be displayed an exhibition which will afford not only entertainment but valuable in- struction for all visitors. § The discoveries of oil in such abundant quantities and the recent developments in the use of electrical energy assure California in the future ample stores of fuel and power for manufacturing purposes on the largest scale. We may now reasonably look forward to the speedy cotning of a time when we will manu- facture within our borders most: of the raw material we have been sending abroad. Thus a new stimulus has been ‘given to manufacturing enterprises, or at least to public consideration of them, and the ex- on of the California Club comes at an oppor- tune time to show us what we have accomplished and to intimate what more may be done. The attention of the people in' considering such matters should not be directed exclusively to what are technically known as’ “industrial arts.” California ought to do much'in “he way of producing bric-a-brac and decorative art. - We have ample materials for the fabrication of ‘many sorts of beautiful things. We have some of the finest wood in the world for art pur- poses, and many kinds of stone that could be worked up in artistic forms. Moreover, our textile products thousands of articles of taste and luxury that might just as well havé been provided by Californian arti- sars and artists. Every cxhibition that tends to bring these facts freshly and clearly to the minds of Californians is in the nature of a public benefit. On any phase of thz general subject, from .works of high art to the manu- facture of articles of every day use, we are not likely to have too much in the way of education for many a year to come. The resources of the State in the way of material for all sorts of art work are abundant, and we have as yet made but little use of them. Consequently a campaign of education, or even an episode of education in zrt work, is always an excel- lent thing. Therefore in preparing the exhibit at the Mechanics’ Institute the ladies of the California Club have added another to the many good works they have | uvndertaken for the State, and the enterprise merits a | liberal and widespread patronage. e MARRIAGE AND THE STATE. ATRIMONY has been to Eastern Legislatures /\/\ this winter a subject of much more than or- dinary interest. For many a year past thére has been more discussion and more legislation con- cerning divorce than concerning marrjage, but this year there has been an outburst of zeal on the sub- ject of marriage that has extended from the Atlantic coast to the States along the Great Lakes, and many and various have been the bills introduced into va- rious. Legislatures for the purpose of promoting the | practice or improving it. The Call has already directed attention to the Wis- consin bill for the promotion of matrimony, to the Pennsylvania bill imposing a tax of $100 upon every man who marries after 40 years of age, and to the Delaware bill designed to make married life hap- pier by providing punishment at the whipping-post for any wifé who beats her husband; ~and now an- othér measure of the kind has been put forward. There has been submitted to the Legislature of Minnesota a bill providing that no mar;iage license shall be granted in that State until the applicant has passed a satisfactory medical examination as to his health, sanity and general fitness for the office of head of a family. It is stated by the advocates of the bill that its object is “to prohibit the marriage of epilep- tics, the insane, feeble-minded and others physically or mientally incapacitated for entering into and. ful- | filling the obligations of the marital contract.” There | are those, however, who believe that the measure, if | enacted, would affect many persons outside the classes specified, and would give to the medical examiners of the State a dead cinch on the whole matrimonial market. % For the Minnesota law there is much more to be said than for the “fool bills” proposed in Pennsyl- vania, Delaware and Wisconsin. It is another prooi that the farther West you come the more wisdom you | find. It is a defensible proposition that the ~State ‘should prohibit the marriage of idiots and others in- capable of seif-support, but laws to that effect should be carefully drawn. The growing good of this coun- try is largely dependent upon matrimeny, and the it dustry-should not be interfered with until after a more | prayerffi_l study than the average legislatoris capable | of giving it. If there is to be a doctor's certificate as a preliminary to the marriage license the State ought to stringently fix the amount of the fee the doctor may charge and make it a felony for a doctor to bar out a good citizen by reason of a faulty diagnosis. United States Consul Guenther reports from Frank- fort that an automatic syster of signals devised for the purpose of warning vessels of their approach to dargerous coasts is now on exhibition in Germany and may be adopted by the Government. This is one of the improvements in which we should permit no nation to get ahead of us. Since we lead the world in mechanical inventions we should also lead in mak- ing use of them. By a vote of 101 to 27 the upper house of the Prus. ‘cian Diet has passed a resolution declaring that the tariff bill nows being prepared in the Reichstag shonld provide for increased duties on imports of agricui- tural products, 5o it looks as if the agrarians were tired of trying to shut cut our meats and fruits by de- claring them “impure”. and are going in for straight politics. : T Aguinaldo will hardly be permitted to come to this country to lecture, but he might make a ten strike by writing a book under the title: “The Memoirs of a Sprinter; or How I Met Funston.” s ‘ pleasant to know that Chinatown is to be 1 ke for the fumigation were to be obtained by burning the rookeries. i by an amendatory act, it was | responsible for any damage that might | master General in 1829, served six years, | surpius. fumigated, but it would be pleasanter if the | FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1901 PAPERS ON CURRENT TOPICS.| PREPARED BY EXPERTS AND SPECIALISTS FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL_ Marvelous System Employed in the Gigantic Operations of the United States Postal Service. = By J. L. FOURTH ASSISTANT POSTMASTER GENERAL. —— Bristow. (COPYRIGHT, 1901.) VIIL—-THE POSTAL SERVICE. That which to our ancestors a hundred years ago would have seemed miraculous or impossible is to us to-day ordinary and commonplace. A single modern battle- ship such as the Oregon or Kentueky could have defeated in the open sea the combined fleets of the world in the days of Nelson. A single company of United States soldiers, equipped with modern | arms, could have defeated Lord Howe at Brandywine. - But in no branch of govern- ment has ‘there been _greater progress than in postal affairs. It is said that the postoflice has been the forerunner of in- tellectual’ development. I would not put it that way. It 1s more the outgrowth of such deveiopment. Our postal service was originated in compliance with a pub- lic demand. - It became a necessity be- cause of the intellectual activity of the times.. It was not constructed by any great organizing gentus. It grew as the tree, nurtured by the sunshine of popular | intelligence. 2 5 ’ . The first postoffice established in Amer- ica was at Boston, Mass., in 1633. By an order of the general court of the colony the house . of Richard Fairbanks was designated as the place where all letters which were “brought from beyond the seas\or are to be sent thither” should be left. Fairbanks was charged with the re- sponsibility of delivering the letters as directed, and was permitted to_collect a fee of 1 penny for every letter handled. The next postal reguiation in the colo- nies was an enactment of the Virginia Assembly in March, 1657, which provided that whenever a letter relating to public business was .delivered at any plantation in the colony the proprietor of said plan- tation should immediately forward It to the next plantation, and so on until it reached its destination. Any one failing to comply promptly with this requirement was fined one hogshead of tobacco. Lal,aer rovide that if there was any one upon. the plan- tation who could wr{te he should indorse upon the letter the time it was received and dispatched, the purpose being to en- able the officers more easily to fix the re- sponsibility for delay. Organizing a Postal Service. The first effort to organize a systematic postal service was by the General Assem- bly of Pennsylvania in 1693. A Postmas- ter was afipo(nled for the city of Phila- delphia. e was authorizéd to appoint deputies, who were to serve as postmas- ters at other places throughout that col- ony and to dispatch letters to any place in New England or the adjacent colonies. He was also required to handle all let- ters relating to the public service free, and all public ferries, bridges, etc., were subjeet to his use without delay or charge. His compensation was limited to £20 a vear. A flxed rate of postage was pre- ribed. In the preamble of this enact- ment the General Assembly declares its purpose to be ‘‘to the end that mutual correspondence may be maintained and that letters may speedily and safely be dispatched from place to place.” In these enactments of our forefathers can be traced the principles upon which our postal service has been organized, In the Boston order the Postmaster was held cceur to the mails in his possession, as postal employes are to-day. In the Vir- ginia provisions the registry system is Tecognized, and in the Penmsylvania en- actment we notice many of the principles of our present organization. From these primitive beginnings has grown the Amer- ican postal service. Franklin as Postmaster General. _ The first Postmaster General in Amer- ica was Benjamin Franklin. He was ap- pointed by the English Government and was allowed a compensation of £600 a year for himself and his assistant, pre- vided *“he made that much.” He served nineteen years and was dismissed in 1774 because of his devotion to the colonies in their struggle against English tyranny. The first four years that he served there was a deficiency, and he did not receive his full salary; but at the time he was dismissed the postal service of the col- onies wn.sl_xlieldlng the crown a handsome income. ring the days of the confed- eration the mail service was in a chaotic and disorganized condition. The organi- zation of our present system really dates from the appointment of Samuel Osgood of Massachusetts as Pestmaster General by President Washington on September 26, 1789. The Postmaster General was not then a member of the President's Cab- inet. At that time the mail service throughout the country was wretchedly inefficient. The mail was transported wholly upon horseback. In those days the carricr, usually an old man, jogsed leis- urely along on a decrepit horse over un- kept roads, with his letters deposited in a pair of saddlebags, while he passed away the time knitiing from homespun varn his supply of winter socks. Early Growth of the Postal Service. ‘When Mr. Osgood was appointed Post- master General there were seventy-five postofices in the United States and less than miles of post roads. He served two years and enlarged the service three- fold, yet turned into the general treas- ury a net revenue of about 15 1per cent of the gross postal receipts. The first Postmaster General to hold a seat in the President’s Cabiret was William T. Barry of Kentucky. He has the distinction of being not only the first Postmaster Gen- eral to sit as a Cabinet officer but also the first whose administration of the office shows a deficit, the expenditures having exceeded the receipts. He became Post- and during that time ran the department over $500,000 in debt. This caused a great scandal and resulted in the appointment of Amos Kendall as his successor. Every one of Barry’'s predecessors had adminis- tered the department so as to make it vield a net revenue to the Government. Nor was this_economy of administration at the exvense of an efficient service. From 179 to 1829 the number of offices had increased from seventy-five to 8004, the ageregate length of post routes from 1575 miles to 115,000 miles and the gross expenditures from $32,600 to $1,782,090 a vear. Postmaster General Kendall’'s Work. At no time in the history of our coun- try has there been more rapid improve- ment of mail facilities than during the first thirty-nine years of the department's existence. Long post routes were survey- ed and laid ovt, over which mail coaches ‘sped alonz at the rate of 100 miles a day, a prodiglous speed before the days of steam and electricity. Mr. Kendall took hold of the demoralized condition of the department with such energy that within eighteen months he not only liquidated the $300,000 indebtedness but had a large Up to that time the postal ser- vice had been ‘conducted as a business institution, The Postmaster General man- aged.its financial affairs, paying the ex- penses from the receipts. ; In 1836, upon Kendall's recommendation a complete change was made and the present system of disbursements was es- tablished. All moneys now collected are turned Into the treasury and all expenses are provided for by appropriations from Congress. While, according to our theory of government, this is the safest financial method and renders more difficult the mis- appropriation of public funds, vet the fact remains that since this system was estab- lished there have been but three of tis thirty-one Postmasters General whose ad- ministrations have shown a surplus. Oa the .other hand, during the forty-seven vears under the old svstem every Post- master General, with the exceotion Barry, made the department yield a net revenue to the Goverament and at the same time greatly imnroved thé postai facilitles. : 3 Lowering the Rates of Postags. the following rates of postage, which - Vailod, with: slight variations. for half SEO S e el e et o not ding 6. miles, § cents: between & 5ad 100 e 10 c 150 mmma, cents: cents; to 250 miles, 17 3 miles, 20 cents; 350 to 450 miles, 22 cents: over 45) miles, 25 cents. This is quite an interesting schedule. By “single letter” is meant a single sheet of paper. If In writing a let- ter two sheets were used double rates were charged; for three - sheets, triplo rates. If a letter contained more than three sheets it became a. packet and for every packet weighing one ounce four times the rates paid for a single letter was charged. So that when General Washing- ton, at his home at Mount Vernon, wrote to Hancock or Adams at Boston, if his let- ter contained four shects the postage was $1 in- coin. 0-cents will now carry = letter of the same size from Ponce, Porto Rico, to Manila, Philippine Islands, a dis- tance of about 13,000 miles. In 1845 the rates were radically reduced and postags was_charged according to the weight of the letter instead of the number of sheets. Newspapers and magazines were not ad- mitted to the mails until 1792. A charge of 1 cent for every paper for a distance less than 100 miles and 1% ~ents for more than 100 miles was made: for magazines the same was charged per sheet. Prior to that time newspaper publishers made private contracts with mail carriers to carry their newspapers from town to town. After that date the post carriers were ‘forbidden to malite such contracts. This caused a great disturbance among the publishers and the | action of Congress was criticized with great severity. - The postage charged on news- Jen=r yos declared to be a tax upon nowledge. At these rates it would cost $1 % to send the January number of Mun- sey’s Magazine from New York to Chica- go. Now it costs less than a cent. The Indispensable Postage Stamp. The postage stamp is a modern device, though_possibly of anelent origm. Prc-| fessor Mommsen says that at one period in the history of ihe Roman —empire stamps somewhat similar to the modern postage stamp were used. But the first authentic record of the use of the postage | stamp was in Germanv, by Count Franz | of Thurn and Taxis, who in 1516 originat- ed the first commercial ‘postal service known to history. England was the first to recognize the utilicy of the adhesive postage stamp and in 1840 adopted it as a feature of its postal service. Seven years later our Goverument followed Eng- land’s example. The adhesive stamp probably has con- tributed more to the improvement of mod- ern mail facilities than all other causes combined. Without the adhesive stamp it would be utterly impossible to transact the postal business of this country. Prior to 1847 a postmaster was required to in- dorse in writing on the face of every let- ter mailed the date, place deposited and the amount of postage required or paid. To make such an indorsement upon ail letters that are now daily dropped lnt'\i the United States mails would be wholly impracticable. ~ Without the adhesive stamp our present cheap postage would be an impossibility. Before the ‘stamp was adopted post- masters in the large citles Kept book ac- counts with all the leading business men or firms that patronized their respective offices. When letters from these firms were brought to the office the postmaster would compute the postage oa each let- ter, charge it and collect his bills month- ly. How many bookkeepers and col- lectors would the postmaster at New York or Chicago have to employ now if he transacted business in that way? In 1845 the postmasters at Baltimore, New | Haven, New York and St.'Louis had post- age stamps printed upon their own au thority and adopted them as a labor-sav- ing device in lieu of keeping these ac- counts. Postal experts take great pride in the marvelous achievements of the modern mail service, but none of these Fould have been possible without the ad- hesive stamp. e invention of the tele- graph and the locomotive is credited in the popular mind with having chiefly contributed to modern progress, yet it is a aquestion whether Sir Rowland H#l | who. by his persistent devotion to postal | reform, gave to the world the adhesive postage stamp, should not be placed in the | list of the world's great benefactors be- side Morse and Watt. Later Postal Improvements. Most of the great divisions of the Ameér- ican postal service are-of recent origin. The registry system was adopted in the | United States in 155. The first vear after | its inauguration there were 629,332 pieces | of mail registered; in 1900 there were 18, 422,640. The money order system was not adopted until 1%4.° During the first year | of its operation 74277 money orders were | issued, ~aggregating $1,36),122. In 1909, 33,162,050 money orders were s | sued, aggregating $55.670,27. The free | delivery system was first established in | cities of over 50,000 inhabitants in 1863. The first year of its cperations 6% car- | riers were employed and $204477 ex-| pended for its maintenance; in 1500 15,322 | carriers were employed, and the total ex- pense for {ree deliyery ivas $14.671 362 In the early peridd of our postal service the sanctity of the mails was not so jeal- ously guarded as it is to-day. Postcarriers and postmasters frequently opened letters | which they thought of inferest and made themselves and_the public familiar with their conten’s. So prevalent was this prac. tice that Jefferson, Washington and many other public mer. carried on all important correspondence in cipher to insure its | secrecy. Although the penalty robbing the mails was death, thi€ did not | secure them against depredations. It is | estimated that 3,309,755.000 letters were transmitted thiough the mails last year. Of this number there were about 10.00) losses reported, or one loss for every 331,- 000 letters transmitted. Enormous Growth of the Serviec. In 1790, when Mr. Osgood organized the system, ' there were seventy-five post- offices.” On January 1, 1901, there wera | 6,594. The gr receipts of the postal ser- | yice in 179 were $37.935; in 1900 they were $102,354,579. The gross expenditures in 179 ere $32.140; in 1900 they were $107,249,298. In 179 there were 187 miles of postroads, in 1200 there were 500,990 miles. To-day the American citizen can attach a 2-cent stamp to a letter welghing one ouncé or less directed to any part of our vast possessions, which now reach more than half way -around the globe, and if properly addressed the chances are 331,000 to one that it will be safely delivered; and if loss should occur the United States Government will eapend hundreds of dol- lars in endeavoring to fix the responsibil- ity for such loss. Should it appear that the loss was occasfoned by the negligence or criminality of an employe, he is not only required to make good the damage to the sender, but to answer before the courts of his country for the violation of its postal laws. A Benefit to All the People. The postal service touches eve murity too obscure for the postoffice to reach. A representative of this depart- ment daily knocks at the door of every citizen of our great cities. Upon the most obscure streets or the remotest highways —everywhere—may be seen a representa- tive of the United States mail service, Studying the American postal service in all of its phases, the vast amount ofbusi. ness transacted, tne enormous number of rsons employed, aggregating over 200, ), the rapidity with which mail is trane- mitted, the safety with which it is deliv- ecred, the cheapness of the rates, the al- most limitless extent of the system. the intrieacies of its ramifications’ and the enormous responsibilities which it sus- tains in relation to the Fouum. social and | business institutions of our country, it is seen to be without question the most stu. pendous and the most complicated busi- ness or commercial organization that ex- ists or ever has existed in the history of human race. pet e S Still “Johnny” in Maine. Representative Littlefield of that when Secretary win:n;iennun;" Buckflield, Me., his native village, last Weekk stopped to. ask’ for them’ AL woman o to her "York Tribune, "hn8 ew e Y | fondly the memory of | there was one particularly dainty | artistic. ANSWERS TO QUERIES. DIAMOND WEDDING—Mrs. W., City. The diamond wedding is the seventy-fifth anniversary of marriage. NO ADVANCE—B. 8, Valley Ford, Cal. Dealars in coins do not offer any advance on the face value of five dollar pleces of 1839, 1843, 1844 and 1845 FIREMAN—Y. L., Highland Springs, Lake County. The way a fireman on a locomotive leayns to fire is by practica under the direction of the engineer. SAM’'L OF POSEN—W. P. 8., City. The first trial of M. B. Curtis (Sam’l of Posen) for murder in San Fraucis;olcfl?n;:n\cfi: 25, 1992; his second trial im: D '\"se‘;lg:r? 1592, and his third in August, 1893, Vi E—W. O. B., City. Insanity is not()r: (;ggmd for divorce in California. A man whose wife is in an asylum for the insane cannot cbtain a legal separation in order to marry again, even though the woman will never recover her reason. PRIVATE CORPOkATIONS—SnMch« er, City. If there is any ma.? e:x;ag:golrn business of promoting private co! - ;Y:leon:sthls deptfi'tmen( cannot advenl:a his name and place of business. It he wishes to be known he can advertise in the regular channels of the Call. RECORDS—E. G. . Suisun, Cal. The records of pedestrianism, running broad jump, pole vault and other feats, to| etr)er with the names of all the holders cf sieh records, would require more space than can be given in this_department to any one correspondent. You will find such given in full in the Clipper almanac. MARRIAGE LICENSE—L. L., Suisun, Cal. In the State of California there can- not be a legal marriage without a license. If a couple elope and are “married” with- out a license in this State it is not a mar- riage in law. A Justice of the Peace has no authority to issue a marriage license, and he cannot mafry a couple without a license is presented to him. A PRESENT—L. L., Suisun, Cal. A lady who receives a present at Christmas, or at any other time, from a gentleman she loves is not bound to reciprocate, not- withstanding the fact that “she is rich and can purchase beautiful presents.” A gentleman who sends his lady love a pres- ent at Christmas is justified in the thought that she will remember him by sending him one, but if she does not, she is not violating any rule of etiquette. HOMESTEAD—Subseriber, Hemet, Cal The answer that was given a few days since in relation to a husband not en- cumbering the homestead without the consent of the wife applies fo such grog- erty as has been under the laws of the State set aside. as a homestead. If a man acquires a homestead under the Fed- eral laws, if the same is located in this State, and he wishes to set it aside as a homestead, he must make the proper dec- laration under the State law. PIMPLES—L. L., Suisun, pimples, blackheads and etc., on the face a local or systemic trouble?” is a very large question, as there are a great many affections of the face. There are also a variety of pimples. These are a skin dis- ease arising from different causes and without knowing what particular variety Cal. ‘“Are you wish to be informed about, this de- ent cannot give space to a descrip- ?flz;t%]t each and v{'hat causes it. “Blac fi- heads” are the result of obstructed pores and are purely local. Cannot give you any information about “and ete.” “I don’t see how he can be such a popu- lar clergyman when he abuses his con- regation so!” * Fa!y enough. Everybody thinks he is talking to everybody else.”—Brooklyn Life. Mother (plying the strap)—There, there and there! Now, don’t let me catch you the pantry again. mTommpy‘gm!ghoof I tried not to let you catch me this time.—Philadelphia Record. “The people of Scotiand cherish very Burns,” remarked the Observant Bearder. “Yes,” added the Cross-Eyed Boarder, “love for Bobby Burns in every Scottish heart.”—Baltimore American. “How much do they charge for those strawberrieg a box?” “Four dollars.” “Why don't they charge $1 aplece while they’re about it?” “Well, $ a box is about $1 aplece.”— Yonkers Statesman. Bachelor—So you're married, eh? 1 suppose your wife saves you a good deal of _trouble. Benedict—Well, she saves every little trouble that comes to her during the day so that she may bother me with it when I come home at night.—Philadel- phia Press. - Mr. Le Jecks—Well, Miss Coldcash, I suppose you recetved a good many birth- day cards? Miss Coidcash (sweetly)—Oh, ves; and an I am sure it came from you. e Jecl'fs (delighted)—What makes Mr. you think so? Miss Coldcash—Because I sent it to you on your last birthday.—Tid-Bits. Cause of the made you so late? Tommy—I had to wait for ma to wrap up a bundle for me to leave at Mrs. Brown's. : ‘Teacher—S8urely,. it didn't take your mother nedrly an’ hour to do that? Tommy—Yes'm. You see, the paper she was mefhl it up_in had a love story in it.—Philadelphia "Press, Church—You say your boy at collesa writes for the magazines? Gotham—Yes; he's written geveral arii- cles for them. “I den't suppose he's a professional writer?” “What do you mean?” ““Why, he doesn’'t write for money,"” “Doesn’t he? You ought to see some of the letters he writes to me!"—Yonkers Statesman. Delay—Teacher—What “I don’t like that man,” sald Senator Sorghum, in a tone that was almost fer-)- dcl‘lui'l "Hah:i v:fimht I call a dishonest olitician. s Ishonesty in it Pomething that T cantt apider. Do es 18 “What is your idea of a dishonest poil- tk‘,!lan'.”’ asked the friend, rather quizzi- cally. ““Why, he’s a man who takes money from both sides and then goes ahead anl Jotes as he blame pleases.”—Washington ar. The Laugh Arlmt Him—The late Bishop X- had a great reputation for ready wit. At an assemblage of noted men a year or two ago -a lawyer, who was leading counsel of a great railway company, tried to poke fum at his Lord- ehip by quizzing. At last be said: “Why don't you.get these great rail- way managers to give you a pass thelr lines, my Lord? You can pay for it by giving them entrance tiom into e entl: lied 3 “Oh, no,”. gently re e would mot part thems so far. T Thetr mq*l':"l] in hthe.' other wcl‘tld.". he laugh was general, and the lawyer decided to let the parson aloao—slm:xy:g. ham (Eng.) Post. e el Eggs on toast. Townsend's.. . Delicious chocolate cream send’s. —_——— T, Choice candies, Townsend's, Palace Hotel.* Cal. glace fruit 3¢ per Ib-at Townsend's.* o T e Candy baskets filled with eggs. send’s. €ggs. Town- . Town- . —_——— Best eyeglasses, 10c to 40c. . Look out far §1 4th, front of barber store and grocery. * —_——— A nice present for Easter—Townseénd's California glace fruits, in splendfd fire- etched boxes. i0c 1b. 639 Palace Hatel. + ‘Easter chocolate ere and faney col- ored_ cream cges. baskhts of coes Townsend's, &0 Palace Hote e —_—— Special information suppiied business houses and public men Press Clipping Bureau (Allen's), 510 gomery street. Telephone Main 1042, - —_——— Salmon in Or R O old enough to be planted in the rivers. ———— b:-h:q-m.u.u-h‘. South American appetizer. Beware of dally to the t- " canneq i