History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America Part 25

SIXTY DOLLARS. Vignette of an Indian Maiden, standing in a rectangular frame. She is robed from her waist downward. Her right arm is extended, while her left hangs by her side. The background is a landscape. Trees and vines to the left, and wigwams to the right in the distance, bordered by a colorless line between fine colored lines. Figures of value, "$60" on s.h.i.+elds in the upper corners. Value, "_Sixty Dollars_"

also in white letters on solid tablets below. Inscriptions, "_Newspapers_," "_Periodicals_," in white on solid labels on the sides.

"_U. S._" in colorless capitals on the ground, and "_Postage_" on a band in colored letters above. Ground vertically lined. Color, rich purple.

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, Office of the Third a.s.sistant Postmaster General, Division of Postage Stamps, Stamped Env. & Post Cards.

_Was.h.i.+ngton D. C., April 25, 1879._

The attention of Postmasters is hereby called to the fact, that on and after the first of May proximo, under the act of March 3d, 1879, matter of the second cla.s.s, commonly known as newspaper and periodical matter, will be ent.i.tled to pa.s.s through the mail, at a uniform rate of 2 cents per pound. Care will be taken not to collect payment on such matter, at more than that rate. The same general regulations concerning the collection of newspaper postage, as have been heretofore promulgated will remain in force, and the same books and blanks together with the newspaper and periodical stamps, that are now outstanding will continue to be used. In future, however, the issue of the three and nine cents denominations of newspaper and periodical stamps, will be discontinued. * * * *

A. D. HAZEN, Third a.s.sistant Postmaster General.

Act of the XLV Congress, Session III, Chapter 180, approved March 3rd, 1879, Sections 10 and 14 merely change the cla.s.sification to a uniform one at the rate of two cents per pound.

The Act of the XLVIII Congress, Session II, Chapter 342, approved March 3rd, 1885, provides as stated in Order No. 109 of the Postmaster General, dated April 24th, 1885, "That all publications of the second cla.s.s, * * * shall on and after July 1st, 1885, be ent.i.tled to transmission through the mails at one cent a pound or fraction thereof. * * * To provide for wants that may arise from this change in the rate of second cla.s.s postage, the Department has decided to issue a newspaper and periodical stamp of the denomination of one cent, the design and color of which will be the same as those of the present series of newspaper and periodical stamps of the denomination of from 2 to 10 cents. Stamps of this new denomination will be ready for issue by the 1st of June, after which all postmasters needing them will make requisition for suitable supplies."

NEWSPAPER AND PERIODICAL STAMPS.

SERIES OF 1875-1885.

Plate impression, 24 by 35 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

June 1st, 1885, 1 cent, black.

Jan. 1st, 1875, 3 cents, " to April 25th, 1879.

9 " " " " "

2 " "

4 " "

6 " "

8 " "

10 " "

12 " carmine, 24 " "

36 " "

48 " "

60 " "

72 " "

84 " "

96 " "

1 dollar 92 " deep brown 3 dollars vermilion 6 " light blue 9 " orange 12 dollars rich green 24 " purplish slate 36 " dull red 48 " light brown 60 " rich purple

These stamps were not reprinted in 1874, but samples ungummed and surcharged "specimen" were sold to collectors.

OBSERVATIONS.

A slight change in the regulations now prohibits postmasters from selling these stamps even to publishers, but the money is received and the requisite amount in stamps placed upon the stubs and cancelled. The amount sold and the amount used in an office should now correspond. The stubs are sent periodically to Was.h.i.+ngton with the accounts, compared and destroyed. Used specimens and even unused specimens are likely to grow rare in collections.

XXVII.

OFFICIAL STAMPS.

A thorough understanding of the use of these stamps will best be obtained by a brief review of the system it for a time supplanted, which was briefly designated as the "Franking Privilege." As early as the 1st Session of the Second Congress the necessity and propriety of providing for the carriage of official correspondence and the correspondence of Government officers and Members of Congress upon public business was recognized, and Chapter 7, Section 19, approved February 1st, 1792, of the Acts of that Sessions provided:

"That the following letters and packets and no others shall be received and conveyed by post, free of postage under such restrictions as are hereinafter provided, that is to say: all letters and packages to or from the President or Vice-President of the United States, and all letters and packages not exceeding 2 ounces in weight, to or from any member of the Senate or House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Senate, or Clerk of the House of Representatives, during their actual attendance in any session of Congress, and twenty days after such session, all letters to and from the Secretary of the Treasury and his a.s.sistant; Comptroller, Register and Auditor of the Treasury, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, the Committee for settling accounts between the United States and individual States, the Postmaster General and his a.s.sistant. Provided that no person shall frank or enclose any letter or packet other than his own, but any public letter or packet from the department of the Treasury may be franked by the Secretary of the Treasury, or the a.s.sistant Secretary, or by the Comptroller, Register, Auditor or Treasurer, and that each person before named shall deliver to the post office, every letter or packet enclosed to him, which may be directed to any other person, noting the place from whence it comes by post, and the usual postage shall be charged thereon."

By various acts of Congress this privilege was gradually extended to various persons in the employ of the Government until, in 1869, the Postmaster General stated in his report that fully 31,933 persons were authorized by the laws to enjoy this privilege.

As early as 1836, Congress appropriated the sum of $700,000 to pay the post office department for this carriage of official correspondence. The abuses became enormous. Signatures with hand stamps were even recognized. All sorts of favors were extended by persons having the privilege, to their friends. In 1869 the annual expense to the department of this free matter was estimated at $5,000,000. To remedy this abuse, which had the effect of preventing a proper reduction of postal rates to the general public, as the expenses of the Department, including the expense of carrying official matter so-called, greatly exceeded its annual revenue, there was but one remedy--the pa.s.sage of an act abolis.h.i.+ng the franking privilege and providing by appropriation for carrying the necessary government dispatches. The Act of the XLII Congress, Session III, Chapter 82, approved the 27th of January, 1873, accordingly provided:

"That the franking privilege be hereby abolished from and after the first day of July, Anno Domini 1873, and that henceforth all official correspondence of whatever nature, and other mailable matter sent from or addressed to any officer of the government or person now authorized to frank such matter, shall be chargeable with the same rates of postage as may be lawfully imposed upon like matter sent by, or addressed to other persons.

Provided that no compensation or allowance shall be now or hereafter made to Senators or Members and Delegates of the House of Representatives on account of postage."

The Act of the XLII Congress, Session III, Chapter 228, approved March 3, 1873, after appropriating so much as should be necessary of a certain sum for the purchase of postage stamps for each department, continues:

"That the Postmaster General shall cause to be prepared a special stamp or stamped envelope to be used only for official mail matter for each of the executive departments, and said stamp and stamped envelope shall be supplied by proper officer of said departments to all persons under its direction requiring the same for official use, and all appropriations for postage heretofore made shall no longer be available for said purpose, and all said stamps and stamped envelopes shall be sold or furnished to said several departments or clerks only at the price for which stamps and stamped envelopes of like value are sold at the several post offices."

In the report of the Postmaster General for the year ending June 30, 1873, it is stated that:

"The several Acts for the repeal of the franking privilege became operative on the first of July last. The results of the first quarter of the current year are highly satisfactory and more fully verified the predictions of the friends of the repeal. * * * Section 4 of the Act of March 3rd, 1873, making it the duty of the Postmaster General to provide official stamps and stamped envelopes for the several Executive Departments, has been strictly complied with. The stamps and envelopes furnished have been executed in the highest style of art and will compare favorably with those of any other country. From July 1st to September 30th of the current year the following varieties, numbers and values were issued:

To whom issued. D'minat'n. Number. Value.

The Executive Dep't 5 5,150 200.00 The State Dep't 14 60,495 20,749.70 The Treasury Dep't 11 7,842,500 407,000.00 The War Dep't 11 446,500 17,689.00 The Navy Dep't 11 247,230 12,239.00 The Post Office Dep't 10 10,054,660 354,535.00 The Interior Dep't 10 1,058,475 59,171.00 The Dep't of Justice 10 65,400 3,900.00 The Dep't of Agriculture, 9 275,000 20,730.00 -- ---------- ---------- Making a total of 91 20,055,410 896,213.70

The stamps for the Departments other than the Post Office do not differ materially from those for sale to the public except that each Department has its own distinctive color and legend. The colors are: For the Executive, carmine; State Department, green; Treasury, velvet-brown; War, cochineal red; Navy, blue; Post Office, black; Interior, vermilion; Department of Justice, purple; and Department of Agriculture, straw color.

In the stamps for the Post Office Department the medallion head gives place to a numeral representing the value with the words "Post Office Department" above and the denomination expressed in words below. All the official stamps correspond in denomination with those issued for the public, except in the case of the State Department, for which four of higher value were made for dispatch bags. These four are of the denominations of $2, $5, $10, and $20, respectively, are of large size and printed in two colors, and bear a profile bust of the late Secretary Seward."

Elsewhere the Postmaster General states that the stamps were ready the 24th of May, for use the 1st of July, 1873. The following circular was accordingly issued to postmasters:

OFFICIAL POSTAGE STAMPS AND STAMPED ENVELOPES.

[Circular to postmasters.]

POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, Office of the Third a.s.sistant Postmaster General, Division of Postage Stamps, Stamped Env. & Post Cards.

_Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., May 15th, 1873._

"The Franking Privilege having been abolished, to take effect on the first day of July, 1873, the Postmaster General is required by law to provide postage stamps or stamped envelopes of special design for each of the several Executive Departments of the Government for the prepayment of postage on official matter pa.s.sing through the mails.

DESCRIPTION.