The military connection to the delivery of the US mails was evident from the creation of our country. The next step in the evolution was the introduction of arms to those who handled, sorted and delivered the mail.
During the civil war armed guards were used to secure the transport of mail. Mail transports were often the target of the southern infiltrating guerillas from occupying territories in the south to Maryland and Pennsylvania. There were several well dosumented forays into New York and Massachusetts. Confederates were looking to intercept not only important military documents but another important cargo in desparate need by the Confederate States....money. Although attacks of the mail system especially within the northern states went largely unreported as not to alarm the public into panic, journal entries of several prominent wartime northern generals suggest it was a widespread problem. One nondescript document discovered in the National Archives dated to 1864 eludes to a communique between Vice President Hannibal Hamlin (1861-1865)to Brig General James Wolfe Ripley who was Inspector of Armaments of Forts on New England referencing a letter between the former and Secretary of the Interior John P. Usher, 1863 as to the mounting losses of some 1.27 million dollars in Postal Currency to these "pillagers of the postal public".
Thus began, in mid 1863 the practice of arming those who transported and delivered the mail of the United States. In all but the smallest of towns and other jurisdictions post offices were built with the intent of not only securing the mail but to serve as armories for the local militias. Within the cities of the east the mail transports and those who accompanied them carried 1863 Remington Pocket Pistol Small size .31 cal. 5 shot revolver. In the countryside and in the west the armament of choice was the Spencer Repeating Rifle which shot a .52 caliber round housed in a seven round magazine.
More to come...
Friday, January 27, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Going Postal - The NAPR Part 1
National Association of Postal Riflemen
Have you ever seen an old western where where the stagecoach driver had a guy sitting next to him carried a rifle? Yep, that was him....a forerunner of the National Association of Postal Riflemen. Truly one of the unsung heros of not only the old west but also of the early days of the former US Post Office Department.
There is no coincidence that the heads of the Post Office Department and today's Postal Service are titled Postmaster General or that strangely enough the old post offices were built like fortifications to hold off would be bandits seeking mail, money....and the armories inside.
It is again no coincidence that the first four Postmaster Generals had served as generals in the Continental Army and the fourth was the rank of Colonel. When George Washingtons signed The Postal Service Act on February 20, 1792 goal was not only to create a reliable means of communication between the citizens of the United States but more importantly he knew first hand the great need to have a secure and reliable means of comminucations between military units...especially in a time of war. This military connection to the Post Office Dept lasted through the Civil War and as of today the only lasting connection to its past history is the title "Postmaster General"
more to come.....
Have you ever seen an old western where where the stagecoach driver had a guy sitting next to him carried a rifle? Yep, that was him....a forerunner of the National Association of Postal Riflemen. Truly one of the unsung heros of not only the old west but also of the early days of the former US Post Office Department.
There is no coincidence that the heads of the Post Office Department and today's Postal Service are titled Postmaster General or that strangely enough the old post offices were built like fortifications to hold off would be bandits seeking mail, money....and the armories inside.
It is again no coincidence that the first four Postmaster Generals had served as generals in the Continental Army and the fourth was the rank of Colonel. When George Washingtons signed The Postal Service Act on February 20, 1792 goal was not only to create a reliable means of communication between the citizens of the United States but more importantly he knew first hand the great need to have a secure and reliable means of comminucations between military units...especially in a time of war. This military connection to the Post Office Dept lasted through the Civil War and as of today the only lasting connection to its past history is the title "Postmaster General"
more to come.....
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Going Postal - Postal Privacy Act of 1992
Yet another rate increase and some reflection
Well effective tomorrow yet another postal rate increase. The price to mail a first class stamp goes up to 39 cents. It's a good thing I use the internet to pay my bills, send my cards. This event has caused me to do a little reflection on the history of what we like to refer to day as The United States Postal Service.
Postal Privacy Act of 1992
This bill, introduced in Congress by Rep Marcus P. Simmons R-Tennessee was little known outside of postal circles and passed with little fanfair. This bill was sweeping and had an immediate effect on the employess of the day. With the signing of this bill into law it's most immediate effect was to eliminate the jobs of some 3,500 postal employees who either were reassigned or were let go altogether.
The Postal Privacy Act for the very first time made it illegal to proofread the mail. Some 3,500 unsung heroes made this their livlihood and in one fell swoop of the pen it was no more. Banners like "Improving Illiteracy - One Letter At A Time" and "Accountability, Efficency, Readability - Use Your Highliter" Came down before the ink was dry. The end to an era had come.
It had always been a controversial program to those in the closed circles who knew about it but there had been many success stories and those will live on in the hearts of the men and women who performed the job. Joel Tremont of the Wykeegan Falls, NH office reminised the day he got a call from 95 year old Bessie McDaniel of the Wykeegan Falls Nursing Home. It seems that one day while sorting mail Joel came across Bessie's social security check as he did just about every month. Joel pinched the envelope tight and sqinted as he held the envelope up to the nearest bright light. Joel says he was almost fell over, "There was a $250 shortage in her check." "I was in disbelief".
Joel knew from previous mail that several of Bessie's grandchildren had birthdays comming up and in fact her first great grandchild was due any day. Joel took it upon himself to call the local Social Security office and notify them of the error in Bessie's check. Joel didn't mind the 35 minutes he was on hold as this was just as important to him as it would be to Bessie and her family. Ten minutes after talking to the Social Security Representative the error had been found and a new check was issued and sent that day. "Bessie called to personally thank him and I know for a fact the both were in tears" Postmaster Hebert LaGuardino stated. With this one act of unselfishness in the course of just doing his job, Joel was nominated for "Proofreader Of The Month".
January 8, 2006
Of course the main problem with the program is that it was not widely known. A better explanation of its demise is to say that the program was not acknowleged at all. Due to the massive manpower it would have taken to impliment this program throughout the US and to 100% of the mail it was just something that could notprogress and ultimatley could not continue. In the 1986 edition of the Postal Educator it mentioned, almost as an afterthought the amount of proofreading effectivly was less than 1% of all first class mail delivered.
Jason Stroud of Garden Hills, New Jersy put it this way, "That less than 1% had better communication than any other point in their lifetime". When you take into consideration of how many people either were illiterate, had bad spelling or just plain horrid penmanship...."this program came through for them and their loved ones", "It was their lifeline".
Stan Johansson of Beaver Creek, Idaho recalled one day when he received a recipe from a relative. He readily admitted that her "...handwriting left something to be desired but if not for the great folks who read my mail I would have used cauliflower instead of the intended chilipowder."
Although true that those types of comments came from the program's benefactors. The program did have it's detractors and as time went on the voices of those detractors grew more loudly. The loudest was Representative Marcus Simmons.
"These people who had their mail opened enroute to the intended recipient lived in shame"! exclaimed Rep Simmons. "They received a copy of their mailings with crossouts, highlites, blackouts...you name it" Although when pressed for specific examples or copmplaints from the general mailing public Rep Simmons balked, "Who is going to come forward and admit to something so hideously shamefull?" Still adamant on the subject he pressed onward, eventually sponsering the legislation in Congress where is was buried as an amendment to the 1991 US Clean Air legislation. It was buried so deep within the legislation the Postal Privacy Act was never mentioned in the Federal Register.
Well effective tomorrow yet another postal rate increase. The price to mail a first class stamp goes up to 39 cents. It's a good thing I use the internet to pay my bills, send my cards. This event has caused me to do a little reflection on the history of what we like to refer to day as The United States Postal Service.
Postal Privacy Act of 1992
This bill, introduced in Congress by Rep Marcus P. Simmons R-Tennessee was little known outside of postal circles and passed with little fanfair. This bill was sweeping and had an immediate effect on the employess of the day. With the signing of this bill into law it's most immediate effect was to eliminate the jobs of some 3,500 postal employees who either were reassigned or were let go altogether.
The Postal Privacy Act for the very first time made it illegal to proofread the mail. Some 3,500 unsung heroes made this their livlihood and in one fell swoop of the pen it was no more. Banners like "Improving Illiteracy - One Letter At A Time" and "Accountability, Efficency, Readability - Use Your Highliter" Came down before the ink was dry. The end to an era had come.
It had always been a controversial program to those in the closed circles who knew about it but there had been many success stories and those will live on in the hearts of the men and women who performed the job. Joel Tremont of the Wykeegan Falls, NH office reminised the day he got a call from 95 year old Bessie McDaniel of the Wykeegan Falls Nursing Home. It seems that one day while sorting mail Joel came across Bessie's social security check as he did just about every month. Joel pinched the envelope tight and sqinted as he held the envelope up to the nearest bright light. Joel says he was almost fell over, "There was a $250 shortage in her check." "I was in disbelief".
Joel knew from previous mail that several of Bessie's grandchildren had birthdays comming up and in fact her first great grandchild was due any day. Joel took it upon himself to call the local Social Security office and notify them of the error in Bessie's check. Joel didn't mind the 35 minutes he was on hold as this was just as important to him as it would be to Bessie and her family. Ten minutes after talking to the Social Security Representative the error had been found and a new check was issued and sent that day. "Bessie called to personally thank him and I know for a fact the both were in tears" Postmaster Hebert LaGuardino stated. With this one act of unselfishness in the course of just doing his job, Joel was nominated for "Proofreader Of The Month".
January 8, 2006
Of course the main problem with the program is that it was not widely known. A better explanation of its demise is to say that the program was not acknowleged at all. Due to the massive manpower it would have taken to impliment this program throughout the US and to 100% of the mail it was just something that could notprogress and ultimatley could not continue. In the 1986 edition of the Postal Educator it mentioned, almost as an afterthought the amount of proofreading effectivly was less than 1% of all first class mail delivered.
Jason Stroud of Garden Hills, New Jersy put it this way, "That less than 1% had better communication than any other point in their lifetime". When you take into consideration of how many people either were illiterate, had bad spelling or just plain horrid penmanship...."this program came through for them and their loved ones", "It was their lifeline".
Stan Johansson of Beaver Creek, Idaho recalled one day when he received a recipe from a relative. He readily admitted that her "...handwriting left something to be desired but if not for the great folks who read my mail I would have used cauliflower instead of the intended chilipowder."
Although true that those types of comments came from the program's benefactors. The program did have it's detractors and as time went on the voices of those detractors grew more loudly. The loudest was Representative Marcus Simmons.
"These people who had their mail opened enroute to the intended recipient lived in shame"! exclaimed Rep Simmons. "They received a copy of their mailings with crossouts, highlites, blackouts...you name it" Although when pressed for specific examples or copmplaints from the general mailing public Rep Simmons balked, "Who is going to come forward and admit to something so hideously shamefull?" Still adamant on the subject he pressed onward, eventually sponsering the legislation in Congress where is was buried as an amendment to the 1991 US Clean Air legislation. It was buried so deep within the legislation the Postal Privacy Act was never mentioned in the Federal Register.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Black Astronauts
OLD NEGRO SPACE PROGRAM
In 1957 or '58, a group of unknown men had a dream that mere mortals would dare think possible. This extraordinary film is a tribute to the courage of the Old Negro Space Program...or Blackstronauts, if you will.
See the movie here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
