Chapter X: Section 6: the mode of paying them. The rest of this circular

gives the details of the service which it is not necessary to
repeat here."

The second circular after reciting the provisions of Section 3, of the Act of March 3d, 1885, and that it has been decided to introduce the system on the first day of October, at all the post offices permitted by the law; contains a description of the stamp prepared to carry out the law, which with some additions is as follows:

SPECIAL DELIVERY STAMP.

ISSUE OF OCTOBER 1ST, 1885.

A line engraving on steel, oblong in form; dimensions 13/16 by 1-7/16 inches, color dark blue. Design: on the left in an arched panel, 101/2 by 151/2 mm., a mail messenger boy on a run, faced to the right on a hatched back-ground, and surrounded above by the words "_United States_," in curved line of colorless capitals. On the right an oblong tablet, ornamented with a wreath of oak on the left, and laurel on the right, surrounding the words, "_Secures--Immediate--Delivery--At a special--Delivery--Office_," in six lines of white capitals on a solid ground. The ground of the tablet above is composed of light vertical lines with colorless border. Across the top of the tablet, but above it, is the legend, "_Special--Postal delivery_," and at the bottom the words, "_Ten Cents_," separated by a shield bearing the numeral "10." The entire ground of the stamp is composed of fine vertical lines except the edges, which are so contrived as to appear bevelled.

Plate impression, 21 by 27 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

10 cents, dark blue.

"They are to be sold by Postmasters to any required amount, and
to any person who may apply for them, but they can be used only
for the purpose of securing the immediate delivery of letters."

About a year ago, after the system was inaugurated at carrier offices there was a further change in the law, and the system was further extended as is shown by the following extracts from three circulars, all dated August 10th, 1886, from the office of the Postmaster General, Washington, D. C., signed by William F. Vilas, Postmaster General. The first is addressed to Postmasters at carrier offices, the second to all other postmasters, and the third to the public. The following from the first circular:

"By the Act of August 4th, 1886, Congress has authorized the
extention of the special delivery system to all post offices and
to all mailable matter. The Act is as follows, namely:

'That every article of mailable matter upon which the special
stamp, provided for by Section 3 of the act entitled: an Act,
etc., shall be duly affixed, shall be entitled to immediate
delivery according to said act, within the carrier limit of any
free delivery office, and within one mile of any other post
office which the Postmaster General shall at any time designate
as a special delivery office.'"

From the second circular only this is of interest:

"No change will be made in the general style of the special
delivery stamp now in use. The following is its description:
(same as in the original circular). The words 'Secures immediate
delivery at a special delivery office,' will however, be changed
to read: 'Secures immediate delivery at any post office.' But as
stamps with the former words are now in the hands of the
postmasters and the public, their use will continue until the
present supply shall be exhausted."

From the third circular only this is to be noticed:

"The attention of the public is invited to the fact that under a
recent Act of Congress the special delivery system heretofore in
effect in cities and towns having a population of 4,000 and
upwards, has been extended to all post offices in the United
States, to take effect on and after October 1st, 1886. The
privileges of this system have also been extended to all classes
of mail matter."

The remainder of these circulars are devoted to directions to postmasters at the two classes of offices, and to the public.

These stamps are printed in sheets of 100, and distributed in half sheets of 50, the center of the sheets being marked as usual by an arrow head. There are consequently 10 stamps in a row, and 10 rows in the whole sheet. The makers imprint appears four times on the sheet, above and below the center row of each half sheet, and the plate number is also four times repeated on the sheet.

3,699,560 special delivery stamps were issued up to June 30th, 1886.

XXVI.

NEWSPAPER AND PERIODICAL STAMPS.

ISSUE OF 1865.

The newspaper stamps issued by the United States Post Office Department do not correspond in their usage very nearly to the stamps denominated newspaper stamps in other countries. The series under review had a very limited and peculiar use. While the dissemination of learning and information had always been fostered in every way by the Acts of Congress, and the distribution of newspapers and periodicals had always been undertaken by the post office at rates that did not pay for the expense of the service, in the intention of encouraging these publications, the Department always found a great rival in the express companies, which, having conformed their rules to the exigencies of business, were enabled to deliver newspapers and periodicals from the trains to the agents and dealers always hours, sometimes days before those sent by the mails reached their destination, as these were sent to the post office and there assorted, some to be delivered locally and others to be made up again into the new mail for further transportation, while those sent by the express companies being transferred at the depot, often finished their journey before the mails could be made up and started.

This service assisted the express companies in those violations of the postal laws which each year the Postmaster General called to the attention of Congress, and Congress endeavored to reach by new laws. The government got the expensive service, the express companies the paying business partly because of their more liberal rates, but particularly because of their more expeditious service.

The attempt was therefore made to so frame the law that the post office might successfully compete for the carriage of newspapers. The Act of the XXXVII Congress, III Session, Chapter 71, Section 38, approved the 3rd of March, 1863, reads:

"And be it further enacted that the Postmaster General may, from
time to time, provide by order the rates and terms upon which
route agents may receive and deliver, at the mail car or
steamer, packages of newspapers and periodicals, delivered to
them for that purpose by the publishers or any news agent in
charge thereof, and not received from or designed for delivery
at any post office."

Under this act for some time payment was made in money, but the report of the Postmaster General dated November 15th, 1865, states:

"New stamps have been adopted of the denominations of 5, 10,
and 25 cents for prepaying postage on packages of newspapers
forwarded by publishers or news dealers under the authority of
law, whereby a revenue will be secured, hitherto lost to the
Department."

In the report of the Postmaster General for 1878, the date of this issue is stated to have been April 1st, 1865. In the accounts of the number of stamps issued in each quarter it appears, however, that the first issue was in the quarter between June 30th and September 30th, 1865.

The stamps were of very large dimensions, and the figures conspicuous. A package adorned with the requisite number was mailed on the train and it could easily be seen that it was duly stamped. The stamps were ordinarily if not always, cancelled by smearing them with ink, with a brush, and not with hand stamps, and the packages were thrown out of the cars to the agents waiting at each station to receive them, and were often torn open by the agent at the depot and distributed to his customers there. Thus the delay that sending them to the post office for distribution would have caused, was avoided.

ISSUE OF APRIL 1ST, 1865.

FIVE CENTS. Large bust of Washington in profile, faced to the right, indicated by colorless curved lines, on a round medallion of straight horizontal lines, 28 mm. in diameter, surrounded by a circular band of curved interlaced colorless lines, all on a colored ground, a smaller circular disk, 11 mm. in diameter, interrupting this band on each side displays a large "V," in color on a horizontally lined ground. Above on a solid ground of color, but ornamented by interlaced colorless lines in colorless letters, "_U. S._" and "_Postage_," in a second curved line; below the head on a solid curved label covering a portion of the circular band in large colorless capitals, "_Five Cents_"; below this again, the ground is ornamented by several colorless lines upon which appear in colored capitals, "_Newspapers_," a colored label with "_and_"; in colorless capitals "_Periodicals_"; below this again, in two lines of colorless capitals on the colored ground, "_Sec. 18, Act of Congress approved--March 3d, 1863_." In each upper corner is a large colorless numeral "5." About all is a frame of 3 colorless lines, ornamented at the corners. The words "_National Bank Note Company, New York_," in small colorless capitals appear between the lower colorless lines. The colored ground extends between the stamps which were perforated.

Plate impression, 55 by 98 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

5 cents, dark blue.

Note. 20,140 of this value were issued.

TEN CENTS. Similar design, but with the profile of Franklin in an oval, the side letters "X," the label "_Ten Cents_," the upper numerals "10," set at an angle.

Plate impression, 55 by 98 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

10 cents, green.

Note. 215,600 of this value were issued.

TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. Similar design, but with the profile of Lincoln, faced to the left, in a rectangle with corners cut off, "25" in figures instead of numerals at the side, on the label "_Twenty Five Cents_," the upper numerals "25" set at an angle.

Plate impression, 55 by 98 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

25 cents, vermilion.

Note. 31,488 of this value were issued.

In 1868-9 there were issued 35,420 more of the five cent value, but these were improved by having the broad colored border removed till only a fine colored line remained outside the colorless frame.

Plate impression, 511/2 by 95 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

5 cents, dark blue, white border.

The Postmaster General's Report for 1869 states that the use of these stamps ceased about the 1st of February, 1869. They were used principally at Chicago, Ill., and Milwaukee, Wis. Reprints were made of all of them except the 5 cents with white border, with the other early issues in 1874.

There was a very wide margin of some 65 mm. at the top and bottom of the sheet, the manufacturers imprint appearing at the top and bottom in colored letters on a small white label let into the colored ground. It is not known how many stamps formed a sheet.

NEWSPAPER AND PERIODICAL STAMPS.

ISSUE OF 1874.

Notwithstanding the very liberal provisions of all the laws regarding postage on printed matter, and particularly those of this Act of March 3rd, 1863, we find the Postmaster General in his report of November 15th, 1869, complaining that the Department was largely defrauded of its revenues by abuses rendered possible by the provisions of that Act, and suggesting that:

"For this mischief there is but one adequate remedy, and that is
to require prepayment on all printed matter. A due regard to the
convenience of the publishers of newspapers would require that
postage on newspapers should be charged according to the weight
of packages, and that such packages should when suspected, be
liable to be opened and searched, and penalties provided if they
were found to contain improper matter."

Nothing seems to have resulted from his recommendations, however. The inconveniences of the system led to calling the attention of Congress to the matter again in the Report of the Postmaster General, in 1873. He says:

"In my report for 1869, I had the honor to suggest a plan for
the prepayment of postage on newspapers and other matter of the
second class by weight of packages rather than by the present
system, which requires the manipulation of each particular
paper, and allows the payment of postage at either the mailing
office, or the office of delivery. A careful revision of the
subject confirms me in the opinion, that the postage on all
such matter should be collected in advance at the mailing
office. * * * No stamps are used for the payment of such
postage; and the Department is compelled to accept in full
satisfaction whatever sums of money postmasters choose to charge
against themselves. So execrably bad is this system, that postal
officers of high standing have estimated that not more than
one-third of the postage properly chargeable on newspapers is
accounted for and paid over. Furthermore, disputes are
continually arising, as to whether the sheets they transmit,
come within the meaning of the term newspapers. * * * I
respectfully submit the following plan for the prepayment of
postage on newspapers of the second class, and urge its
adoption. Let all publishers, their business managers or agents,
be required at the beginning of every quarter, to state under
oath the number of papers of a certain name, they will send by
mail during the quarter, and pay the postage thereon in advance.
On the other hand, postmasters to make return of all newspapers,
with particulars, mailed to regular subscribers. No stamps would
be required. Every paper answering to the description would be
forwarded. No manipulation of each paper would be required, and
the saving to publishers in time and labor, would, it is
thought, be greater than the amount paid for postage, while the
saving to the Department, would justify a reduction of 40 per
cent in the rates, on this class of matter. Periodicals to come
under the same law."

The result of the deliberations upon this suggestion, was the passage by Congress of the following law:

XLIII Congress, Statute 1, Chapter 456, approved June 23rd,
1874, "Section 5. That on and after the first day of January,
1875, all newspapers and periodical publications mailed from a
known office of publication or news agency and addressed to
regular subscribers or news agents shall be charged the
following rates:

On newspapers and periodical publications issued weekly and more
frequently than once a week, two cents for each pound or
fraction thereof, and on those issued less frequently than once
a week three cents for each pound or fraction thereof, provided
that nothing in this Act shall be held to change or amend