. The American railway; its construction, development, management, and appliances . tion on this sideof the Atlantic. Thetransactions of itsmoney-order system,not only in our owncountry, but with al-most every nation inthe civilized world(Russia and Spain excepted), run up to wellnigh fabulous drafts are easily obtained and cheap. Its notes are giltedged, and have never been repudiated. With the creation ofthe Postal Savings Bank system, the working peoples depart-ment in its organization will approach perfection. The first mention of a travelling post-office occurs in a me-morial add
. The American railway; its construction, development, management, and appliances . tion on this sideof the Atlantic. Thetransactions of itsmoney-order system,not only in our owncountry, but with al-most every nation inthe civilized world(Russia and Spain excepted), run up to wellnigh fabulous drafts are easily obtained and cheap. Its notes are giltedged, and have never been repudiated. With the creation ofthe Postal Savings Bank system, the working peoples depart-ment in its organization will approach perfection. The first mention of a travelling post-office occurs in a me-morial addressed to Congress in November, 1776, by EbenezerHazard, Postmaster-General under the Continental Congress, inwhich he states that, owing to the frequent removals of the Con-tinental Army, he was subjected to extraordinary expense, diffi-culties, and fatigues, having paid an exorbitant price for everynecessary of life, and having been obliged, for want of a horse—which could not be procured—to follow the army on foot. Directly after the inauguration of General Washington, in. m Postal Progress, 1776-1876.(Facsimile of a print in the Post-Office Department.) 3^4 THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE. April, 1789, the organization of the Post-Office Department fol-lowed, and Samuel Osgood, of Massachusetts, was appointedPostmaster-General. That the people might derive the greatestpossible advantage from an institution peculiarly their own, thisgigantic monopoly—for it is nothing else—was created, and allcompetition forbidden. The Postmaster-General had then but oneclerk, and there were but 75 post-offices and 1,875 utiles of post-roads in the United States ; the cost of mail transportation being$22,081, the total revenue, $37,935, the total expenditures, $32,-140; leaving a surplus of $5,795. From this time until 1836 thecontracts made for the transportation of the mails do not mentionany kind of service on post-roads except stages, sulkies, four-horsepost-coaches, horseback, packets,
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