Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 September 1908 — WORLD-WIDE PENNY POSTAGE [ARTICLE]

WORLD-WIDE PENNY POSTAGE

Made Possible by Recent Robust, Constructive Republican Policy. Oonrention Between America and England in Effect Oat. I—lts Blessings to Foreign Born Citizens.

ORDER NO. 1667. The Postal Administration of Great Britain having concurred therein: It is heaeby ordered, That, commencing on the Ist day of October, 1908, the postage rate applicable to letters mailed In United States, addressed for delivery at any place in the United Kingdom ctf Great Britain and Ireland, shall be two (2) cents an ounce or friction of an ounce. Letters unpaid or short paid shall be dispatched to destination, tout double the deficient postage, calculated at said rate, Shall be collectible of the addressees upon the delivery of the unpaid or short paid letters; ’ • ~ G. V.L. MEYER, Postmaster General. , Behind this simple statement is a vast amount of Republican constructive legislation which resulted in the significant accomplishment, set forth by the Postmastef General. It is eloquently prophetic of a world-wide penny postage, for which the eredit will be due to a Republican administration. eiatfc CalTcmi Postal Congress.

The Sixth Universal Postal Congress convened in the city of Home, Italy, April 7 and continued until May 26, 1906. Sixty-flve countries, including the United States, were represented. The assembly was for the purpose of discussing the postal systems of all nations and, if possible, agreeing upon measures for the improvement in all practical ways, of the regulations governing international intercourse through the mails. The first congress of this kind met in Berne, Switzerland, in 1874. The United States Postofflce Department was represented in this World Postal Congress by two delegates —the Superintendent of Division of Foreign Mails, as in previous postal congresses, and the Hon. Edward Rosewater of the Omaha Bee, who had also served in the preceding postal congress. Mov« for Universal Penny Postage. At this Universal Postal Congress representatives of the United States proposed a universal two-cent postage to all nations. The Hon. J. Henniker Heaton, M. P., who is the father of the-two-cent idea in England, speaking of America’s action at the Rome convention, in standing out for a universal two-cent postal rate, said: - “The British members stood coldly by. They did not recognize that this was a great historic occasion, a worthy parallel of that solemn scene on July 4, 1778, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted ; For if the Americans are willing to adopt a penny postage to all parts of the world, it follows that they are willing to establish it to the British Empire and form with us a ‘Restrictive Postal Union.’ ” The Hon. Whltelaw Reid, America’s Republican minister to the Court of St. James, praised the work of the American delegation and solicited the friendly co-operation of the British government at a Fourth of July banquet speech in London in 1906. Mr. Reid said:

“The American people hoppd for closer and cheaper communications with all other nations as the best means of promoting better acquaintance and perpetuating friendship. They were gratified to find that the British apostle of penny postage (Mr. Heaton) at this moment focusing hi? efforts on what ought to be the easy task of persuading the authorities on botl), sides of the Atlantic, that it was as cheep to carry a letter from London to New York as from London to Calcutta; or from New York to Manila —and quite as useful.’’ Americas Republicans I.cad the Way So it has come to pass that the United State*, under its Republican administration, haß finally succeeded In entering into a convention with Great Britain whereby after the Ist of October this year, a two-cent postage rate will obtain between this country and England. Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We already have such an arrangement with Canada. Mexico, Cuba, Panama and our colonial possessions. This great accomplishment is universally recognized ss the proper beginning which is to result In a universal two-cent postage rat* around the world. lap#rt>at Thl««« AreomyllaheS. Two other important things that the Republican administration accomplished at the Rome Universal Postal Congress through its representatives, must not be lost sight of. One was the adoption of a universal return coupon stamp, in exchange for which, upon it* presentation at a postofflce in another country, the person presenting it shall receive a postage stamp of the value of 0 cents, good in any country of the world, thus enabling people here to prepay postage at regular rates upon reply letters. s The other significant concession was that in all World Postal Congresses to he hftd in the future, tbs United States la ta be granted an additional vote, la

vtow <* Its Übad possessions; so that at all future congressee our oountry will be entitled te two votes; as against on# vote each cast toy every other nation in the world. Practical Benefits to the Poople. No donbt the Democrats may Inquire as to what all this has to do with the welfare of American citizens. For their enlightenment and Information It may be stated that, according to the United States census of 1900, the foreign born population in the United States at that time was 10,460,085. The population, bom of foreign parentage (one or both parents having been bora In foreign countries) was 26,198,939, or a total foreign population of 36,659,024. The report of the Immigration Commissioner by years since then shows that 6,068,656 have since come to America, thus eking out the total foreign population at the present time to 46,327,680. This does not take any note of increase since 1900 in Ameri-can-born children, one or both of whose parents are of foreign blood. Estimating that only one-half of this number—--21,663,840—write0 —write one letter to foreign countries every two weeks, or 26 weeks each year, we have 120,983,040 letters written annually, which, at the present rate of 5 cents postage eaeh, amounts tp an expenditure of $6,499,152 annually! Under the present, postal law foreign correspondents may send letters to the United States ‘‘collect," but when they reach their destination the recipients®!uat uring the double' postage on the same basis, the foreign population of the United States pays during each year, for postage under the present system, $19,497,456. Under the new and cheaper postal charges advocated by the Republican party, phould the 2-cent rate become universal, the foreign population in the United States, to their direct correspondents, would only pay $3,249,576 annually for direct postage and $9,748,728, for letters sent to them from foreign countries “collect.” In other words, this Republican measure will save the highly esteemed adopted citizens of our country, and those bora here of foreign parentage $12,998,254 annually, in the necessary correspondence with their loved ones abroad. But perhaps the Democrats do not think this is worth while.

- lbs urn Glaring Inconsistencies, “r At preleut an American can send a letter 5,000 miles by land —say from Mexico to Alaska—for 2 cents, but must pay 5 cents for a letter of half the weight sent 3,100 miles to England. An Englishman pays 5 cents on a letten crossing the Atlantic, 3,100 miles, and 2 c£nts on one crossing the Indian and South Pacific Oceans, 16,000 miles, to New Zealand. All this is to be remedied on October the first next, thanks to an enlightened Republican administration.

World Is Ready foe Redaction. It will probably be but a short time after the convention between this country and England goes into effect, until the dream of a universal 2-cent letter postage, championed by the Republican party, will be realized. Australia, New Zealand and Egypt already called for the 2-eent rate. The Emperor of Germany has said that 1 f England establishes a 2-ceht postage rate with the United States, he will have Germany do the same. France, Italy, South Africa, Japan, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Sweden would n*feU little'more than an invitation to follow suit.

A 2-cent postal rate would bind all the South American republics and the United States still more closely together into a peaceful, reciprocal, progressive, civilization, which would mean a more rapid development of both American continents and a new application of the Monroe doctrine. With these countries agreed, on the object desired, the continent of Europe alone would then be wholly outside this comprehensive postal union, and then the jContinentaL. power*, would, not -longstand aloof from it. .It has remained for the United States to take the initiative in a move to reap the great glory of being the pioneers of a world wide 2-cent postage. MUl’tnr of our citizens win feel almost as grateful for this beneficent act a* mllHuns of slaves did, when the Republican party broke the shackles that liound them to perpetual physical services.