The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 19, July 1915 - April, 1916 Page: 118
452 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Southwestern Historical Quarterly
2. POSTAGE AND POSTAGE STAMPS
The postal laws of the Confederacy were, in the main, identi-
cal with those of the United States. The Confederate Constitu-
tion required that the post office department should pay all of its
expenses out of its revenues after March 1, 1863. The postage
rates were somewhat higher than in the United States, and the
franking privilege was practically abolished.20
It was a comparatively simple thing to enact laws prescribing
the rates of postage, authorizing the postmaster-general to pro-
cure postage stamps, and restricting the franking privilege; but
it was another thing to put these legislative enactments into
effect. Owing to peculiarities in business conditions, vexing
questions of a practical nature, presumably crushed to earth, con-
tinued, like Truth, to rise again.
Foreseeing some difficulty in procuring postage-stamps and
stamped envelopes, Congress provided that until they could be
had, the postmaster-general might order the postage to be pre-
paid in money, under such rules and regulations as he might
adopt.21 But so rapidly was coin withdrawn from circulation in
the Confederacy, that the payment of postage became very diffi-
cult. In August, 1861, Congress made treasury notes receivable,
in sums of five dollars and upwards, in payment of postage stamps
and stamped envelopes. This did not help matters much, for the
first stamps were not delivered until October, and then, as we
shall see, in insufficient quantities.22 Much dissatisfaction grew
out of the exaction of gold and silver in payment of postage.
Aside from the indignant demands for stamps, other results were:
(1) a strong demand that treasury notes should be made directly
receivable for postage, as well as for stamps and stamped en-
velopes; (2) charges of unfairness because postmasters and post
office employees were receiving as salaries part of the coin paid
in at the offices; and (3) the issuance by postmasters of private
or local postage stamps.
20eport, Nov. 27, 1861, p. 41; The Constitution of the Confederate
States of America, Art. 7, Section 8; Schwab, J. C., The Confederate
States of America, 247; Acts Provisional Congress, C. S. A., 1st Sess.,
pp. 35, 36; Sd Sess., p. 110.
"Report, Nov. 27, 1861, p. 39.
"Report, Nov. 27, 1861, p. 25.118
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 19, July 1915 - April, 1916, periodical, 1916; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101067/m1/133/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.