In Times Past —It’s still in the mail—

“The postal service is for a variety of good reasons made a public function; but that it results in more economical or efficient management, there is not only no evidence to show but all evidence available contradicts.”—Windham County Reformer, Dec. 27, 1901.
The first part of this postal history analysis was published in December and was posted on my blog at larrycoffin.blogspot.com. It covered early postal delivery, rates, offices, the appointment of male and female postmasters, and the controversy over Sunday mail delivery.
This column continues to explore the history of the postal service and its myriad offerings, especially in the period before 1950. The interactions between public postal services and private enterprise, especially as it impacted the development of the government agency, are important areas surveyed here.