PETITION FOR CHEAP POSTAGE.
To THE Senate AND House OF Representatives OF THE United States, IN Congress ASSEMBLED:The undersigned, citizens ofBostonrespectfully petition Congress to pass a law, establishing
1. A uniform rate of Two Cents on letters weighing half an ounce, and two cents for every additional half ounce,
prepaid, and double that rate if not prepaid.
2. Newspapers, periodicals, and all printed matter, one cent per sheet, prepaid; but newspapers of the smaller size half a cent. ^prepaid, except when sent from the office of publication^
3. To reduce the postage on letters and newspapers by mail packets and steamers, to
a rate which will bring it within the means of every class of citizens to maintain
frequent intercourse with their friends in other countries, without feeling the postage
to be a burdensome tax.
4. To adopt measures that in all large towns and cities there shall be a free delivery
of letters and newspapers, and also for the reception and conveyance of letters to
the post-office for the mails free of any expense.
5. To abolish the franking privilege entirely, that postage may be paid on every thing
sent by the mails. Postage of members of Congress to be paid as their other expenses,
and postmasters to be remunerated for the loss of the franking privilege and the temporary
diminution of their income, by an increase of their commissions.
| NAMES. | PLACE OF RESIDENCE. |
| John Burbank | Boston |
| John Dickinson | Boston |
| B. B. Redding | " |
| Asa D. Hatch | Boston |
| H. Q Bowditch | " |
| N [Damns?] | " |
| Jas. S. Leavitt | " |
| Alfred Robertson | " |
| D, R, Curtis | Boston |
| Francis Jenkins | " |
| Edwin G Houghton | Newton |
| C. C. Nichols | Boston |
| E. Sewall Price | " |
| A. A. Wallace | " |
| H. Davison. | |
| A. L. [Fimard?] | Boston |
| L. D. Heart | Boston |
| Geo. W. White | " |
| R. S. Young | " |
| Charles Johnson | " |
| Edwd G. Lynes | Do |
| Joseph B. Edwards Jr | Do. |
| Joseph W. Allyne. | |
| S. P. Hanscom | Do |
| B. F. Dwight | Do |
| John. Trosner | Do |
| Sylvanus Cobb Jr, | |
| J. Cutts Smith | |
| John Bent | |
| John F Macy, | |
| W. G. Cambridge | Lowell |
| Joel Hills | Boston |
| Joshua P Blanchard | Boston |
| Robt. Spencer Dyer, | Boston. |
| Thomas R. Kimball | do |
| George Adams | do |
| Amos Whitmore Jr | do |
| John A Norton | " |
| E. Haskins | " |
| Benjn Lawton | " |
| Chas H. Morse | " |
| John Dean | Boston |
| Joseph Noyes | |
| Charles B Rutherford | " |
| Bartholomew Hunt | |
| J. O, Standish | |
| E. P. Moore | " |
| A. H. Baker | " |
| J. Plumbe | |
| Moses Grant | |
| Richard J. Attwill | |
| [Jones?] A, [Basford?] | |
| H. S. Ranney | |
| [Eliner?] Wright | |
| David [Rayn-?] | |
| Wm Thompson Jr | |
| A. Cassen | |
| Richard Hildreth | |
| William Hobby | |
| C Keith | |
| Thos Wilson | |
| H Wilson | |
| F Smithe | |
| E. S. Porter | |
| Geo, Manchester | |
| John M. Pierce | Lyme |
| John Curtis Jr | Boston |
| [Fenealty?] Anderson | |
| [Ina?] B Shaw | |
| Wm G Paine | |
| Francis L Sargent | |
| John B. Hatch | |
| Enoch Peabody | Reading |
| Wm F. Channing | Boston. |
| D, F, Chessman | Boston |
| T. H. Leavitt | " |
| Lorenzo Lawton | |
| Geo. Sampson | |
| Samuel Jones | Boston |
| Wm B Williams | " |
| Henry P. Gibbs | " |
| A. Bronson Alcott | |
| LaRoy Sunderland | " |
| John Brown | Springfield |
| John, S. Ross | Boston |
| Joshua Chamberlain | |
| Fred Somerby | " |
| William T Briant | |
| S C Hersey | Hopkinton Mass |
| F C Moore | Boston |
| Elbridge Smith | Cambridge |
| Eli W Holbrook | |
| Albert, H, Ferry | Boston |
| Wm S. Robinson | Boston |
| G. R. Brooks | " |
| R. M. Capen | " |
| A. H. Bailey | " |
| E. G. Mansfield. | |
| Chas. E. Buckingham | " |
| W. Henry Thayer | " |
| Ira Warren | " |
| R. K. Patten | " |
| Henry P Farnum | " |
| S. Q Hallet | " |
| James O. King | |
| Francis A Ball | |
| James Ball | |
| Richard Cooper | |
| Warren Kinnon | |
|
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|
|
| W. T. Lewis | |
| Geo E Ball | |
| Charles Haneford | |
| Mathew Colby | |
| Jeremiah Emery | |
| [Abner?] Curtis | |
| Isaac Child | |
| F Howland | |
| A. H. Bradford | |
| George W Greene. | Milton |
| A. F. Bailey | W. Newbury |
| Asa Mitchell | Boston |
| John Graham | " |
| Moses Cheney Jr | " |
| James King | " |
| David Henry | " |
| J. A. Wetherby | |
| Nathaniel T. Butler | [Dorchester?] |
| Frederick S. Cabot | |
| S. H. Lloyd | Boston |
| Jona. Butterfield | " |
| James W Stone | " |
| Henry Reed | Brookfield Ms |
| Henry Jas. Prentiss, | Boston |
| R P Studley | Boston |
| Wm. D. Crockett | Boston |
| A Locke Jr | |
| John O Boyes | Boston |
| Cornelius Gray | |
| Bengn [Ustac?] | " |
| Samuel K Foster | " |
| Francis Dawson | |
| J. F. Stone | Boston |
| S. P. Knights | " |
| J. S. Adams | " |
| James [Heningsee?] | " |
| Saml Hanscom | Do |
| E. T. Kingsley | Do |
| D. S. Tarr. | " |
| Perkins A. Potter | " |
| S. Parker | " |
| J. Hanscom | Kittery Me |
| Abram Wright | Mason N.H. |
| E. A. Larkin | Lancaster |
| A. P. Hayman | Ashby mass |
| G. A Gray | "" |
| Thomas Rowean | Boston |
| Phillip Davison | " |
| John G. Anders | " |
| Henry H Davinson Jr | " |
| Alexander Williams " | " |
| Joshua Reed | Pawtucket |
| Timothy C. Davinson | Providence R.I. |
| John Wiley | Bosston, Ms. |
| H. D. Cushing | |
| A M, McPhail J | Boston |
| Peter Kimball | Boston, Ms. |
| John Smith | Boston |
| Cornelius Cowing | West Roxbury |
| H Cummings | Duxbury |
| Vernon Barton | |
| Sewell G Knight | |
| Martin Clough | |
| Jos S Eastman | Boston |
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[ docketing
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Petition of ^citizens of Boston^ John Burbank and 172 others, in behalf of Cheap Postage.
[ docketing
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January 19, 1849 Referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads.
[ docketing
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Presented by Horace Mann of Massachusetts.
[ docketing
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Referred to the Committee on Post Offices, & Post-roads,
Partially Printed Document Signed, 3 page(s), RG 233, Entry 367: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to Committees, 1847-1849, NAB