for the death of two Americans and indemnify their families. The agreement was signed by November 6th."

55

Once more during his legation to Panama - which was characterized by the cordial relations that are the measure of successful diplomacy - Mr. Dawson was called upon a special mission. On June 13, 1911, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary on the part of the United States to attend the Venezuelan Centennial Celebration the second Iowan to bear that title. The celebration, centering in Caracas, began on June 24th and lasted a month. With the representatives of other foreign countries Mr. Dawson participated in the numerous formal ceremonies.56

Meanwhile, on June 27, 1911, Ambassador Dawson was appointed Resident Diplomatic Officer in the Department of State, an office which he held until his death on May 1, 1912. By his contemporaries he came to be regarded as one of the most experienced and able members of the American diplomatic service. His many missions "gave him an experience and knowledge which were of greatest usefulness in promoting friendship, good understanding, and commerce among all the American nations." Throughout Latin America he was "respected for his ability, tact, and sympathy." "Since the late W. I. Buchanan died in Great Britain three years ago," wrote the editor of the Bulletin of the Pan-American Union, "Mr. Dawson could perhaps be described as the best living authority on the Latin American countries and their relations with the United States." Thus it appears that Iowa has contributed two of the foremost Latin American diplomats - men who have had a powerful influence in fostering Pan-Americanism and

55 Foreign Relations of the United States, 1910, pp. 762-767, 820.

50 The American Review of Reviews, Vol. XLIV, pp. 618-620; Bulletin of the Pan American Union, Vol. XXXIII, p. 502.

cementing the bonds of friendship and good will between the nations of the Western Hemisphere.57

THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

IOWA CITY IOWA

JOHN E. BRiggs

57 Bulletin of the Pan American Union, Vol. XXXIV, pp. 720, 721. On page 579 of this publication there is a portrait of Mr. Dawson as he appeared during the later years of his life.

KASSON AND THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL

POSTAL CONFERENCE

No public international union has been more important or successful than the Universal Postal Union. Having its origin in a conference of hopeful but hesitating delegates from fifteen governments meeting in Paris in 1863 where a tentative program was adopted but no permanent organization established, the Postal Union has now become an absolutely essential institution of enormous proportions and unlimited possibilities for promoting international well-being. Practically all of the civilized nations of the world are members. About two billion pieces of mail are handled annually, representing a formidable exchange of ideas, impressions, and relations of all kinds among peoples separated by ethnic, linguistic, and other profound differences.1

When John A. Kasson of Iowa became First Assistant Postmaster General of the United States in 1861 he found a multitude of functions awaiting him. He was head of the appointment office, supervised the establishment and discontinuance of post offices, and looked after the distribution of blanks, paper, twine, and post office furniture. He was in charge of the pay of clerks and special agents, was responsible for the regulations affecting postmasters, and was in charge of foreign mail transportation and foreign correspondence. At first the discharge and appoint1 Sayre's Experiments in International Administration, pp. 19, 20.

2 Kasson was offered this position in accordance with the desire of Senator James W. Grimes. His nomination was the second sent to the Senate by President Lincoln for confirmation, the first being that of Lincoln's personal friend, Mr. Judd of Illinois, for Minister to Prussia.—John A. Kasson, An Autobiography in Annals of Iowa (Third Series), Vol. XII, pp. 349, 350.

ment of postmasters, sometimes as many as six hundred a day, occupied his whole attention. He devised an army postal system that was used during the Civil War, and later prepared a code of postal laws that had formerly been scattered through the Federal statutes.3

But probably the most far-reaching results of the work of Kasson as Assistant Postmaster General were in connection with the foreign mail service. At that time the international postal system was extremely defectiveindeed, the word system can scarcely be properly applied. Postal communication was entirely dependent upon separate treaties with the various countries; and since each country was anxious to promote its own profits and quite unconcerned about international interests the foreign postal rates were as high as the transmitting states dared to make them. Not only that, but there was no common standard of weight and no uniformity of rates. There were almost as many different rates for ocean transit as there were steamship companies carrying mail. In overland transit, even within the United States, different rates prevailed in different parts of the country, while in transit to foreign countries there were more rates than there were countries. Postage included a payment to the country of dispatch, another to the country of destination, and others to all the countries through which the letter was carried. Moreover, mail sent from one country to another by different routes required different amounts of postage. For example, there were six routes from the United States to Australia and the postage on a letter was five cents, thirtythree cents, forty-five cents, fifty-five cents, sixty cents, or a dollar and two cents, depending upon the route by which

3 John A. Kasson, an Autobiography in Annals of Iowa (Third Series), Vol. XII, p. 350; Report of the Postmaster General, 1862, pp. 119, 120, in House Executive Documents, 37th Congress, 3rd Session, Vol. IV, Doc. No. 1.

VOL. XIX-24

it was sent. There were different rates also for open and closed mails by the same route. It is no wonder that postmasters made mistakes and unfortunate delays occurred. The marvel is that international business by postal correspondence was possible at all.*

It was necessary with this arrangement to keep an exceedingly complicated system of accounts with each country with which postal relations were maintained. Each foreign country had to be credited with its portion of the sum prepaid on each article (not the aggregate weights of the mails) and the minute details entered in a letter bill sent with each mail. The accounts were kept by the rate and according to the standard of weight of the creditor country the English ounce, the French gram, the German "loth" and the unit of rate was one sheet of paper or a fraction of some unit of weight. Think of the labor involved in determining the amount of postage on a letter according to the most advantageous route, in scrutinizing each article, and in entering in the letter bill the separate credits to be given to the various foreign offices that handled a particular piece of mail!5

The balances which were usually in favor of the foreign country- were payable annually in gold. Moreover, the exchange was also payable by the remitting country. During the Civil War gold in the United States was at a premium and consequently the usual burden of the foreign mail service in this country was increased to that extent.

4 John A. Kasson, an Autobiography in Annals of Iowa (Third Series), Vol. XII, p. 350; Sayre's Experiments in International Administration, p. 19; Report of the Postmaster General, 1862, pp. 124, 157-159, in House Executive Documents, 37th Congress, 3rd Session, Vol. IV, Doc. No. 1; Report of the Postmaster General, 1895, p. 449, in House Executive Documents, 54th Congress, 1st Session, Vol. XIII, Doc. No. 4.

5 Report of the Postmaster General, 1895, p. 449, in House Executive Documents, 54th Congress, 1st Session, Vol. XIII, Doc. No. 4.