USA > Maryland > Men of mark in Maryland Johnson's makers of America series biographies of leading men of the state, Volume III > Part 24
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JOHN A. J. CRESWELL
48 to 87; the number of letter carriers, from 1198 to 2049; the num- ber of mail routes, from 8226 to 9761; the aggregate length of all routes from 216,928 miles to 269,097 miles; the aggregate annual transportation, from 84,224,325 miles to 128,627,476 miles; the length of railroad routes, from 36,018 miles to 67,734 miles; the aggregate annual transportation on railroad routes, from 34,886,178 miles to 72,460,545 miles; the number of letters exchanged with foreign countries, from 13,600,000 to 28,579,045; the number of money orders issued, from 831,937 to 4,420,633; the aggregate value of money orders issued, from $16,197,858 to $74,424,854; the num- ber of money orders paid, from 836,940 to 4,416,114; the aggregate value of money orders paid, from $15,976,501 to $74,210,156; the number of mail letters delivered by letter carriers, from 64,349,486 to 177,021,179; the number of local letters delivered by letter carriers, from 14,081,906 to 54,137,401; and the number of letters collected by letter carriers from 63,164,625 to 194,196,749. Notwithstanding the immense increase shown by these comparisons, and large concurrent re- ductions of postage and money order charges, the cost of ocean trans- portation, including all subsidies, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1874, was $22,492 less than for the year ending June 30, 1868, and the total deficiency of the former year was $1,178,058 less than for the lat- ter. Mr. Creswell always kept within the aggregate of his appropria- tions. He returned to the Treasury unexpended balances for the years 1870, 1871, and 1872, amounting to $4,376,556, and when he retired from office, he left on hand, after charging up all liabilities, a balance of $1,834,067. During his administration of the Post Office Depart- ment, many important reforms and improvements in the postal service were introduced and carried into successful operation, among which may be mentioned: 1. A reduction of the cost of ocean mail transportation from eight cents to two cents per single letter rate; and a great acceleration of speed by abandoning the contract system as to ocean transportation, and in lieu thereof awarding the mails, at the reduced rate, to the best and fastest steamers appointed to sail on four days of every week, and then advertising the selections monthly in advance. 2. The readjustment of the mail pay of rail- roads on an equitable basis. 3. An extensive increase of railroad post office lines and postal clerks. 4. A large increase of letter car- riers in cities and free delivery for every city in the country having a population of twenty thousand inhabitants. 5. A thorough revision
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of our postal arrangements with foreign countries. 6. The general extension of the money order system within the United States and to foreign countries. 7. A complete codification of the laws relating to the Post Office Department, with a systematic classification of offences against the postal laws. 8. A reform in letting mail con- tracts, which eventually led to the passage of such legislation against fraudulent bidding as secured fair competition among responsible bidders. 9. The introduction of postal cards at a postage of one cent each, as a means of facilitating business correspondence, and a step towards a general reduction of domestic letter postage. 10. The absolute repeal of the franking privilege.
Mr. Creswell's first efforts to procure a change of the law so as to extirpate fraudulent bidding were commenced in the early part of 1870, and resulted in the act of May 5 of that year. Unfortunately, the vital provisions of the bill, as proposed by him, were stricken out by the Senate, and the objectionable feature of confining the Postmaster-General in making mail contracts to the line of bidders inserted against his protest. That act, proving ineffectual, Mr. Creswell called particular attention again in his report of 1871, pages 30, 31 and 32, to the pernicious practices to which bidders sometimes resorted, and recommended a series of remedies which he afterward embodied and presented in the form of bills. The passage of these measures he urged at the ensuing and subsequent sessions of Congress, notably in 1872 and 1874, but with only partial success. His views were, however, finally adopted, and the essential power of making contracts outside the line of bidders as a last resort was given to the Postmaster-General by the act of August 11, 1876. The Department was thus, after a prolonged contest of six years relieved from the vicious contrivance known as straw bidding, and to Mr. Creswell more than to any other person, is due the credit of devising and secur- ing the adoption of an adequate remedy for that evil. He was also a zealous advocate for the adoption of postal savings depositories and the postal telegraph, and presented in his reports for the years . 1871, 1872 and 1873, elaborate and exhaustive arguments in favor of both those measures. The sequel has shown that, if his views in relation to postal savings depositories had been adopted, many millions of dollars would have been saved to the mechanics and laborers of the country, and the financial condition of the Govern- ment would have been greatly strengthened.
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JOHN A. J. CRESWELL
Although desirous of withdrawing from the Cabinet at the end of General Grant's first term, he accepted a reappointment in obe- dience to the President's desire, and continued in office until June 24, 1874, when he tendered his resignation.
The personal and official relations existing between him and President Grant are apparent from the ensuing correspondence:
MR. CRESWELL'S LETTER OF RESIGNATION.
WASHINGTON, D. C., June 24, 1874.
SIR:
After more than five years of continuous service, I am constrained, by a proper regard for my private interests, to resign the office of Postmaster- General, and to request that I may be released from duty as soon as it may be convenient for you to designate my successor.
For the generous confidence and support which you have uniformly ex- tended to me in my efforts to discharge my duty, I shall not attempt to express the full measure of my gratitude. It is sufficient to say that my relations, official and personal, with yourself, and with every one of my colleagues of the cabinet, have always been of the most agreeable and satisfactory character to me.
Rest assured that I shall continue to give to your administration my most cordial support, and that I shall ever deem it an honor to be permitted to sub- scribe myself, Sincerely and faithfully,
Your friend, JOHN A. J. CRESWELL.
To the President.
GENERAL GRANT'S REPLY.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D. C., June 24, 1874.
MY DEAR SIR:
As I expressed to you verbally this morning when you tendered your resig- nation of the office of Postmaster-General, it is with the deepest regret to me that you should have felt such a course necessary. You are the last of the original members of the Cabinet named by me as I was entering upon my present duties, and it makes me feel as if old associations were being broken up that I had hoped might be continued through my official life.
In separating officially I have but two hopes to express: First, that I may get a successor who will be as faithful and efficient in the performance of the duties of the office you resign; second, a personal friend that I can have the same attachment for.
Your record has been satisfactory to me, and I know it will so prove to the country at large. Yours very truly,
U. S. GRANT.
Hon. J. A. J. Creswell, P. M. Gen'l.
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The formal transfer of the Department to his successor did not take place until July 6, 1874. On the 22d of the same month, he was appointed Counsel for the United States before the Court of Commissioners of Alabama Claims, and continued to act in that capacity until the court expired by limitation of law December 31, 1876.
At the end of his labors, the judges unanimously, and of their own motion, exhibited their appreciation of his services by an order in these words:
The Court desire to place upon record an expression of their sense of the value of the services of the Honorable John A. J. Creswell in the discharge of his duties as counsel on behalf of the United States. He has exhibited un- wearied industry in the investigation of the facts of several cases, great re- search in the examination of the difficult questions of law often arising, and great ability in presenting to the court his views both of the facts and law. With an earnest zeal to protect the rights of the Government, he has yet been entirely fair and just to claimants. His uniform courtesy and kindness of manner have made his official intercourse with the members of the Court peculiarly agreeable to them. It is, therefore, alike proper and just that this expression of our opinion of his ability, fidelity and integrity should be placed upon the record.
The Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company was overtaken by disaster, and again his services were called upon as one of the com- missioners to wind up the concern. His financial ability, like his legal ability, was of a high order, and he served as president of the Citizens' National Bank of Washington, D. C., and vice-president of the National Bank of Elkton.
During his administration as Postmaster-General, his Alma Mater, Dickinson College, conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1871. At the conclusion of his public services, he re- turned to his home in Elkton, and from that date (1876) up to his death on December 23, 1891, he was not again in public office. But in 1889, there occurred what was perhaps the most illuminating inci- dent in connection with his life. The Honorable Stanley Matthews, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Bench, had died. President Harrison had the appointment. of his successor to make. From one end of the country to the other, there sprung up sponta- neously. as it were, an earnest desire for the appointment of Mr. Cres- well. Knowing his pronounced views, men of all shades of political
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opinion, many of them the most eminent in the United States, from one end of the country to the other, united in petitions to the Presi- dent for his appointment. It was a testimonial of confidence in the legal ability, the personal integrity, and the impartiality of his judgment that was enough to compensate any man for a lifetime of struggle. These letters, now preserved in a manuscript volume as one of the treasures of Mr. Creswell's family, make about one hundred and sixty-five pages, and do not include them all. The Bar of Mary- land was practically unanimous. Former senators; former congress- men; sitting senators and congressmen; judges and lawyers from all over the country; men of every political shade; men eminent in other callings besides the law,-all appealed to the President for his appoint- ment. Amongst these was one from his original law partner, Mr. George Earle, who wrote at the request of the President, a lengthy letter covering his personal knowledge of General Creswell and giving some idea of his public service. This letter from his old partner, written in the plainest and simplest fashion, was in itself a most perfect eulogy.
General Creswell did not live to be an old man-he was but sixty-three at the time of his death. He had been complaining, and his health had not been as good as usual; but his taking off at the end was unexpected. His forty years of arduous labor were crowned with singular success, both in a professional and in a political way. He passed to his rest,-if not full of years, full of honors, and with a great measure of respect from the men who had been his bitterest opponents for twenty-five years; for though he was a partisan, he was a man.
Another phase of Mr. Creswell's character is entitled to notice. Gratitude has been defined as a lively sense of favors to come,-and politicians as a rule possess a large measure of that sort of gratitude. Mr. Creswell was the exception to that rule. President Grant had honored him and given him his confidence and his friendship. He thus made a lifetime friend of him; and when the President was out of office and could confer no other favors, he adhered to him tena- ciously and was one of that group who made such a strenuous effort to nominate him for President the third time.
Yet one other feature, and perhaps that which was most honor- able to him-his private life. Naturally a dignified man, he was yet always courteous; but as his fame increased, instead of having a
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demoralizing effect upon his manner, as is the case with some men, he became even more affable and courteous in his demeanor with his fellows, especially to those who were in humble circumstances.
In business he was always just, and often generous; and those who had the closest business relations with him esteemed him most highly. His home life was exemplary. In his morals, he was as clean as a good woman. He was a strict observer of the duties of religion, and a liberal contributor to charitable objects.
Not addicted to club life, yet as one willing to help along any- thing of a deserving nature he became one of the charter members of the Metropolitan Club.
Taken all in all, Senator Groome characterized him as the great- est man of his generation in his section of the country.
In May, 1857, Mr. Creswell was married to Miss Hannah J. Richardson, the only daughter of the late Joshua and Mary A. (Scott) Richardson of Elkton. Her father was a prominent man in his day, descended from an ancient, colonial family. It is a matter of con- siderable interest in connection with Mr. Creswell and his wife to give somewhat in detail some of their family connections as it will explain in a measure the intense patriotism of Mr. Creswell and his wife, who was always·his cordial cooperator in all of his efforts, and who in the long years which have elapsed since his death has kept his memory green. General Creswell was also survived by one sister, Mrs. Sidney A. Hilliard, of Washington, D. C.
Mention has been made of the Webbs. Jonathan Webb, his maternal grandfather, was the fifth in descent from Richard and Elizabeth Webb, the immigrants. Jonathan Webb's father, James Webb, had a brother. William, who was a member of the Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania from 1723 to 1736. In 1747. James Webb himself was elected a member of that body and served until 1775, a period of twenty-eight years. Among the many important commit- tees on which James Webb served was the Committee of Correspond- ence with the other Colonies, appointed by the Provincial Congress which met in Philadelphia, July 15, 1774.
The Richardson family of which Mrs. Creswell is a member. dates back to 1634 in Virginia, and Mrs. Creswell is seventh in descent from Robert and Susanna Richardson, who first settled in Maryland, and whose title to two thousand acres in Somerset County was confirmed by Charles Calvert in 1668. Robert Richardson
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removed to Anne Arundel County in 1688. His eldest son, William, represented Anne Arundel in the Lower House of the General Assembly from 1676 to 1683. During that period, he served upon the Com- mittee of Security and Defense of the Provinces; also upon the Com- mittee of Laws and the Committee on the Preservation of the Records. Warfield in his History of Anne Arundel County says that "the Richardsons were men of means and education and held important positions." William Richardson married Elizabeth Talbot, who was the widow of Richard Talbot and daughter of Major Richardson and Sophia Ewen. She brought to him "Talbot's Ridge," adjoining "His Lordship's Manor," surveyed 1662. William Richardson died in 1697. His wife above referred to was a Ewen. This family was founded by Major Richard Ewen, who came over in 1649, bringing his wife Sophia, his five children, and a number of servants. He was given a grant of one thousand acres of land in 1650; and from 1654 to 1657 served as one of the Parliamentary Commissioners for regu- lating the affairs in Maryland. He was Speaker of the General Assembly in 1657; member of the Provincial Court, and represented Anne Arundel County in the House of Burgesses in 1659-60. On July 12, 1658, he was commissioned a major of the Colonial forces. His widow, Mrs. Sophia Ewen, married secondly Colonel William Burgess, and had a daughter, Susanna, who married Colonel Nicholas Sewell, and was the grandmother of Elizabeth Brooke, who was the mother of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Mrs. Creswell is sixth in direct line from Thomas and Alice Smith of Calvert, Maryland. Mrs. Alice Smith in her will dated 1698, mentions her grandchild, Elizabeth Chew, wife of Benjamin Chew. The only son of Elizabeth and Benjamin Chew was Doctor Samuel Chew of Maidstone, who became Chief Justice of Delaware; and his son, Benjamin Chew, became Chief Justice of Pennsylvania. Harriet Chew, daughter of Chief Justice Benjamin Chew of Pennsylvania, married Charles Carroll, the only son of the famous old Signer, and presided with great elegance and dignity over "Homewood." the seat of her husband. Another daughter, Margaret Oswald Chew, married in 1787 the famous Revolutionary soldier, Colonel John Eager Howard. Yet another famous name crops up in Mrs. Creswell's ancestral line. Among the many descendants of the Smiths of Calvert, Ewens and Richardsons, are the Mercers. Mrs. Sophie Mercer was the wife of Colonel John Francis Mercer of the Revolutionary Army. She was
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descended from Thomas Sprigg and his wife, Elizabeth Galloway. Elizabeth Galloway was a daughter of Richard Galloway, Junior, and Sophia Richardson, daughter of William and Margaret (Smith) Richardson. She was born on December 16, 1721, and married on December 14, 1737, the fourth Thomas Sprigg. They had a son, Richard Sprigg, born in December, 1739. This Richard Sprigg, whose home was at "Cedar Park," on West River, married in 1765, Margaret Caile, daughter of John Caile, an Englishman born, and his wife, Rebecca Ennalls. Richard Sprigg's daughter, Sophia, married in 1785 Colonel John Francis Mercer of the Revolutionary Army, and inherited "Cedar Park" about 1799. Neither General nor Mrs. Creswell ever overrated or had any excessive pride of ancestry; but like all intelligent people had a reasonable pride in excellent ancestry-for, as Edmund Burke profoundly remarked: "A man who is not proud of his ancestry will never leave after him anything for which his posterity may be proud of him."
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