[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4635]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     IN HONOR OF THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLEVELAND POST OFFICE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 14, 2005

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of 
the 200th Anniversary of the Cleveland Post Office, which embraces the 
legacy of Northeast Ohio's mail carriers. For two centuries, these 
fearless messengers have braved everything from freezing January snow 
to the blazing heat of July, to snarling dogs, in order to deliver the 
mail throughout our Greater Cleveland community and across our nation.
  Joseph Briggs, a Cleveland postal employee, revolutionized the postal 
system when he convinced postal officials to adopt a policy of free 
home delivery. On July 1, 1863, as our nation was divided by the Civil 
War, 450 mail carriers began Free City Service Delivery in Cleveland, 
Ohio. Encouraged by the positive response, officials expanded this 
service to other areas.
  As our nation's frontier rolled westward, so did the United States 
Postal Service. The Service grew alongside every new and growing city 
and town, delivering mail from faraway places to our mailboxes. They 
journeyed down dusty trails, winding rivers, city streets and country 
roads--wherever cities came to life, so did a new post office.
  Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition 
of every past and present employee of the Cleveland Post Office and 
their outstanding legacy.
  The mail carriers hold in their hands the important information we 
need--from lifechan-
ging announcements to everyday correspondence. This centuries-old 
exchange of news, emotion and ideas, sealed in a Postal Service letter, 
not only communicated the events of our nation's history, but still 
serves to facilitate change and shape the direction of America.

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