HR0046 LRB095 06825 KXB 26941 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, On July 26, 1775, members of the Second
3 Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, agreed: "That a
4 postmaster general be appointed for the United Colonies, who
5 shall hold his office at Philada, and shall be allowed a salary
6 of 1000 dollars per an: for himself, and 340 dollars per an:
7 for a secretary and Comptroller, with power to appoint such,
8 and so many deputies as to him may seem proper and necessary.
9 That a line of posts be appointed under the direction of the
10 Postmaster general, from Falmouth in New England to Savannah in
11 Georgia, with as many cross posts as he shall think fit."; and
 
12     WHEREAS, This simple statement signaled the birth of the
13 Post Office Department, the predecessor of the U.S. Postal
14 Service and the second oldest federal department or agency of
15 the United States; and
 
16     WHEREAS, Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster
17 General; under him and his immediate successors, the postal
18 system mainly carried communications between Congress and the
19 armies; and
 
20     WHEREAS, America's present Postal Service descends in an
21 unbroken line from the system Franklin planned and placed in
22 operation; history rightfully accords him major credit for

 

 

HR0046 - 2 - LRB095 06825 KXB 26941 r

1 establishing the basis of the system that has well served the
2 growing and changing needs of the American people; and
 
3     WHEREAS, Today, the United States Postal Service is the
4 third largest employer in the nation, employing about 619,000
5 individuals; the workers include clerks, mail carriers, mail
6 sorters, processors, and processing machine operators; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Postal Service operates the largest civilian
8 vehicle fleet in the world, with an estimated 260,000 vehicles,
9 most recognized and identified as the Grumman LLV, or "mail
10 truck"; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The motto of the Post Office "neither snow nor
12 rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the
13 swift completion of their appointed rounds" still tells us
14 today how hard the men and women of the United States Postal
15 Service work to ensure the smooth delivery of the mail to over
16 141 million addresses; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
19 declare July 26 of each year to be Postal Workers Day in the
20 State of Illinois as a way to recognize the hard work and
21 dedication of the men and women of the United States Postal
22 Service.