100 years ago: Policy of closing post office on Sunday reaches Lawrence

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for May 10, 1911:

  • “‘Among men it is considered a disgrace to be deprived of their elective franchise,’ said Mrs. W. A. Johnston, wife of the chief justice of the supreme court, in talking to a group of suffrage advocates at the court house yesterday afternoon. ‘Jeff Davis, for whom hanging was considered too good, was punished by disfranchisement. Even the convict is frequently pardoned before the expiration of his term in order that he may retain his elective privileges. Only women are denied this right. No other class of people have begged and prayed for suffrage like women. The ballot was freely granted to the negro. It is bestowed without question on foreign immigrants. Only the women have been deemed incapable of exercising their franchise.'”
  • “The Sunday [post office] closing order has at last reached Lawrence. ‘The post office department has instructed the Lawrence office to make Sunday closing effective June 11… with the exception of the general delivery window, at which emergency mail may be obtained. It will not be practical for patrons to secure mail at this window regularly because there will only be one clerk there to wait on the public, and to secure the mail for each patron a large amount of mail will have to be run through, so that it may take as high as five minutes to wait on one patron…. Those patrons desiring all of their mail on Sunday will be accommodated through the lock boxes, and patrons may file orders at the office to have their Sunday mail distributed to boxes and still receive their weekday mail by carrier. The rental charge for lock boxes is 75 cents, $1.00 and $1.50 per quarter, depending on the size of the box. The post office lobby is open day and night so box patrons can get their mail anytime…. Respectfully, IRVING HILL, Postmaster.'”