Septembe; 19, 1985 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 24393 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS AN ACTON TIME CAPSULE troops in the Civil War to march through And they perform these tasks exceedingly Baltimore, heading South. well. They should not be criticized: they HON. CHESTER G. ATKINS With the routing of the Fitchburg Rail­ should be congratulated. My hat goes off to road through Acton in 1844, there began a postmasters, to all postal employees and to OF MASSACHUSETTS period of industrial growth. The first de­ the Federal civil servant. Congratulations IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES partment store, the Jordan Marsh of its on a job well done. Thursday, September 19, 1985 day, was located in Exchange Hall, right on Following is the text of Mr. Costin's Mr. ATKINS. Mr. Speaker, this weekend the railroad. But for nearly 100 years, from speech: the town of Acton, MA, is celebrating its the Civil War to World War II, Acton re­ This is an auspicious occasion for it is one 250th anniversary. It is with great pride mained a small agricultural town of apple of the few times that the Members of these that I bring to the attention of my col­ orchards and market gardens supplying two very important constituencies, Members Metropolitan Boston. The unchanging of Congress and Members of the Board of leagues the story of this historic town. Governors, both of whom directly affect our In 1635, Concord was the first settlement scene of Acton is illustrated by Acton Center being listed in the National Registry Postal Service, can sit facing those individ­ of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to be es­ uals who have the task of managing the tablished inland, away from tidal waters. as an example of a typical 19th century vil­ lage and common, with the original build­ Postal Service on a day to day basis. The Where the Assabet and Sudbury Rivers people before you are the ones who inter­ ing intact. joined to form the Concord River, there face directly with postal customers. There is After World War II, people began to were broad, fertile meadows ideally suited no other layer of management between for a small farming community intending move out to the country, from Boston on to them and the American people. We are the to live gracefully in Concord. towns like Acton. From the 1950's to the ones who raise the American flag, who early present, Acton has experienced a period of in the morning accept the mail for delivery, The northwestern part of the town was a tremendous growth with many new busi­ who open the sacks, who sort the mail, little more hilly and came to be called the nesses being established and many new answer the phone, write the letters, sell the village. It was in the village that the first schools built to serve the rapid population stamps, collect the revenues and fill out the industries developed-a fulling mill and an growth. avalanche of reports. In other words we are ironworks that was the direct forerunner of the ones who, from hamlet to hamlet, from Today Action is a growing community of the Saugus Ironworks. The original build­ village to village, and city to city, run the traditional values, a reflection of a picture ings of these industries are still standing. Postal Service for the American people. We book New England town, proud of its past One, the Faulkner House, is listed in the are called Postmasters. For 346 years, since and looking forward to the future. 1639, when the General Court of Massachu­ National Register of Historic Buildings. setts by law authorized Richard Fairbanks The other, the Ironworks Farm, is soon to to accept letters to be sent by way of sea be included in that list. With a good eco­ CONGRESSMAN PAYS TRIBUTE captains to England and to receive letters in nomic base of farming and industry evident TO POSTAL SERVICE return, we have been performing our task here, the Massachusetts General Court de­ and performing it well. creed that "* • • said farms be and hereby Perhaps the postal climate was best de­ are set off, constituted and erected into a HON. FRANK HORTON scribed for us by Charles Dickens in the first paragraph of his classic "A Tale of Two separate township by the name of Acton" OF NEW YORK on July 3, 1735, thus separating Acton from Cities" when he said "It was the best of IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES times, it was the worst of times, it was the Concord. age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, Acton is a town of firsts in the history of Thursday, September 19, 1985 it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch the United States. Crown Resistance Day Mr. HORTON. Mr. Speaker, last week it of disbelief, it was the season of light, it was commemorates one of the first decisions was my privilege to attend the National As­ the season of darkness, it was the spring of made by town meeting vote in 177 4 to resist sociation of Postmasters of the United hope, it was the winter of despair, we had paying the Crown taxes during the political States convention in Las Vegas, NV. This everything before us, we had nothing before turmoil before the Revolutionary War. As organization represents more than 25,000 us." End of quote. I can truthfully say to all present that noted in this meeting, "Life and Death­ postmasters from across the country. Freedom or Slavery is before us." this may not be the best of times but it is NAPUS President, Thomas P. Costin, is an certainly not the worst of times for the Captain Isaac Davis, commander of the effective, capable and compassionate United States Postal Service. Let us exam­ Acton Minute Men, was the first man to leader, a man whom I have worked with ine some postal periods to see how Dickens fall in action at the Battle of the North closely over the years on a number of would have described them. Bridge, the beginning of the Revolutionary issues affecting Federal and postal employ­ Dickens would have said that the late War. It was Davis who stated: "I haven't a ees, as well as on the operation of the 1960's were the worst of times for the man who is afraid to go." With him died Postal Service in general. Tom's speech at United States Postal Service. It was then that day Abner Hosmer and Joseph Hay­ this convention was aimed at postmasters, that the Service ground to a halt in Chica­ go, and the mail could not be moved ward. As Ralph Waldo Emerson immortal­ although its theme was universal to all ized their deed decades later. through the city; it was then that Postal public servants. I think it is something that Unions threatened to strike, and in some Here once the embattled farmers stood, we in this House can benefit from, and that cities did; when the Congress of the United And fired the shot heard round the world. is why I am asking that it be inserted in States did not authorize enough funds for All three heroes of the opening day of the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. the Postal Service to operate the entire the Revolutionary War are buried opposite As we consider legislation affecting fiscal year, and we as postmasters had to sit town hall in Acton Center at the foot of the postal and Federal employees, let us not and wait for a continuing resolution to be obelisk resting on a pedestal whose sides forget the important role these few million passed by the Congress of the United States to supply the funds to open our Post Office rise in Romanesque arches made of "native Americans play in our daily lives. They doors to give service. And even though post­ granite," as decreed by the Massachusetts bring us our mail; they defend our Nation; masters were not responsible for any of the Legislature. they enforce our laws; they conduct medi­ problems, we had the responsibility of Another first credited to Acton is that cal research; they administer programs for seeing to it that the mail service was still the Davis Blues were the first Northern the sick and the elderly, and on and on. provided to the American people. Looking at e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member of the Senate on the floor. Boldface type indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. 24394 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 19, 1985 the situation as it existed, our future was annual leave to reduce work hours, doing <2> Evaluate regional, district and section­ not bright. Dickens would have said "We anything and everything to hold the oper­ al center levels of management to obtain had nothing before us." ation together. Most postmasters who are maximum management efficiency. It was for these reasons that I as the Na­ meeting their plan for the year are in trou­ <3> Put out our entire real estate oper­ tional President in 1969 recommended to ble for not meeting their "revised goals", ation to experts in the real estate field. this organization that we support postal re­ which they all have been assigned. In a (4} Eliminate task forces and put every­ organization, which we in turn did support. great many instances the goals are unattain­ body doing what they should be doing, that Dickens would have seen the first years of able.