Isms: Original views on life from rural America

Thoughts that keep a news publisher awake at night: Would Benjamin Franklin cringe at the tardiness of mail delivery?

Franklin, publisher of “The Pennsylvania Gazette,” first ran Philadelphia’s post system and, in 1753, was appointed joint postmaster for the 13 colonies.

By 1758, Franklin’s actions established a means to send newspapers via post service. Winifred Gallagher, in “How the Post Office Created America: A History,” gives Franklin credit for instituting an order that newspapers be delivered via post riders for similar rates as regular mail, supporting the free press.

I believe Frankl...