ably ▁brief ▁ten ure ▁of ▁the ▁p ict orial s ▁meant ▁that ▁relatively ▁few ▁st amps ▁could ▁be ▁printed , ▁which ▁accounts ▁for ▁their ▁present ▁scarc ity . ▁ ▁Many ▁accounts ▁character ize ▁the ▁str ident ▁criticism ▁that ▁gre et ed ▁the ▁p ict orial s ▁as ▁a ▁sp ont aneous , ▁broad - based ▁public ▁reaction , ▁motiv ated ▁by ▁the ▁patri otic ▁conv iction ▁that ▁national ▁hero es ▁were ▁the ▁only ▁acceptable ▁subjects ▁for ▁U . S . ▁st amps . ▁The ▁truth , ▁however , ▁seems ▁to ▁be ▁more ▁complicated , ▁for ▁the ▁tone ▁of ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁press ▁comment ary ▁about ▁the ▁p ict orial s ▁suggests ▁that ▁an ▁organized ▁campaign ▁was ▁attempting ▁to ▁dis cred it ▁them . ▁To ▁li ken ▁the ▁design ▁on ▁the ▁ 3 0 - cent ▁stamp ▁to ▁" a ▁bunch ▁of ▁ra gs ▁hung ▁out ▁of ▁a ▁j unk ▁shop " ▁as ▁least ▁ra ises ▁an ▁a est h etic ▁issue ; ▁but ▁the ▁statement ▁that ▁the ▁ 2 - cent ▁stamp ▁represented ▁" B ooth ' s ▁Death ▁ride ▁into ▁Maryland " ▁is ▁surely ▁def am ation ▁pure ▁and ▁simple , ▁indicating ▁an ▁ag enda ▁that ▁has ▁little ▁to ▁do ▁with ▁the ▁question ▁of ▁stamp ▁design . ▁ ▁That ▁the ▁p ict orial s ▁had ▁been ▁created ▁by ▁the ▁widely ▁rev iled ▁Johnson ▁administration ▁was ▁scarcely ▁likely ▁to ▁win ▁them ▁ad her ents . ▁Grant ' s ▁post master ▁and ▁his ▁team ▁were ▁const rained ▁to ▁issue ▁them ▁without ▁having ▁had ▁any