The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-05-02

with Certainty Of their weisk1 becsuns nsu nc
weighed myself in the of9ee 49, a. ~ .a,,..s ~
BY Mr.. Richie, Or from ~ ONCE '"s S''''s y
nus a'.eson then. that the ssventy.nve pounds Of
| alds a,,nr from Mr. Riches Office, containing
tie aCrss' and the proceedings q ne .;..r;r .so
con.en.ioa n .slsssS have Sssn reserved through
pounaJ - ,hr Post Ofcs # The House q hepresrn
s ..,d n fro days, and no postage cnargcd'
',,,cv,snd sfom the Postmaster that the regular
-. - .ss,soe established by law, would require pos
. :, The rate Of fifty cents an ounce on al over
| two ounces in each package h..a.oa
Sy~nty- five pounds would contain twelve hundred
ounces. there being thirty packages only two ounces
in each or sixty in all, were entitled 70 ~ rec.
nv deducted from the gross amount Of l3O leaves
II40 ounces to be paid for at 80 cents an ounce
which amounts to $5f0, that the Post Office Depart
ment was entitled TO receive from quarter ana
OF which il has been defrauded and robbed by some
body. :, ,h;s
outrage and set his wits work to ferret out inc ~
fender and hold him up 10 public view, anu 70 she
scorn and Indignation that he merits through ~.
umns Of the Enquirer and the Crisis anu y nc
cannot find him out, hope the Postmaster Generai
will and that he win make out his account against
Mr. Richie and send il on TO Richmond, and u nc
don't nav H. have suit immediately instituted upon
IL and have me summoned witness, together with
the Postmaster of the House, Mr.. Hopkins, Mr.
Craig, Mr.. johnson, Mr.. Lucas, Mr. Roane, and
fifty other members Of Congress, whose names VIII
furnish IL necessary.
Mr. Richie cannot excuse himself by saying he
had nothing to do with with the postage y was not
The mode Of the means by which the aCrsis" should
have been circulated among the People. This was
not the purpose for which the Post Office Department
was established and he surely did not expect that the
members Of Congress To whom they were sent, were
to pay this $40 for him.
of postage dine for two days only because that only
has rome under my oirn eye. How long has been
practiss,, know no,--nor do know how long il is
to continue. understand, however that il has been
practised ever since the "Criss' established
II was but few days since that my colleague, MIR
WISE received through the mail small package
weighing five ounces, and he charged one dollar
and fifty cents postage Now, if these facts don't sa-
tsfy every man. woman and child in the country, of
the mode in which this Government il administered,
then confess am at loss To conjecture what will
II any charge is to be brought against the members
of Congress il must from Mr.. Richie, not from
me: my business is with him. as his was with me- Let
him show that he authorized by them oscnd them
papers in this manner and he may slip his own neck
out Of the hatcrbut he can't do that without slip
ping theirs in.
The systematic corruption and esq iondge of the
Post Office Department OF this country, has reached
terrible and alarming extent and Fouchc himself
did not during the reign of Napoleon, exercise his
power for the benefit of his master in more fearful
degree, than is exercised daily for this Admins
tration. | am authorized by highly respectable
member Of Congress 10 say that envelopes that have
been ranked fiom Washington containing Wing
doc uments, when they reached here, contained other
documents of the vilest Loco-ioco charactcr--thus
showing clearly that they had been broken open in
the Post Office and robbed of their contents Is II
wonderful then, that the People not enlightened
upon matters connected with their dearest interests
But will il not he wonderful STILL If they do not
correct these abuses when they get to their know
lcdgel
How is it that this privilege is allowed to Mr..
Richie and that he practice il with impunity, and
without committing a fraud whilst member Of Con-
grcss to whom the privilege of ranking is given, is
confined down to his two ounces and is charged with
practising fraud, if he obtains the frank of the
Clerk on any package weighing more than that
take occasion here to say, that the Clerk has
been applied to- to frank any thing for mebut
by what construction of the law is it, that to whom
the franking privilege given, can't send two ounces
and half Of single bundle and Mr.. Richie, to
whom no such privilege is given, can send two pounds
and half Of his newspapers, and as many bundles
as he chooses, free Of POSTAGE
There they are, nor in the office, seen by more than
fifty members, and liable to the inspection of all.
How they got to Washington, know mott only
know from information derived from the Postmaster
Of the House. by inquiry, that they to him in a
mail bag with the balance of the mail from the city
p,st office. Here they are to be folded in the docu-
Ilent room, and sent of under the franks Of members
OF Congress.
Tpresnme horerer that They came by mail from
published and il they freight then g is not
through the channel designated by the law Of the
land and he convicts hms II of the stupendous fraud
he has charged upon me. Yet this is the gentleman
who undertakes to publish my connected
with fraud, which | consider slight accusation,
coming even from Of Mr.. Ritchies knorn poiiti-
cal fnrpikude.
hope some contrast will he found between his
course of conduct and mi nc-he ayaling himself Of
privilege that he is entitled to- amounting to alb
solute smuggling and declining privilege that the
law authorizes 10 rcise yet am to be assailcd
by him as the aggressor, and he to escape free.
have nothing more to say. should not have
troubled myself about Mr. Richie, if he had let me
alone but when he makes a blind, and groundlcss
for his Olvcr'-and these facts mentioned
for the benefit of the American people in general the
Postmaster General in particular, and for the more
especial benefit Of the Committee of the House, re-
Gently appointed to investigate the frauds committed
in the Post Office Department and the abuses of the
ranking privilege.
And now | about to commit another fraud in
the Department, for instead of sending this letter
Through the channel designated by tic lar Of the
Of some friend who will be sure to deliver it safe and
without delay, for fear it may find its way under the
counter until after the elections over il will be
directed to the editors Of Wing newspaper and may
BIC supposed to contain important political matter
apprchend it would he useless to ask Mr. Richie
to give this letter place in the Enquirer and Crisis
but if he would, | might be induced TO relieve his
political friends of portion of their abors by frank
ing few Of them myself
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
JNO M. BOLTS.
Messrs. PEASANTS, MosErY, and DAVIS
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