The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-11-22
IMPORTANT LETTER FROM THE POST
MASTER GENERAL.

The letter OF the Fostma>teI 1ehefai, W
citizen of Kentucky which we publish to-day,
we trust, will prove satisfactory 10 every one
who desires to be correctly informed upon the
subject of which il treats.
The practice of writing on the margin Of
newspapers and sending them through The mail
in order TO avoid the payment Of letter postage,
was an evil OF sufficient magnitude as early as
1925, to attract the attention Of Congress. The
fact that there has not been, for nine or ten
wears, a republication Of the laws Of Congress, |
regulating the Post Office Department, may |
account for the recent increase OF the evil in
tended TO be prohibited by the &C, of Congress.
We think the Postmaster General has adopt J
ed the only safe principle by which TO test the |
infraction of the law. II man were 70 write his
name on visiting card and send il by mail I'M
der an envelope, all would admit letter postage
must be charged. If he writes his name on
newspaper and sends in the came way, the same
consequences should follow. The only differ
ence between the two cases, is, the newspaper
would be FIVE times the weight and ten times the
bulk of the visiting card.
We have made these remarks and published
the letter as an act Of justice to the Department,
and more particularly to Deputy Postmasers'
who have been greatly censured for executing
the law of Congress, by many, who, perhaps,
did not know that such law was IN existence
Posi- OFFICE DEPARTMENT,
November 10, 1912.
DEAR SrR: Your favor of the 4th instant is this
moment received, and lose time in replying to
the inquiry made.
You state that after having read newspaper, you
are in the habit of sending it to your son in Cynthi
ana, Kentucky, inclosed in enrelope directed to
him by you, marked " one newspaper" You further
represent " the newspapers so sent are from other
States, and have your name them not written by
yourself. The papers sent are charged with let
postage by the Postmaster at Cynthiana and You
desire to know Of whether this charge OF postage
is in accordance with the law of the land You say
this is little affair, and desire that will excuse the
reference of it to my consideration
assure you sir, there is nothing of error, connect
ed with the operation of the Post Office Department
too uncomfortable to deserve my prompt attention,
when brought to my knowledge in the spirit and tenn
per of your note. And l feel obliged to you for af
fordlng me the opportunity of disabusing the public
mind upon the subject of exacting letter postage up
partment and more especially deputy postmasters,
have been denounced for having executed the law Of
the land upon this subject belongs not to the De-
partment decide upon, but to Congress to consider
the policy Of that law. Nevertheless, l am con-
strained to say that the existing evil satisfies my mind
of the policy which dictated the law and demands, at
this time, its rigid enforcement. That you may see
the Department Is not sYasting dssSSa seE
ton of the law of 1885, relates to this subject viz:
"If any person shall enclose conceal letter,
or other thing, any memorandum in writing IN
newspaper, pamphlet, OF magazine, or in any pack
age Of newspapers, pamphlets or magazines or make
any writing memorandum thereon which he shall
have delivered into any Post Office, to any person
for that purpose in order that the may be car
red by post free of letter postage he shall forfeit
the Of five dollars for every such offence; and
the letter, newspaper, package, memorandum, or
other thing, shall not be delivered to the person to
whom it is directed until the amount of single letter
postage paid for each article of which the package
Is composed"
You will observe That this law levels its prohibi
ton and sanction against two classes of cases
lst. If any person shall enclose or conceal let
ter, or other thing, any memorandum in writing,
in a newspaper, &c, any package of newspapers,
&c.
ID. Or make any uriing memorandum on such
Newspaper which he shall deliver into the Post Of
fee in order that the same may be carried by post
free ef letter portage, he shall forfeit the sum OF five
dollars for every such offence.
The letter, memorandum, newspaper, &C. shall
not be delivered by the postmaster to the person
To whom it is directed, until the amount Of single
letter postage is paid for each article of which the
package Is composed
This is no new law. 1t is possible deputy post
masters being admonished to a vigant personal at
tenton to the duties of their Office have been recently
more strict in its obs,r vance and enforcement.
The extensive practice of carrying business
or friendly correspondence, by writing the margin
Of newspapers, greatly increases the burden, while it
lessons the income Of the public mail.
The many ingenious devices to evade the penalty
OF this law may be inferred from the facts in single
case which was brought to my notice. man had
been in the habit Of writing on the margin of an old
paper 10 his father to letter postage. When ar
rested by the application of the provisions OF the act
Of 1895 he adopted species OF singular hlerogly-
phics. His object TO let his father know his Ia
rnily were we'll, and would be up in few days--so
he sent newspaper with nothing but ms name writ
ten on IT, lie had pencilIed on the margin fac sim
ie Of saddcr. awi pointing towards the rePresen-
taton of a well with sweep and bucket going up.
Thus distinctvey conveying the message to his IA
Their that sail his family well and were coming
up to see him"
This, and various other devices to evade the law,
and avoid letter postage, have been brought to my
notice |; and have been called upon to settle the
question what writing on newspaper constitutes the
writing or memorandum prohibited by the act
Of 1882