The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-03-13
For the Union.


senator Underwood and his Frankfng Privilege.
wood said
During the last summer conceivng that had The rgb
to send and receive ali my letters free postage ranked
formed that the franks erased, postage charged
regularly. Another gentleman has told he was served
law and really lhatsve should take the subiee
under our consideration, and prescribe remedy"
Senator Underwood first took his as senator in
December 1877 although he had been elected the prece
ding winter. How did he acquire the right TO frank
during the last summers IL is moi the election OF the
member senator that gives the privileges and
quanted with the honorable senator would have sup
posed that he would have looked into the law before he
exercised any privilege given hun by his new position
and especially before he would condemn upon the hooI
OF the Senate other public officers acting OATH and
not less conscientious in the discharge of public duties
than himself
| If he had troubled himself TO examine the law, he
would have found that the 9Th section of the act of s45
repealed the Thanking privilege existed before that
tune tie would also have found that the Sth section OF
the same act renewed the privilege to and mem
beTs OF the House in the following words THAT each
member OF the Senate, &C. may during each session of
Congress- and for period of thirty days before the
mencement and thirty days after the end of each and
every session OF Congress- send and receive through the
mail Free" &c.
Senator Underwood had never taken his seat or been
qualled as senator until December ls47 and his frank
ing privilege could not have commenced than thirty
days before thai tme and yet eonceivng" that he had
the right probably without examination upon the floor
OF the Senate denounces the conduct of the posmastes
Tor correcting his own and into which he could
not have fallen ii he had troubled himself to inquire into
his rights before exercising them
lie also complains that his speeches had been
franked and left for his wife direct after his return
kentucky; that they erased by the postmaster and
postage charged The postmaster probably knew of the
absence of the Judge from the city, and supposed that the
documents bearing his frank presented the
mon at that time among members of Congress, of leaving
bundles of franks in the city the correspondence
OF the citizens during the of Congress, which
direct violation of the 2sth section OF the of 1925
and 1t is notorious that franks have been thus left with
bankers, vendors of lottery tickets and Others engaged
IN their own private affairs and in instances
United in large bundles to other cities, in fraud of the
! law.
What could the postmasters do They knew the Judge
was not in the city his franks coming in large
| numbers, on packages directed by others The rule
adopted by Mr. Barry in 1888, and continued by all his
successors, was enorcedthat of charging postage on
the package notwithstanding the frank II Senator I'm
derwood had troubled himself to inform the postmaster
that he had fanked his speeches. and left them in the
hands OF any person for direction they would have been
respected as all other franks of members are. Without
such information, the postmaster could not but suppose
knowing OF his absence, that his envelopes i'm
properly used for covering the correspondence of third
persons. JUSTICE