New-York daily tribune., 1854-05-26
TRANKING.

No evil is so fragrant no abuse monstr0us, that
that it will not find an apologst-oiten a thick-and-
thin champion. The Commercial Adrertiser takes
ground decidedly in favor of the Frankng nuisance,
deemng il matter that needs regulating, not des-
troying--just as gaming houses, grog-shops, and
haunts of ewdness are deemed by their several apol-
ogists to require regulation not suppression.
1t not however the amount of the expense to the
constituent or the representatives, that presents the
strongest argument against the abolition OF tho trankmg
lriyioge. We should deem any tax upon such cores
londeGce impotic and unjust The intercourse be-
tween the people and their legislators ought TO be entirely
unrestricted II cannot be two frequent unrcstraned
hut should in fact be encouraged TO the utmost The
means OF communication between the two should DC so
cosess and accessible that the constituents other en-
gegomen,s shall be the only hndranee to such correspond
enceard by the way, many useful hint to legislator
from thOo he presents might be gwen IN haf dozen
,e;jarity between the people and ther
ihs only be done by preserVng intact the ranking
system. Tic privilege is extended to members Of
the British PatEoment and in our more popular orin of
government is still more eXpedent and desirable.
surely The Commercial should know that "the
..fame privilege" was abolished in aristOcrac Brit
.n on the adoption of Rowland Hills glorious plan of
Cheap Postage, SO that members of Parliament"
now pay their postage, like other people. And we
have never heard that communication between those
members and their constituents is less full aud fire.
quent now than twas under the Franking system.
Ii THE Conmercidrs argument is good for anything,
it is good for much more than that paper bargains for
To make the communication between representatives
and constituents free and inexpensive the latter as
well as the former should be provided at the public
expense with paper, ink, pens, &C. for the cost and
still more the lack of these, operates mpedi-
ment to letter-wrtng well the three-penDy
charge for postage.
We once had little experience OF this franked cor
rcspondence, and it did not impress us in its favor.
We cannot remember that we received single letter
Of any value on which the writer would not gladly
have paid the postage had the law required it; and
we wasted many precious hours in answering trivial
or useless letters that we are confident would not
have been written in the absence of a Frankng Priv
ilege.
But The Commercial warns as il proceeds and
.goes in" for the free distribution of documents as
well as letters from Members of Congress. Let US
consider what it has to say on that head;
And then as to documents. The edyanteges Of the
system mind far outweigh the Disadvantages. We
hot lose sight OF he facts that thousands Of speeches in
pemphlet oim, and bulky documents, ,hus thrown
upon TIE mail that read that sometimes mem
bers employ the frank for purposes that never de-
sgIed TO that thus the mail conveyance fire.
qucntly nconyenenty bUrdened and immense amount
Of time consumed in the POstOices and all this at the
peoples expense. Bu. the benefit Of the people is far
greater than the cost II many speeches and documents
thus cirl uatod unread many carefully perused,
and by the very class who would know precious little
about the proceedings OI their representatives na0nai
matters any kind if they debarred from this
Of information by the abolition OF the ankng privilege.
Indeed this and gratutOus circulation OF paranen
GTy documents emOng the people but the carrying out
of the principle prompts liberal governments TO
oyde for the tree epsOlary intercourse between the
people and their representatives and would rather that
the operation OF the principle should be extended than
abdged. No calculate to what extent this liberal
-. affa
hft intelligence IN national affairs for which the American
people are IrOvefDia.
In truth the present sys.em is cmnenily congeniSl 10
nsutioEs, and, believe, essential 10 their u1im
paired peTpe'uiy Where should be in years time
II j. tbolsked suppose that from this day the mas
were ooscd against the pamphlet speeches OF members
the President Message and accompanying documents,
the reports OF the yarous secreaes and Of the other
Government egents and OF the PaeniOce, ae, except
rs Chargeable msterwo aid the people be intelligent
ten years hence as now Can any one believe tha. they
would
Yes: here is zone who believes the whole
system Of broadcast distribution of bulky documents
humbug-that 1.-The Presidents Message and accom-
"psnying document" are never read BY one in hun
dred Of their receivers by mail-that they not
even looked through by one in dOzen-and that the
PEOPLE would be truly wiser if only few hundreds in
stead of many thousands Of these documents were
printed and these for the use of members and the
very few besides who make point Of studying them
because their position and pursuits require them to
do 20. Sending an average farmer, blacksmith, or
baekwoodsmsn, thousand pages OF Reports Of Heads
of Departments, Chiefs of Buresux, &C., &C., after
the whole marrow has been sucked out of them and
printed in the newspapers, ia very expensive mode
of providing his boys with material for kites. That
document will have cosS the Treasury FIVE dollars By
the time il reaches its destination: and the receiver,
-g... L L..
on the envelope, with "Free--sam. simpkias,
m C. above IL woul3 very oil ,ily call /. ,,r Il ifrv