New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-05-06

20 rnsf
s~o c.f Of hat terrible abuse the Frankng privilege.
p,nayks Tie habtusl readers OF THE TRIBUNE
understand that our objection is not 70 thIs particular
privilege but 10 privileges geuerally-that is to the
IN lion Of burdens on all for the benefit ola part
And i certainly csuaot be necessary that we should
enter mon sn argument. in this day Of abundant and
ebesp Scaoo Alithuetcs to prove that some}ofy hiss
70 raw for the transportation ard handling Of ranked
letters and documents Instead OF the cost OF merely
DELIVERING free letters"-which includes fsanked
speeches AMI demonstrating below s'0'oo'' we
IeIeve il il far nearer Half Million Dollars bH'
even If these letters were Iomlnaly deh'eieu 'o'
r.ttur. the case would uOtbe improved fostinaS''r'
will and must re paid for their abOpaad trouOei ana
e M. mid directly for delivering free letters they
must he raid indirecty-by larger per centage on
their receipts from paid letters. Freemen do not WORK
for nothing in our days. and it would not b: honest 10
take their labor without compensation If they would
give il.
Bu tlen the transportation of the Mails costs sew
eraI Millions per annum aud We surely need not argue
fist the Contractors charge Just rs much Tor carrying
frenked matter rs any other nor that they charge
more where Nail averages five tuns in weight than II
r. AVERAGED but three and the difference has to be paid
for. though csu.ed entirely by frankcd matter
And yet again: Mails often fail because of their
weiobr About the lst of each December, the roads
arc % rorsoaked and hslffrczen That transportation
over them is tedious and difficult. Just about tha'
,,me The Members reach Washington find large
ou,r,itcs Of documents printed and enyeioped under
the orders # the preceding Session snd begin frank
inc ?. Int and left Two three days thereafter the
tsee-routes divereng from the temporary termnl OF
TIE Railroads especially in the West, are chohed up
by medley of letters newspapers and documents
stage driver soes fer bis mail and finds twice as much
ready or him as bis horses possibly dra" over the
roads before him. 80 he picks up two or three bags
ard starts off le wing the residue to more convenient
screen: md the next driver finds still larger pile
awaiting lin. End treats il in the same manner mus
we have had tun OF our Weekly paper lying at one time
AZ some halfway house on their route and our dlsap
pointed subscribers writing the most unfitterng
letters by the ccrJ ordering to send on the papers
they had psid Us for or send back their money short
meter. And we have had to stand steady stream OF
this for month mainly because the mails were clicked
up with numbering Congressional documents which
nobody would read but sent as eleeoneering battery
by the Member and claimed with gratfed vanity by
the receiver simply because it did him good to know
that he WAS considered OF some account in Wash
ington.
The short of the matter il this: Congress is now
paving some Half Million year out Of the Treasury
for printing documents, and perhaps Million more
for their transportation and delivery to the Members
favored constituents. We think this is all wrong
that everything should pay its wsy-that he who is
not vi Hing to pay postage on his documents does not
rei lly want and will not be benefited by them--yet
We ctn stand the abuse as it is. But Mr.. Olds and
his Fogy Committee propose in effect to take this
load oil tie Treasury and put it on the postagcpay-
ers-to compel fiddler jack and widow Darningneedle
10 pay sixty per cent. more for the transport On of
their letters in order that Col. Jones and Judge
Howard may receive speeches and documents from
their grateful nominee in Congress without paying
ANYTHING. Now. we tell the Members of Congress
that Ills won't 20 down-nOst decidedly will not. So
ong as tLey pay tie shot out of the Treasury-Pos-
age as well as Prnting-the People won't mind 1t;
but licm the day that letters made to pay two
cents each extra to take this load of the Treasury
there will be'a low muttering which those who put
their ears TO the ground may hear; aud the Members
rom Free States who vote in favor OF the change
will Get badly scratched whenever they are candidates
again. Ii they don't believe it they will, after
irving the experiment.