Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-07

FRANKING DocUMENTs.-RoHSinq the Lion
couchant = The Democratic party evident
ly means to do justice, though the heavens
fall,-if the Republicans happen to be the
offenders. On Friday last, it is reported, the
Secretary of the Republican Association,
at Washington, sent to the Post Office
quantity of Documents under the frank of
John Covode, NJ. c., of Pennsylvania. The
innocent postmaster who has been Industrious
ly sleeping while the country has been flooded
with documents ranked by the clerks of Lis
Democratic friends, reused himself and Taboo
ed the whole lot. 1t may not be known,
though it should be, that this practice
of franking every variety OF mailable
matter, and of ranking by proxy, has
been for years carried on in gross defiance
of the intention and spirit of the frank
ing system. 1t has been one of the methods
of public robbery practiced by political parties
and especially by parties in power Mr.
King, assistant Postmaster General, stated in
1856 that the practice had become so general
in its operations and had i>>~-- ----.iea Oir for
so long series of years that usage had made
it the law.
The circumstances under which the delicate
sense of propriety entertained by Democratic
ofice-holders generally has been disturbed,
appear to be these The Republican associa-
ton had prepared for distribution variety of
documents relating to the Homestead bill and
the Pacific railroad, and the connection of par
ties with them Many of these documents MIR.
Covode had franked, and they had been con-
veyed without objection to their destination
An instalment was sent to the Office on Friday,
chiefly for Minnesota, where an important cleo
ton is pending, and where the Democrats are
as sure to be beaten as that the sun will rise
fair this morning. These documents were
thought to be dangerous, and, to destroy the
effect, the penalties of a dead law were reviv-
ed. Mr.. Clephane, the Secretary of the Asso-
citation, says that when he learned that the
packages were not to be forwarded
"Mr. Covode and myself Immediately called
upon the postmaster, when package was pro
duced and the postmaster put the question to
Mr.. Covode whether that was his frank. Mr..
Covode promptly replied, 4 acknowledge that
to be my frank This reply did not satisfy
the postmaster. He again put the question,
and was answered in the same manner. The
postmaster then went on to presume that while
Mr.. Covode acknowledged it to be his frank,
he (the'postmaster) did not believe it was writ
ten by him. and unless he would avow TINT
he franked all the documents himself, he would
not send them of. Mr.. Covode was not dis
posed to make any such avowal. An appeal
was taken to the Postmaster General, who sus
tanned his decision"
With reference to the general practice of the
Post Office, Mr.. Clephane says:
1t is a fact patent to the whole country, and
certainly to every individual who has visited
Washington that but very few members ever
do their own document ranking, but general
ly authorize their wives, daughters, sons, or
clerks to do it for them, and never before has
an attempt been made to stop these documents
because not franked by the members them
selves. For years past, the different political
organizations have been in the practice of
sending out from here documents known at the
et o0fs en dhaEs bff2 ftaRkad PE ~ CLERKS elsTkS
ton has heretofore been taken to it. The
clerks of the Post Office inform me that it has
been their universal practice to distribute all
such matter coming to the Office.
1t is a very proper time, for the Democrats,
now they are divided and don't care cont
mental for the ranking plumber, to come up
boldly and repeal the whole system. There is
no department in the public seryice-not even
the navy yards, the coal contracts, or the lob
by, which has been so corruptly used as this
one. Away with the whole system, and let
the people take their chances for public intelli-
gence.