Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-09-08

Ia1S '' ~ NY uuty 10 call the attention of the
people, and OF the members of the ConeresS;onsz
al alRepublican Executive Committee nart1cnIasi
y'to one OF the mostdespcable acts Of political
prescription ever perpetrated by any Admins
t[atlon or government officer in order TO accom-.
pllSh party ends.
Onsthe adjournment of Congress, the Con-
greSslonals Republican Executive COMMITTEES
.I11 .1.apG arrangements with me- as Secretary of
the Republican National Association. to have
prepared, printed and circulated certain noliti
cal documents, and the Hon. John Coyodc of
pennsylvania, was detailed to attend to franEino
the same. This work has been indusfrionslV
prosecuted, and Mr.. Covode has, from time to
sl1he, VISITED washington for the purpose #of
ranking and mailing the documents all ofwhicb
nave been regularly forwarded by the Postoffice
! department., until Friday last, when some thirtvl
thousand, and most ofz.thcm for Minnesota.
were sent to the Postoffce as formerly for dis
Intuition. Shortly after their arrival at the
' rosGoncc' postmaster Jones sent package to
me oy ms messenger with the remark that he
Dad reason to believe that the frank on it was
not Mr. COvodeS, and they would notLbc sent
from the office. NIr. Covocie and myself imme-
dlateLy called upon the Postmaster, when
produced the returned package, and the Post.
master put the question to- Mr.. Covode4whether
that was his frank. Mr.. Cov0,lc promptly re-
piled, 81 acknowledge that to he my frank. ~
TINS reply did not satisfy the Postmaster He
again put the question and was answered in the
same manner. The Postmaster then swent.on
to presume that while Mr.. Covode acknowledged
it TO be his frank, he Cthe Postmaster) did not
helleve 1t was written by him, and unless he
wonld avow that he franked all the documents
himself he would not send them off Mr. CovoCe
Was not disposed to make any such avowal-
An appeal was taken to the P0stmastcr-Gencr.l
al, who decided thatif the Postmaster has reason
to believe any franked mail matter received Mt
the office is not written by the person hinself
whose frank it bears, it is to be retained in the
Office, and that no member Of Congress or other
person legally authorized to frank has a right to
| deputlSe any person to 90 it for him, even
though he go personally and acknowledge it as
his frank So much for the act of the city Post
master and the decision of the Postmaster
General; and now word as to the general prac-
tIcc of the P0Stoficc.
1t is a fact patent to the whole country, and
Iccrtninly to every individual @vho has visited
Washington, that but very few members ever
90 their own document franking, but generally
authorize their wives, daughters sons or clerks
to do 1t 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 orrani.
cations have been in the practice ofsending out
from here documents known at the PostofEce
to have been franked by clerks employed by
these organizations, aud no exception has here
tofore been taken to it.
The clerks of the Postoflicc inform me thatit
! has been their universal practice to distribute
all such matter coming to the office.
When I asked for a precedent for this act
Observation-Disclosures Tree coolly refers inc back
to the case Of David Crockett when he was in
| Congress.
We do not object to the decision of the Post
master General AS the law reads he could
make no other; but why does the city Postnas.
ter demand this decision Mt the present time?
and that, too, upon documents issued bv the
Republican party, and already in his office in
accordance with what has been the custom for
years past2 The answer must be plain to the
Emnd OF every person, of whatever stripe of
politics he may be.
In the first place, most Of these documents
/ are directed to MinncSota; secondly because a
violent partlzan holds the Office of Postmaster
thirdly, in the language of this Postmaster,
Jones, there were too m4ny 0f7thcm; that had
there been fewer Of them they would have been
allowed to pass; fourthly, because the Dcmocra-
tic Club are not now actively engaged in sending
out documents.
requested, as he had admitted over and over
again that IT had been the custom of his office
for years past, To mait these documents without
any objection whatever, that he would allow
those sent to the Office before this decision was
made to be forwarded, and apply the rule to ali
future documents coming to the office; but this
he peremptorily refused to do, even though ma
ny among them were franked by Mr. Covode
himself If this is not political prescription,
then know not whit political prescription is
For weeks past I have had it intitnatctl to me
that these documents were to be stopped in the
| Post Office; but pnid no heed to such rumors,
little thinking that any man holding the honor.
able position Of Postmaster of Washington CITY
would descend to such party tricks. He may
attcmpt to shield his acts under cover OF the
law and the decision of the Postmaster General;
but ask why he has no, applied this law to
his own party, and particularly in the case of
the Hon. I. 3. Florence, who has for months
past been sending through the Post Office, thou
sands Of his Democratic PeDie1O circulars
knownto have been franked by his clerk2
During the campaign of 1856 called upon
First Assistant Postmaster General King, twho
still holds that position,) with reference 10 this
very question, and he then frankly informed me
that were the department called upon to decide
this question officially, it would be compelled 10
decide according to the letter of the law; but
that this practice of tfranking by proxy had
carried on by all political parties, and for such
number Of years. that general usage had al
tiiSDOscd to do aDVt hinp in the m altar ,,rIocc