The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-02-17


The Senate and the Franking Privilege.
The action of the Senate during Wednesdays
session, upon the abolition of the franking pri-
vilege, was very important, and will be sus-
tanned by the sense of the country. 1t will be
remembered that the Senate has thrice passed
an amendment to the Post Office Appropriation
bill, which amendment provided for the aboli-
ton of the privilege under color of which the
United States mails are loaded down with tons
of useless matter conveyed thousands of miles
gratuitously. The House, claiming that the
action of the Senate in thus interfering with a
money bill was breach of the privileges of
the lower branch Of Congress, has always
refused to agree to this amendment, and
has sent the bill back to the Senate. On
Wednesday the Senate passed the Post
Office bill without the amendment, and
it has become law. Subsequently, the
Roads reported bill abolishing the franking
privilege altogether, and this bill was taken up
on Wednesday. After some debate, during
which several black republican Senators OPP
posed the bill, it was amended SO as to prohibit
the free passage Of anything whatever through
the mails. This amendment was subsequently
modified so as to exempt newspaper exchanges,
and SO the bill passed-ffty -four Senator'S in
favor to two against it.
We are very much gratified to record this
action on the part of the Senate, and await
with some anxiety the movements of the House
on the subject. The postage on the matter
which is now carried through the mails free
costs the government over two millions of dol
lars per annum. In addition to the cost in
money the paid mail matter is frequently de-
layed by the enormous mass of documents
which members send to their constituents un-
der frank. It is safe to say that if the govern
ment paid its own postage on purely official
letters relating to executive business, it would
amount to very Insignificant sum compared
to the present tax. Then there can be no tho.
rough organization Of the Post Office Depart
ment on any other basis than that which is
adopted in England-cash in advance, no
franks, no free matter. That system has been
working in England many years. 1t has been
fairly tried, and the result is that the British
Post Office is managed with all the regularity
and promptness which characterize the work.
ings of a first class business concern managed
by private persons. 'Safe as the mail" is an
English proverb, but not yet an American one
We trust the House will pass the bill without
delay We are aware that, as there is Presi-
dental election pending, there will be great
! outside pressure upon members to slaughter
the act. We should like very well to see any
| tangible or reasonable excuse the House can
have for refusing to abolish the franking privi-
Iege. The most recent evasion has been multi.
fed by the action of the Senate in adopting the
bill by ITSELF distinct from the Appropriation
act 1t seems to us that those members of the
House who vote against the new bill will incur
heavy responsibility.
We could have wished that the Senate had
made clean job of it, and abolished the free
carriage Of all matter-newspaper exchanges
not excepted-through the mail. No journal of
any account would object to paying postage on
such exchanges as it desired. One Senator. as
we have been amused to see, objected to the
free exchange of newspapers on the ground
that it would increase the circulation of the
New YORK HERALD. 1t would not affect our
circulation one way or the other. 1t might
affect the circulation of some Of our provincial
exchanges, which are made up almost entirely
from our columns We should limit our ex-
change list, now kept very closely confined,
to the journals absolutely needed, and with the
widespread correspondence by telegraph from
which we get our news often in advance Of the
local papers, exchanges with country papers
are no longer required by metropolitan papers.
The system is kept up chiefly ont of charity.
We burthen the mail very little. The circula-
| ton of the HERALD outside of New York Is
chiefly in large cities, where the same system Of
delivery is in use as Id the metropolis. Our
packages 60 by express, and are in advance of
the mail from two to twenty. four hours, accord
ing to the distance. However our own affairs
apart, there is no earthly reason why newspa-
per exchanges should pass free through the
mails. On the contrary, there is every reason
why they should not The exemption is made
just now by some small politicians, who wish
to curry favor with few half starved country
editors, who are still smaller than the politi.
! clans themselves. We call on the House to
pass bill cutting Off all the Post Office free
list. 1t is a nuisance that ought to have been
abated long ago.