Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-03-06
SPEECH OF HON. j. b. PACKER,
In the House Of Representatives., Wednesday,
February IS, 1874.

the public documents printed by the authority o
Congress, and OF seeds furnished by the Agricgi-
turul Department, FOR the free exchange of news
papers between publishers, anG for the free
transmission of weekly newspapers by mail with
in the county where published
Mr.. PACKER said
Mr.. SPEAKER In reporting this bill for
the action Of the House, it certainly cannot
be regarded as necessary that we should
enter upon a general discussion of the
franking privilege as it existed prior to the
LIST day of July. 1873, for that has been dis.
posed of by congressional enactment, and,
with its advantages and disadvantages, its
uses and abuses. whatever they may have
been, is now thing of the past.
Equally foreign and Irrelevant to the
question now presented for the considera-
ton of the House is the subject to which re-
ference is sometimes made in this connec-
ton, of the additional cost of printing, and
of increases expenditures in the prepara-
tion and publication of the public docu-
Iuents for distribution among the people.
This bill does not provide for either, but
is expressly limited in its operation. by its
own terms, to providing means for the dis
tribution, without charge, to citizens of
the United States or persons residing there
in, OF the public documents, books or pub
LEGATIONS, and printed matter published and
issued by authority of Congress, and of
such packages of seeds, cuttings, roots and
scions as may be furnished by the Agricul-
tural Department under the authority of
law. 1t makes no provision for printing a
single document or book not already pub
lished, and does not contemplate or require
that any more shall be ordered for publca-
tion; leaving that question for the deci-
sion Of Congress when it shall properly
arise.
But we have now, sir. in the folding
rooms of this House, bound, folded, and
ready for distribution, aoout one hundred
aud thirty-three thousand volumes of the
most valuable books printed by the direc-
tiOn and under the authority of Congress.
In the public-document room of the Senate
they have about the same number, making
in all about two hundred and sixty-six
thousand volumes besides many pamph-
let's containing much useful information
upon questions of national Importance and
of great interest to the public.
That these books belong to the people
there can be no question. Their money
has paid for them, and their right to have
.,
almost without number, coming 10 us from
our constituents by every mail, attest their
anxious desire to have them.
Heretofore, as their representatives.
members of Congress have been charged
with the duty, somewhat laborIous it is
true, but stlll pleasant duty wilhal, of
making judicious distribution Of the quota
of these documents apportinned to each
congressional district among those tor
whose use, information, and benefit they
were printed. Then, however, the law
provided the means for making this distri-
button. and of giving the information so
highly priced by many of our citizens, and
which is col!ated, prepared. and printed at
considerable cost To the public, free of ex-
pense and without charge TO tie people for
transportation in their own mails.
Charged simply with the duty of dis
trlbution, certainly the representatives
could not be expected to pay the cost of
sending these publications either by mail
or by express, or other means of transpOrta-
ton, to the constituents to whom they be-
long. As well, and just as reasonably,
might he be asked to furnish the paper
upon which they are printed, and to pay
the cost of printing and binding the books,
or to contribute ii PORTION OF the expenses
incurred in the preparation of the different
works for publication.
1t is true, the distribution Of a limited
number of documents, even at our own ex-
pense, might not be Oppressiveiy onerous,
but the principle is the same whether the
amount is small or large, and the people
would not fail to recognize the injustice OF
the burden TO which every member of
Congress would be subjected by q repetition
of similar favors to any considerable num-
Der of his constituents.
From a statement l have before me OF
the weight of each of the documents il the
foIding-room, it appears that the postage,
at the rates now fixed by law, would range
from about twenty-five cents on the smaller
book. to about S176 upon the largest, and
reaching, for set of the Globe of the forty
second Congress. the respectable figure of
S7.S2.
These rates of postage, charged upon the
whole number of documents each member
of the. House sent to his constituents and
actually distributed among the people dur
ing the sessions of the forty-second Con-
gress, would have amounted to 81, 953.O6,
or the sum of S976.53 per annum.
Each Senator's postage would have been,
during the same Congress, upon his quota
of documents, if charged at the present
rates, S921.S7 per annum.
This calculation is based, however, upon
the whole number of documents actually
sent and as they include some lying over
from former years, have procured from
the folding. room a statement of the number
properly allotted to each congressional dis
trict during the three sessions OF the late
Congress, and distributed by the members
of the House, from which it appears, by a
careful computation of the rates of postage
upon each book sent, that the aggregate OF
each members postage would have Oeen,
upon these documents alone, S1:7So. IA ;
the average rate of postage being forty-s
cents per document. Upon the one hundred
and thirty-three thousand volumes now on
hand in the House folding-roOm, which
were authorized before but not furnished
until after June 80, 1873, the postage, at
present rates, would be in excess of Sol ,OOO
while the charges upon the books IN the
Senate document room would be about the
same.
Since the expiration Of the frankins
privilege ON the lst day of July last, but
few, if any. of these documents have been
sent by mail. those that have been dlstrib-
uted having been sent by express and ii
is, therefore, very obvious that compara-
lively few will reach their proper owners,
especially if they reside at great distances
from the capital, and of the line of the ex-
press companies routes.
In nearly all the States in which the
policy of publishing and distributing official
documents for the information of the peo-
pie has been adopted, the State, it is be-
lieved, pays for the stamp put upon the
package by the officer or person sending it
by the mail, and practically that plan has
been adopted and is now employed, under
the Act of Congress, by the Executive De
! partments Of the Government at Washing,
ton.
The principle of the payment of postage
upon official papers, documents, books, &c,
by the Government, is, therefore, fully
recognized and acted upon now by all the
Executive Departments, in sending under
official stamps provided by the Government
the very large proportion of these docu
ments authorized by Congress to be printed
for their use and furnished by the Govern
ment Printer to them, although charged te
the account of Congress. And this bill
only proposes to carry that principle into
effect, for the benefit and advantage of the
l o,,I e. tl,a N