The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-03-14

Senator Frelinghuysen has intro
droduced bill to facilitate the dis
tribution of public documents. 1t
provides that the postage on any doc
ument shall not exceed twenty-five
cents; and that it may be sent through
the mails by the head Of Department
or member of Congress without pre-
payment of postage; that the postage
thereon shall be collected at the office
of destination, and that in case any
such document remains in an office
unclaimed for the space of ten days it
may be sold by the postmaster for the
amount of postage due On 1t. er
The Postmaster General has ad-
dressed letter to Senator Ramsey,
chairman of the Senate Post Office
Committee, assigning reasons why the
bill should not pass, and closes his
communication as follows: af
The effect of the passage of the, bill
introduced by Senator Frelinghuysen
would be, therefore, or
First. To complicate post Office ae-
counts. rst}f -svsa- sss5g- aaa
Second. To open the door for knav-
cry BY dishonest officials. v.ferc.t4c.
Third. To create one rate of post
age for the Government and another
for the people; and, }ss11 st.o7
Fourth. To impose upon the Post
Office Department the burdens belong
ing to other branches of the Govern
ment. r5 Id -r u-.-s
respectfully suggest the following
plan: rl5d3 oos .va v-h
Let Congress appropriate for each
Department sum sufficient tor the
prepayment of postage on all its OH
cial mail matter, including the distri-
button of its own publications. Let
there also be made an appropriation
of whatever sum may be deemed nee
essary to prepay postage Cat ordinary
rates) on such public documents as
may be distributed by. members of
both houses; and for this purpose the
Postmaster General should be author
ized to prepare postage stamps OF va
rious denominations, bearing the
legend, u. S. Congress. Public doc
ument" Such stamps to be purchas-
ed of the Post Office Department, at
their face value, by the Postmasters
of the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives, and to be retained in their
custody until affixed to the documents
mailed. When a Senator or Repre-
sentative wishes to send TO any one a
public document he could address it,
indorse his name on it, and deposit it
in the postoficc of the body to which
he belonged. The postmaster would
thereupon af6x the necessary "docu-
ment stamps and forward the book
to its destination
By this means the Post Office De-
partment would obtain payment, at
regular rates, for its services for the
legislative and executive branches of
the Government as we'll as the people
It would receive the revenues to
which it is entitled, and the amount
of the appropriation it is now COM
PEELED to ask for annually would be
reduced to y degree corresponding to
the sum derived from such sources.
1t seems to me the equity of the
proposition is so patent it can not be
disputed. 1t is not a request for an
additional appropriation to defray the
expenses of the Post Office Depart
ment. 1t is merely asking Congress
to place the legislative and executive
branches of the Government on the
same footing with the people. and
thus pay the Post Office Department
In the proper manner the amount
which otherwise would have to be
given in the shape of deficiency ap-
propriation. Respectfully.
A. j. CRESWELL.
Postmaster General