The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1874-04-29

culation Is based, however, upon tn,
whole number of documents actually
sent; and as they include some lying
over from former years, 1 have pro
cured from the folding~room state
ment of the number properly sllot
ted to each congressional distric,
during the three sessions of the lat,
Congress, and distributed by tn,
members of the House, from whicl
/ it appears, by careful computation
Of the rates of postage upon eacl
book sent, that the aggregate Of eacl
members postage would have been
upon these documents alone, 81
1854 the average rate of postag,
being forty-six cents per document
Upon the one hundred and thirty
three thousand volumes now on band
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 $4,000. while th,
charges upon the books in the Sen
ate document room would be abou,
the same.
Since the expiration Of the frank
ing privilege on the 1st day of July
last, but few, il any, of these docu
ments have been sent by mail, thos.
that have been distributed having
been sent by express; and il is there
fore very obvious that comparative.
ly few will reach their proper ow ner,
especially If they reside at grea,
distances from the capital, and of
the line Of the express companies
routes.
In nearly all the States in which
the policy Of publishing and distribu
ting official documents for the in
formation of the people has beer
adopted, the State it is believed, pay,
for the stamp put upon the package
by the officer or person sending il
by the mail, and practically that plar
has been adopted and is now en-
ployed, under the act of Congress
by the Executive departments o.
the Government ut Washington
The principle of the payment of post
age upon official papers, documents
books, &c, by the Government, is
therefore, fully recognized and acted
upon now by all the Executive De.
partments, in sending under official
stamps provided by the Government
the very lerge proportion of these
documents authorized by Congress to
be printed for their use and and fur,
nished by the Government Printer
to them, although charged to the ac
count of Congress. And this btll
only proposes to carry that principle
into effect, for tho bsneiit and ad-
vantage Of the people themselves,
and for the purpose of securing the
distribution of portion, at least, OF
these publications TO those whom we
represent, by a method which will, il
is believed, stand the test of COM
parison with that nov in use by the
Departments to which have refer
ed.
Let us examine for q moment, sir,
the practical operation of this de
partmental, or ofticisl-stamp system.
Upon the abolition of the franking
privilege of course it became neces-
sary to make some provision to enable
the several Departments TO transmit
their official mail matter through the
mails, and therefore it was enacted
by the fourth section of the act max
ing appropriations to supply def
ciencies, 80, approved Mar, 3, 1879
That the following amounts. or so much
thereof Is may be necessary, are hereby
appropriated for the following named Of
icers and Departments for purchase OF
postsge-stsmps for use during the fscs
year ending June 80, 1874.
For Executive office, $500 fop Depart
ment Of State. $4,000; for Post. Ofics
Department. $s0O,OOO for Treasury
Department, s5O4, 600 for Navy Depart.
men. S3S, 900 ; for Interior Deparimeu l.
S230, 900; for Agricultural Department
So, 900 for Department Of Justice, els
900 for War Department, Sl53,oo 70,
offices Of the Clerk Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives. Sloo each making 10 all ST..
s65. 200 Provided, That the i ostmsster-
General shall cause to be prepared q spe.
cial stamp or stamped envelopes, TO bs
used only for Official mail matter, for each
Of the Executive Departments ; and said
stamps and stamped envelopes shall bs
supplied by the proper officer Of said De-
psrlment to all persons under It's direction
requiring the same for official use.
Under this act there were furnish
ed to the Executive Departments,
from the Both OF June to the 9th OF
December, 1873, q period of five
months and eight days, official post
age-stamps and stamped envelopes
Of the nominal value Of Sl,i9O,47s,.
02.
By turning to the reports Of these
officers we learn how these stamps
and stamped envelopes, supplied in
snch large numbers, are disposed Of
by them.
The Secretary of the Treasury, In
his circular to officers and clerks OF
the Treasury Department and others,
instructs them that
These stamps are 10 bs used on all Of
fetal correspondence Of whatever nature,
and other official mail matter, whether
addressed to officers lately entitled to the
franking privilege, to other officers Of the
Government who had not the privilege, OF
10 private persons on official business; thus
entirely doing away with the use Of the
ordinary postage stamp for official pur-
poses.
And then be informs ps that his
Department furnishes such stamps to