Connecticut western news., 1874-03-13
The Franking Privilege.

Contrary to the expectation of large majority of the U. s. House of Repre- sentatives, the bill providing for the free distribution of public documents and seeds, and for the free circulation of newspapers within the counties where published, was defeated by a vote of 129 yeas to 131 nays. It was confidently predicted by the Represen- tatives who had closely watched the debate that the bill without substantial amendment would pass by majority of twenty. This belief was held on both | sides of the House. Had vote been called upon the bill shortly after it was brought before the House there is no doubt that it would have passed, but there has been so much delay that Rep resentatives discovered from private letters and the press that there was danger that in many localities the pas- sage of the bill would create as much dissatisfaction as an absolute restora- tion of the franking privilege. Repre- sentatives were, consequently, deterred from voting according to their personal | desires or convictions, so the core spondent of the N. Y. Times asserts. Another cause operated to defeat the bill. There were many who desired to vote for the section providing for the free circulation of newspapers within the counties of their publication who would not vote for the sections provid- ing for the free distribution of public | documents; but as the committee would not permit any division of the vote, these members preferred that the bill should be defeated, hoping, perhaps, hereafter to be able to legislate in favor of their country newspapers. Notwithstanding the fact that the Postmaster General has not been able to make any definite calculation of the changes of expenses incident to the | abolition of the franking privilege, the statement was made that the expendi- lures had been increased millions on that account. Ellis H. Roberts, of New York, at the first opportunity, moved that the whole subject lie upon the table. This motion was defeated by a vote of 118 yeas to 40 nays. The amendment accepted by the committee, which proposed to give the Postmaster General discretion at any time to delay | for thirty days the transmission of free public documents, as the necessities of the service might require, was defeated | " 0A OFOA "AOA1AAhS 1V the general conviction that such dis cretion might be used for political pur- poses by any Administration of the Government at times when party ex- citement runs high. For the amend ment of MT. R. s. Hale, of New York, which was in the nature of substitute for the bill, and which proposed an absolute restoration of the franking privilege, there were only forty-nine votes given. These forty-nine votes were about equally distributed be- tween Republicans and Democrats. The defeat of the bill is, says the 1vn,es correspondent, without doubt, due to Gen. Butler, who thought that if it were defeated Q demand would be made for the passage of Q bill for the complete restoration of the privileges of the frank, for which he has new bill drawn. He passed around among the forty-nine who voted for MT. Hale $ amendment, and impressed some of them with his view on the results of the defeat of the pending bill, and without doubt changed votes enough which would have been given for the bill to secure it's defeat.