The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-04-20
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
APRIL

MIR. Cox. | move IN the rules be
and tue Houss resolve itself
an o. CDlmnattee OF the Whole on .,the
saglslablve appropriation bill.
The melton was agreed no..
Mr.. .C4nnon. of Illinois. ] I'VE to
amend by striking out the paragrspk
just tTeads
cir. Chairman, in 1878, 4 believe 4Ao
the .closesof the fiscal year, the frankjay
priglIege.was abolished by AB act passes
a ltt lie pr 10 tha time. There was
great hnuc4sh Of trumpets a ne .erencs n
he saving shat would accrue TO the
Post-SO ffice.D apartment by virtue Of that
measAre. / want TO state In the outset
4hat 1t never has saved the G sacrament
Que penny, s,but has absolutely added
over $4,000 To the expenses OF the De
par ment every year since the measure
was adopted. Though have but five
minutes. think can show this satis-
fact orily.
The fest thing that was done npon
the aboittIon of the ranking prsglls &c
Was to D nv de some means by which
So 900 or 10000 posi- masters in che
Unitcd States Gould have the franking
privilege by virtue of official etana Us
and some naeaDs by which the executive
departments could also have the frank
Ing privilege in lie same way ), and, IN
Arranging thds, thesfrs. thing that was
done (a1d have the official figures
before mr) was to,apend $4,000 for plat es
from which TO print those official pos
tage-s amps and every year s'nce that
time $50, 00O, ia round numbers, hag re
been spent for the purpose Of printing
those official postage-stamps and furnish
ing official stamped envelopes and what
tor? Purely thai the account might be
kept be w, en- the Poss-0fice Depart
ment ana .tnc other branches of the
Government hat and nothing more.
Il never has yielded one cent of revenue
in fact.
know that the money appropriated
for these stamps is counted AS revenue.
Onc million seven hundred thousand
dollars in round numbers was returned
ia that way for the first year, 1873, and
S1,iOO.OOO in round numbers for the last
fiscal year. But no money ever came in.
1t was credit TO the POst-OA1ce De-
partment without any mOrey.
Now it appears tina. there is frank
ing privilege for the executive depart
nents By means of these official stamp !;
there is Thanking priv lege for 10000
postmasters in this country as to official
business by aid of these Official stamps ;
and nobody who ever had the tracking
privilege is deprived of 1t in fact except
members of this House and Ofthe Senate.
These official stamps we have to make
and pay for. putting our hands into the
Treasury every year and taking out the
cost thereof in clean cash and making 1t
present to the printers of these stamps,
in order that these people who had the
ranking privilege before may still have
1t at the additional expense of cost OF
stamps.
Now, who else has the ranking privi.
leee in this country |? The newspapers
practically have il or those who take
The papers. Many OF them have been
making great deal of fuss ever since
have been in Congress and before about
the ranking privilege Of members to
Congrt IS. / have the data before me
to show that eight tenths ofall the mail
matter that passes through the mails
Of the country consists of newspapers
al d periodic ais Now the expenditures
Of the Post-Office Department are in
round numbers 100000 year.
Eight-tenihs of all this expense is paid
out that the newspapers may pass through
the mails at cost cf say $25. 10000.