Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-15
"ReSOrm is Necessary"

While the Democrats are yelling
Fraud with great vehemence, they
take every possible opportunity to use
fraud for their own purposes. One ex-
ample of this sort of management Is the
attempt of the Democratic Campaign
Committee to force into the mails, un,
der false pretenses, vast amount of
political rubbish which had no more
right therein than a Democratic Con-
gressman's soiled linen, sent home to
be washed, could have. The law pro-
vides that Congressman may frank a
package containing speech, or any
part of speech, which has been de-
livered in Congress, or a report from q
committee, or Executive Department,
which may have been submitted to
either branch of Congress. Tho law
further provides that franks shall not
be written by Congressman for the pur-
pose of having them subsequently at
tached to mailable matter; nor shall
such franks be prepared by Congress-
men and sent to places other than
where the franking member is at the
time these are written for use in the
mails. This seems to be clear enough,
and even the wayfaring Democratic
tramp cannot err therein.
But the Democratic Campaign Com
mittee bundled up and had Congress
sional franks placed upon miscellane-
GUS mass of rubbish, among which were
the following choice specimens of Demo-
cratic literature: A pamphlet entitled
"Garfield tries to legislate General
Hancock out of Office" mo. ii In che
Electoral Commission" History Of a
Carpet-bag Government" Common
Sense, " ,"The Civil Record of Maior-Gen-
eral Hancock "Garfield Denounced
by the Republicans of his own Dis
trict,n "Willful and Wicked Waste,n
"The Great Steal,n "Massachusetts
and Rhode Island Discrimination
Against Foreign-born Citizens
speeches delivered at Belleville, H.,
by ex-senator Trumbull, and at Demo.
cratic meeting in Boston by b. +.
Butler and A. +. Palmer, together
with Il general assortment of campaign
documents and textbooks, such as
were prepared and sent from New
York by the Bureau of Ninoompoops
during the campaign of 1876, This
stuff was franked by Senator Call, of
Florida, and Congressman PoindeXter,
Dunn, Fernando Wood, and Nicholas
Muller, and other gentlemen who
Justify declared that "reform is neoes-
sary in the administration Of postal
affairs"
In order to make the fraudulent
bundles so big that one frank would
serve for many documents, the wrap
pers were stretched to their utmost ca
pacity. They burst asunder and re-
vealed the deception which had been
praoticed, The printed stuff had no
more right to free transmission through
the mails than business advertisements
would have, though travelling under
Congressional frank.
In itself, this is not a weighty in
cident. Democratic Congressman have
been so long accustomed to sponging
on the Government, and stretching their
prerogatives over vast amount OF free
fodder, that it is not surprising that
they should be caught at a wholesale
attempt to compel the United States
Government to carry their political
documents. But this is good example
Of the absolute deceitfulnsss of Demo-
cratic professions of honesty and
economy in office, During the last
DbluONthlle NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Inc per-
eentage of loss on the collections OF
the National revenues reached its
highest point. During those Adminis-'
tration the greatest peculatlons COM
mitted by oilice-holders were accom-
plished. During those periods Demo-
cratic o6ice-holders, as II secure in their
places forever, used the Governmental
machinery as II il were their private
property TO fetch and carry at their
convenience. If the Democrats were
to get full control OF the Government
now there would be an immediate re-
turn to those prodigate times. Thore
would be no need TO smuggle Demo
cratic campaign tracts into the mails.
This would be done openly and with alb
solute wantonness Of power.-M. Y.
Times. Hh