Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-01
OUTRAGEOUS.
AN INFAMOUS FRAUD BEING PER-
PETRATED UPON THE
UNSUSPECTING.
The Sedgwick County Democratic
Committee Parties to the
Outrage.

| congress the question OF the douSe VI
the franking privilege was brought be-
fore that body, the case in point being
the use by Democratic managers OF Rep
resentative S. S. Cox's frank under
which they were sending out large guam
titles of campaign literature. Mr.. Cox,
on the floor of the house, promptly and
emphatically denounced the use OF his
frank as unauthorized by him and a
fraud. Nothing further was done with
the matter there and then, and it dropped
out of the prints.
1t has just come to light that this out
rage upon the public is still being prac-
ticed and by the managers OF the DEM
ocratic party in this city. There are at
this moment thousands Of envelopes
bearing upon the left hand corner the
government card that is stamped upon
all envelopes employed by government
officials and members of congress IN
sending out public documents, such as
speeches, department reports, and the
like, and upon the opposite upper corner
of the envelope the frank. or signature
of S. S. Cox and other Democratic mem
bers Of congress. These envelopes are
blank, or unaddressed, and have been
and are still being used by the Demo-
cratic committee of Sedgwick county in
sending out through the mails the
speeches of G. S. Ebey, the Democratic
candidate for congress, and other CAM
paign literature throughout this county
and district.
There is no doubt about this matter
The EAGLE has the proof posi-
tive. A gentleman of high stand
ing, well known in this city,
yesterday showed the writer one of these
envelopes, procured by him from the
Democratic committee headquarters in
this city, which bears upon its face, as
above described, the card Public Docu-
ment-House of Representatives,, U. S.
Part of Cong. Record-F'ree," and on
the right hand upper corner IS. S. Cox,
NJ. c." This envelope is addressed to
"James II. Colby, Oatville, KS,
This is not only an unfair use of parti-
san advantage Gf that was all ii would
be of little consequence to the public be
yond the temporary benefit to the party
it, but it is an open fraud
upon the government. To use the gov
ernment's envelopes for such purposes
and send them through the mails at the
expense is no less a crime
than if the parties guilty of it had
access to the government treasury and
used the peoples money to pay
for such services; in fact, that is Just
what is done every time one of these en-
velopes is SO used and is sent through the |
mails.
Nor is this all. AS stated above Mr.. |
Cox publicly denounced such use of his |
name as unauthorized by him and a pal |
pable fraud. Therefore the parties using
his frank are not only guilty of defraud-
ing the government, but are also guilty |
of the crime of forgery.
The EAGLE is not given to publishing
matter, as its readers we'll |
know, and it is not for the purpose CT
sensation that it publish the
facts above detailed; but when sucn
glaring outrages are perpetrated upon the
people for personal and party advanta-
tage and the proof thereof is brought |
TO its knowledge as Enthusiastically
rs it is in this case, it cannot refrain
from performing the duty it owes to the
public to make full expose of the whole
matter and those engaged in it. The
Democratic committee of this county
are the immediate responsible parties to
the transactions, but they are not alone
n the matter. The envelopes they have
used ana still have for use were furn-
shed by some responsible agent of the
government, so that the further the mat
.er is traced the more serious it becomes.
Nor can it be passed lightly as canard
gotten up for campaign purposes, for
he proof Is direct. positive and unget-
)verable that government officials some
where are III collision with the leaders
If the party-doUbtlesS throughout the
perpetrating this shameful,
fraud upon the government
nd upon the people.
We wait to see what the government
Dfficals and the Democratic leaders not
IMPLICATED in the transactions named
will DO about it.