The sun., 1895-01-17
THEIR LETTERS GO FREE.
CONGRESS HAS GRANTED ITSELF
THE FRAMING PRIrILEGE.
The Privilege Restored By . Paragraph In
tho Bin ProvidtnG for che Printing
nnd Distribution or Public Documents.

The Privilege Restored By Paragraph In
tho Bin Providing for ths Printing
nnd Distribution or Fable Documents.
wAsHiSoToN, Jan. 10.-scnators and Repre-
sentatlves have not yet walked up to the fact
any moro than the public has that since last
saturday letters TO their constituents have re-
quired no postage stamps. Tho ease and sec
recy with which tho franking privilege has
been restored to members Of Congress IL cuualled
only by the so-called clnrdestine methods by
which gold wns demonetizcd. and should the
people ever call tho Flfty-third Congress to
account for the restoration OF the frank on let
tiers the members o.thnt Congress will undoubt-
cdly profess their entire ignorance OF such
provision In the act which provides for the pub
fishing, printing and b!ndngnnd the distribution
of public documents. The statesmen are rapidly
availinR themselves Of their new privilege, and
1t will not be many days before they will stop
buying any postage stamps. The paragraph in
which the frsnking privileges is restored is to
be found In section IS of that act and reads rs
follows:
THE ice-Prcsident, members. and members
elect Of and Delegates and Delegates elect to
Congress shall have the privilege of sending
through the mails. and under their frank. any
mail matter to any Government official or to
any person, correspondence not exceeding one
ounce In weight, upon official departmental
business"
Inasmuch as no one but the writer and the
person addressed is likely TO know the contents
OF a letter, II will readily be seen that practi-
cally the only limit to the exercise OF the priv-
lege Ia TO be found in the limit OF one ounce
This limit will prevent the old abuse OF mem
bers sending their soiled linen home to DO
washed, or OF following tho example set by the
members Of the Geological Survey in shipping
tons of rock as well as saddles, brides, and
camp equipage as mail matter.
The trankng privilege had It's origin in Eng
land In the reign Of Charles H.. and was adopted
n In this country Without much 9uesssieSn; Under d
House of Representatives and the Secretary of
the Senate and Clerk OF the House had the priv
weight. This statute having been limited in
en- IN and %sain n IN the last M time
without limit as to weight. In 1928 the limit Of
ssn was under placed frank on by all
and Representatives. and they were con-
fined in their exercise OF the privilege to
ter received by a member OF Congress was paid
which he was a member. In 1873 the franking
privilege was abolished entirely. and all matter
W the
postage as that sent by OF to other persons, and
rn1e nuSo ST 30 Ss essS
I
lished, and for unbound the same rate as on
newspapers mailed from the publishers, but the
next year 1t was provided that the Congressional
Rcc0Td or any part of II. or speeches or reports
contained In It, might be sent FREQ under frank
of the member of Congress written by him"
and all public documents were allowed TO be
sent free under the same conditions. In 1901
| the privilege was given members Of Congress
| nnd members elect of sending under frank let
ters to the officers Of the Government when ad-
dressed officially.
Within the past year It has become the prac-
tico to have the frank of o member of Congress
| printed on envelopes, and during the late cam
| paign there was one order for ffve millions OF
such envelopes The campaign committees both
National and State. utilized the folding rooms OF
tho two Houses Of Congress for preparing
their documents. which are sent directly from
the printing Office to the folding room and from
the folding room to the various campaign COM
mittees for distribution. In this way single
frank takes documents from the folding room
to the National Committee thence TO the State
Committee. thence TO county committee or to
an individual. who finally addresses the docu-
ments and mails them at n local Post Office to
the persons for whom they arc ultimately in
tended. The law allows ench Representative
and Senator SIPS a year for postage and news
papers. and now that the members are no longer
required to pay postage. this sum will represent
so much addition to their salaries. The average
daily postags bill OF n Senator would be about
fifty cents.