The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-20
SKIN GAME ON THE SEABoARD.
THE ROAD ACCUSED OF TRYING TO
FLEECE THE GOVERNMENT.


A Charge That officials Of the Road
We're Instrumental in Having the
Mails Carried over the Line Pad
ded During the Weighing Period.
United States Senator and "A
Congressman Involved - Newspa-
pers Also Used.
Washington, May 19-Postmaster Cen
eral Wilson to-day authorized the publica-
t.ln of the following statement in regard
% an alleged attempt to overcharge the
government for the carrying of the mails
iu certain southern states:
Every four years the mail transported
over the various railways in the United
States is weighed for a period Of thirty
days for one-fourth of the country each
year. Upon the average weight obtained
during the thirty days the commission OF
the railroad is adjusted and remains in
force for four years. The last weighing
was conducted during the month OF
March, 1886. one railroad company, the
Seaboard Air Line, whose main line ex-
tends from Portsmouth, Va, to Atlanta,
attempted to take advantage Of this op-
portunity to swell the Weighing of the
mail carried over their system, during
The Weighing of the malls by very large
shipments of public documents. About
800 sacks of documents franked by a Unit
ed States senator and a member of con-
gress, were sent to the various station
agents of this company in Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The
sacks weighed from 100 to 125 pounds
each. Two, three, four, or, even, fve,
sacks We're sent to one agent. g Some
agents were furnished by railroad
officials with lists Of addresses in North
Carolina and Virginia. The division su-
perintendent and roadmasters gave oral
instructions to the agents under them as
to pasting labels, or writing addresses on
the books which were not previously ad-
dressed but the tags of the sacks We're
addressed all for --" mamely a rail-
road agent at that point. The books We're
lheH Iemalleq ana again transported over
the routes of this company, to be again
weighed. A few agents not unders tand-
ing tnelr instructions, gave out the books
Tor public distribution, before the frank
ana labels were received.
futeen sacks We're delivered at Ports
MOI mouth va, addressed in bulk TO the gem
craI superintendent. That night the books
were re-addressed in their building by his
secretary and division superintendent
and re-mailed the following morning to
paper at EllenborO, n. c., learning of the
transaction, published a short article
headed a Mistake, stating in subs tance
lhdt a United states senator, IL mailing
documents to his constituents, had by mis-
axe addressed them to station agents
along the SeabOard Air Line railway. A
DIVISION superintendent learning of the ar
ucie proceeded to the town and Induced the
edIlor TO cut the item out Of every copy
hurt the road.
The packing of the mails by this com
pdny was investigated by the postofiice
department., and TO prevent this practice,
the department ordered the weighing to
DE continued for twenty additional days
during April The railroad men then re-
sorted to q new scheme, by contracting
with publishers of newspapers for a large
number of papers TO be sent over their line
to addresses furnished by the company
At Portsmouth, Va, the general superin-
tendent arranged with a Portsmouth pa
per to send $500 copies daily for ten days
ana after that 2,4OO copies daily, in bun
dies of twenty-five to each address to
parties in South Carolina and Georgia.
on the Seaboard Air Line railroad. AT
Raleigh, n. c., an official of the railroad
arranged to have 5000 copies the first
week, and 1000 copies a week afterwards
OF weekly paper sent in bundles of for
ty-fVe over the SeabOard Air Line rail-
road to stations in Georgia, South Caro-
lima and a few in North Carolina. At At
lanta, Ga. the private secretary of the
division superintendent arranged with an
Atlanta paper for 1000 copies daily to
be sent over the Seaboard Air Line to
NOIlOlk ana portsmouth, a., one UnOu-
sand copies addressed as to regular sub
scribers, the other thousand as sample
copies. Arrangements were also made
with another Atlanta paper to send $500
copies of the Sunday issue, weighing over
half pound each, to addresses in Nor
folk and Portsmouth, Va. Nor
folk and Portsmouth city directories
were furnished to the newspapers from
which to print labels for mailing papers to
parties in those cities. Several of these
parties thus addressed had moved from
those cities, or had died. Had this weigh
ing been accepted by the department. the
SeabOard Air Line railroad would have
received for the next four years, a much
larger compensation than it was entitled
TO.
Some of the newspaper publishers were
indignant when they found that they had
been made parties TO such a scheme and
The publisher of the paper at Raleigh, N.
c., refused to send out the fourth ship
ment of his paper"