The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1896-11-07
AT ENORMOUS COST.
Si5,0O0,0OO Taken out Of the Public
TreauSrylthiS Campaign,
TO TRANSPORT THE DOCUMENTS
Franking Privileges Used Freely BY
Members OF Political Parties. This
Means Change ia the Laws.

w ASHING10T, ID. C.. OcU., ii The
work of distributing campaign matter
came to an end last week. and som,
approximate estimates can now b,
given of the quantity Of educationa
matter that flooded the country in sucf
volume as was never before known.
1t Is thought that all of the com
mittees. National and Congressional
Republican, Democratic, Silver, Popu-
list, and the lesser partisan factions
that have not possessed themselves oil
all the machinery of the great parties,
have scattered over the country moi
less than l POO, 900, 600 pieces
One of the officials of the Pustoffiet
Department who has kept an eye on
the ranking business in connection
with the free transmission through
the mails of campaign matter is con-
WINGED that at least one-third, and
perhaps larger fraction, of this vast
bulk OF speeches, statistics and docu-
ments Of other kinds, has been franked,
regardless of the strict Interpretation
of the law limiting the privilege.
AN ENORMOUS SUM IN POSTAGE.
The matter has been sent in sealed
envelopes, at least by far the greater
part of it, and if not franked would be
chargeable with letter postage. 1t is
estimated blythe official referred to that
atthese postage rates the free matter
would amount to about $40 600, 900.
Add to this the cost of matter that
has been sent out from the various de-
partments in official envelopes in re-
Spouse to the demands of the cam
paign; the printing of parts of the
Congressional Record at reduced rates.
and the folding and mailing of them
at the expense of the Government:
the time of employees that has been la
ken from legitimate work for investi-
CATION and answering inquiries, and
one can gain faint idea of the cost
of the campaign to the people in the
one small corner where labor and mail
transportation is done at the expense
of the people in the interests of par
ties.
This is the first national election
that has been held since the Fifty
third Congress enlarged the ranking
privilege TO allow members to send all
of their official correspondence through
the mails by simply writing their
names upon il, or by stamping it with
a rubber fac smile of their names. II
the definition by members of the word
Official could be known large con-
stituency would be shocked at the
elasticity of the conseiences of many
of the statesmen. 1t is well known
here that when it comes to the ques-
tion OF paying postage the congression-
al mind does not weigh the question
of what is and what is not "ofiicial
matter" so nicely as to make any great
amount of correspondence liable fol
stamping.
USE RESULTED IN ABUSE.
Years ago Congressman ranked eve
ry thing in accordance with the law of
that day. This resulted in such an
abuse of this free use of the mails
that the privilege was abolished. This
was soon found to be uncomfortable, and
the boon was restored to limited de-
gree, which limit was again widened,
as described by the Fifty-first Con-
gress.
Taking the cost at letter rates OF
all of the ranked matter: add to this
the vast quantity of documents and
answers TO inquiries sent out from the
and the cost Of the pure
ly political labor performed by the
Government for the benefit of political
parties will probably amount to not
less than a total Of SIS, 100000.
The Postal Department Official re-
ferred TO says that some of the Con
gressmen who have conversed with
him on the subject freely express the
opinion that the abuses of the frankine
privilege in this campaign will lead tc
a prompt and radical modification OF
the law. 1t can readily be shown
that many congressman have not only
used the frank illegally in their own
interests, but that they have ever
been ready to atfix their signatures t.
matter for friends who are not in the
employ of the government, directly Oh
indirectly