The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-17
Revision of Statutes Covering Of
lenses and Penalties.
MANY CHANGES ARE MADE
MAINTENANCE OF PRIVATE
LETTER BOXES PROHIBITED.
Provisions Concerning Mail Depreda-
tons Have Been Consolidated and
Revisetl-Attenpt to Prevent
Tampering With the Mails In
Transit-VuIgar Matter Excluded

Washington, Feb. 16.-The report of
the commission on the codification OF
/ the United States criminal and penal
laws is about completed and the por-
/ ton of il covering offenses against the
postal laws has been submitted as a
/ special report to congress. The post
master general has communicated with
| both houses of congress. asking for inn
mediate enactment of the entire report
on this subject, pointing out its urgent
needs. The commission pays special
tribute to Acting Attorney General Bar
rett of the postofice department for
the benefit of his advice during its Ia
bOrs. The laws revised embrace all up
TO and including the first session of the
fifty-fifth congress.
The report, in brief follows:
In numerous instances where penal
ties have been recovered by civil pro-
cess in the nature of actions for debt
provisions for criminal prosecutions
have been substituted as more effica-
cious. Other changes are reported,
having in view more proportionate
adjustment Of penalties to the gravity
of the offenseS respectively defined, in
which the present laws, having been
adopted from time to time. are faulty.
\ provision has been inserted inhibit
ing tne maintenance Oh private pOSl-
offices and letter boxes. This is in con-
fOrmity, the commission says, with the
general policy of this government, and
it is further recommended by consider
atiOns of great weight. il being found
that in the larger cities where
these institutions remained, the
instrumentalities of practices par
taking of fraud and immortality.
In recent instance at New
4I,a
by which human lives were sacrificed
under circumstances of grave criminal
ity.
Another section forbids the unlawful
exercise of the office of postmaster or
other employee in the postal service to
prevent a practice more or less COM
mon. Section Bats, revised statutes, has
been amended to meet the question
whether United States protection can
be extended over depreciation offenses
against other property by reason of a
pOstoffice location in the same build
ing, the provision added being with
intent to commit therein any offense
defined in this title or to steal or pur-
loin any money or other property of
the United States
Sections 3S9O-9l-92, 4567-6S-69-70 deal
with d large but substantially the same
class of depredationS and have been
embraced in one section, an added pro-
vision giving q liberal elasticity TO the
penalties. Punishment for depredationS
on the mails in transit, which frquent-
" heretofore have found immunity
through difficulty of securing evidence
as to the particular district in which
the offense was committed, is provided
in two new sections, making it an Of
Tense for an employee to fail 10 deliver
the mail or any part of it to the re-
quired person and to carry into any
district any letter or contents thereof
unIaWfully abstTacted from the mail in
any other district, knowing it to have
been so distracted
Postmasters selling stamps to per
sons outside of their respective juris-
ton are to be subject to penal punish
ment. Sections 3922-25, inclusive, and
amendatory acts prohibiting removal
and rouse of stamps hav been CONSOLE
dated into n single section, with
maximum and minimum penalty To
meet supreme court rulings in con-
structing the act of Sept. %, 1883,
amendatory Of section 1898, as TO OBJ
scenity. etc. these have been revised
with an addition Of the words indie
cent, filthy or vulgar
The postal transmission of poisonous,
infectious and explosive matter also is
prohibited in a new section, with a GER
tain discretion as to the admissibility
vested in the postmaster general.
The language respecting misappro-
Driation of postal funds or property is
so ampIified that its protection may be
extended to money or property which
shall have come into the possession
or under the control of any officer or
employee Of the postoffice department
in execution of such office or employ
ment or under color of claim of author
irv SfIph