Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1901-06-28
MAIL THEIR LETTERS FREE.

sit is commonly supposed that only |
senator's and representatives have the |
privilege of writing or stamping a fac
Simile Of their signatures upon envelopes
and that, under the law, all such mail
matter goes through the mails without
payment OF postage" said a representa-
tive to Star reporter.
"This is true, and Uncle Sans postal
employees honor our signatures when a
bank teller might not. There are two la
dies, however, who share with us this
privilege. though this is a fact not gener-
ally known, and they are the widows Of
former Presidents Grant and Garfield.
Gan mail matter sent by Mrs, Lucretia
r. Garfield and Mrs. Julia ID. Grant
under their respective written autograph
&c signatures, and all mail matter sent to
these two ladies, will be carried free dur
ing their lives, No signature or marks
are necessary to the free carriage Of mail
matter to either of these ladies', the ad-
dress being sufficient. Mrs. Garfield has
enjoyed the privilege since 1881 and Mrs.
Grant since 1886.
"And in the connection Of the free
| transportation Of mail / will give you
/ line or two which is of both local and
general interest. The delegates to con
! gress from the territories, the secretary Of
the senate and the clerk Of the house of
representatives also have the privilege,
and there it ends, except for official cor
respOndence of the government.
1.-THE right of q senator and repre-
sentative to use his frank holds good IN
til the first Monday in December follow
ing the expiration OF his term of Office,
the single exception being in the case Of
seeds and agricultural reports, which may
be sent by or to any member Of congress
or delegate free for a period of nine
months after the expiration of his term.
Members of the last congress may con-
tinue to use their franking privilege until
Monday, the I'd of next December, the
day when the Fifty-seventh congress will
convene. The envelopes must have the
word free and the initials of the official
as M. c. for representative and u. s.
s. for senator. written or printed thereon
] "Being an old representative / have
been often asked by new members how
they could get lot OF reports or govern
ment documents into their districts with
out going to the trouble Of addressing
them in Washington and saving the an
> nOyance Of handling the volumes as wei
as deciding to whom they are to be sent
= If men who are elected to congress have
? this to learn, It is not supposed that the
: outside public would know. They dis
/. tribute this mail in this manner:
r ''The law allows a package of frankeC
) articles to be sent to one addressee, WHIT
: on receiving and opening the package
may place addresses upon the franked ar
: ticles and RENAL them for delivery t.
their respective addresses.
"And we work It this way: We will
send one or a dozen big mail bugs file,
y with agricultural or other reports to
v friend in our districts with carte blanch
II to distribute them where he thinks the,
will do the most good. People living il
the rural districts consider it a cOmpli
(, ment and special mark Of favor to b
l. thus remembered, and as the agriculture
e reports are valuable to them we dissent
I. nate the information the government ha
10 gone TO great expense to compile an
"a come ia for q good work ourselves at tn
Ia same time. By this method the represent
n alive and his clerk are relieved of
tremendous lot of hard work and loss G
y time. Washington Star.