Sunday morning globe., 1901-08-18
KNOCKED our
Is Third Assistant POStmaSter-Gen-
eral Madden.
BY THE FAKE PUBLISHERS.
How an Innocent Rider 10 tho Appropriation
Bin Ties His Hands While tho LurId
Patent Medicine Boost Passes Under
His Indignant NOStrIs as SeCond-CaSs
Matter


gress and successfully defy or eyade
its provisions, but 1t takes a Chauncey
NJ. Depew to nut an innocent rider on
an impending bill, and when 1t Is In
corporated in the bill makes the orig
inal intention of the law nugatory. We
have. Of course, a case in point to
illustrate the text. Third Assistant
Postmaster-G General Madden being an
interested party, ne will please give us
his undivided attention for a few mo-
ments.
Mr. Madden may be said to be the
originator Of the war on the second
class matter frauds. For this The
Globe has commended him and he still
has its sympathies Mr.. Madden un-
derestmated the ingenuity Of the men
using the mails to boost fake medi-
cines and other enterprises. He at
tempted to curb their enterprise, and
finally sought remedial legislation
through Congress. He got 1t, or he
thought he did but some develop
ments which have come to our knowl-
edge the past week admonish us that
Mr.. Madden is mp a tree. The patent
medicine and other fakirs have done
the freeing.
"A gentleman out i'm Ohio discovered
that the appropriation bill for the
Postmaster-Generals Department was
the proper place to work in a harm
less little rider, worded so as not to
alarm Mr.. Madden and so effective
that Il would make nugatory the law
exclusively drafted by Mr. Madden of
their patent medicine pamphlets and
other fake enterprises. The rider was
offered. it is alleged, by Senator De-
pew-we are compelled to use the word
"alleged." for it is not clear to our
mind that Mr.. Depew is its author.
However. even If he was as astute as
he is he could not possibly scent any
harm i'm IT, The rider, in substance,
prevents arbitrary action by postmas-
ters I'm excluding second-class matter.
1t specifically provides that objection
able matter shall be investigated be-
fore it is excluded from the mails as
second-class matter. This effectually
disposes of the authority Of the sew
eral postmasters, and, indeed, OF Mr..
Madden himself, for the law does not
state who shall do the investigating,
except inferentally, that is, 1t being
under the Postmaster-General, It Is sup
posed that official or Cabinet officer
shall perform the duty or designate the
official who shall. Therefore the To-
cal postmasters in the several cities,
towns and hamlets are estopped from
excluding from the mails, as second
class matter, the aforesaid pamphlets,
publications, medical boosts, etc.,
which the law was designed to cover,
and the mailing Of these Objectionable
second-Class productions is as lively as
yer among those on the inside Of that
innocent little rider, first discovered by
1a Ohio man referred to. There is no
postmaster, unuUr rts prUYisU-Ol an
nvestigation-Qualifed or empowered
o reject the publications heretofore
admitted as second-class matter, and
which Mr.. Madden thought his law had
excluded. Every postmaster must ac-
cept the same and forward it, as, un-
der the rider, his ipsy diXit don't 60
it must be investigated but by whom?
Certainly not by the local postmasters,
for the law does not say so. IL leaves
that important designation blank eX-
cept, as stated, inferendally. Now, it
Is a risky business to stop mail mat
ter en- transit under a suspicion that
it comes under the prohibition clause
or provisions Of the law for second
class matter. And there you are. The
postmaster can not determine without
an investigation, and he is not the per-
son authorized to make IL. The Third
Assistant Postmaster-Gen must in
vestigate the matter 81 he attemepts to
stop the Objectionable matter en- tran
sit and an investigation does not
mean, according to the rider, Mr.. Mad
dens opinion. Anyhow, Mr.. Madden
himself is not empowered or deBig-
mated to make the investigation, but
even If he was and Is. the
owner of the prohibited mat
ter must be heard in that inyes-
tigaton, and, as usual, such per
sons will put up a stin fight, after the
manner Of their class.
So that this innocent rider Of Chaun-
cey the Peach--if indeed II is his-has
practically knocked galley west all Of
Mr.. Madden's efforts to exclude obiec-
tlonable publications from the mails
and relieve them of the outrageous
burden to which they have been sub
iected. Mr.. Madden is In a posi-
ton to realize the force of the
Burns couplet, THE best laid plans Of
mice and men gang aft aglee," for by
this rider all his planning and efforts
have, as stated, been made nugatory
and Intellectual.
The Globe regrets this, as the mOvdh
ment was in the right direction, and
it hopes that when Congress convenes
Mr. Madden win so arrange matters
that he will not have the fear before
his eyes of the appropriation being
hung up by anybody who feels himself
aggrieved by the exclusion Of his fake
publication, or lottery scheme, from
the second-class mails AS It Is at
present, the postofice officials are
afraid, and dare not tackle the biggest
and wealthiest offenders in this re-
spect because, so sure as they do, they
will find themselves In litigation with
the excluded parties, and this litiga-
ton will necessarily involve the right
Of expenditure Of the appropriation
for the Postmaster-Genera Depart
ment by the officials Of that Depart
ment In toher words, the fake pub
fishers can tie the appropriation up
pending investigation of their publi-
cations, defense, appeal, etc. Evident
ly. Mr.. Madden has been knocked out
Of the box, and he will have TO perfect
his pitching arm to reach the fake
publishers. At present they have bat
ted him TO a standstill.