Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-25
MERGERS FRANlNC CRAFT
Nonresident Congressman IS Violating the
Postal Law
MAKES UNCLE SAM PAY Ills POSTAGE
II Sending out His Oyu Portrait as
Part of the ConressiOpnl
RecOrd-Denouned as
Coarse wOK.

The interruptions and desperate char
aeter OF the Mercer campign is again be-
Ing evidenced by the hagtnt abuse Of the
franking privilege in w1ch the nonrezi-
dent congressman Is inhlging. For the
last two days the mail arriers In South
Omaha have been burdned down with
Mercer campaign literatre. sent through
the malls under the conressman's frank,
without postage payment and the Omaha
mail carriers are to havea load Of similar
documents within the rxt few days.
The outside Of the e~nelopes which are
being distributed at Unle Sans expense
In South Omaha bears the inscription:
House OF Representatives, U. s., part OF
Congressional Record, fpe," and a repro
duction Of the signature David H. Mer-
Ger, M. c." On the inte Of the envelope
the only thing that savrs Of part Of the
congressional record is small pamphlet
speech on trusts by Congressman Hamilton
OF Michigan. which hasibeen printed BY
the congressional committee at Washing
ton and sent broadcast FIR distribution in
all the different congress- onal districts In
the United States.
Mercer Portraits Utder Frank.
The other enclosures onwhlch Mercer Is
saving postage as part II the congress
slonal record are: First, two portraits OF
the nonresident congressman, one large
enough and pretty enougi to frame and
hang In any window and th other a smaller
card, which contains on he reverse side
the list Of appropriations which he says
has mad him a good investment for the
people Of this district AMI state, to say
nothing Of the good investment 1t has
been for him. The third enclosure is a
rtroVIar ranrfnf ~ fha falt labOr endorses
ment procured down in New York City
from the so-called International Steel
and Copper Plate Printers Union Of North
America" which is designed to counterfeit
MERGERS coarse work in his alliance with
Baldwin and the railroad corporations and
Reputation OF union labor in all It's de-
mands. Another enclosure is a circular
address to the voters Of South Omaha
throwing bouquets at himself for having
made the existence Of South Omaha pos
sible and holding out promises Of still fur
ther favors IL only allowed TO continue on
the payroll.
All OF these documents, with the, excep-
ton of the speech on trusts, bear labels
that show that they were printed In Omaha
and, Of course, could not possibly be classeo
rs public documents entitled to the frank
ing privilege. The penalty provided by
the United states bbdIuISo AA NHO hfNeN
use OF franked envelopes to conve private
mail matter subject to letter postage is q
heavy fine and imprisonment at the dis
erection of the Judge, but Mercer, of course
relies on his pull with the prosecutors and
his ofacial position to exempt him IRON
prosecution.
Resented as q Cheap Graft.
'"This Is the neryiest thing Dave has done
vet" declared a South Omaha republican
who had Just opened the envelope addressed
10 him. with all the money at his com
mand, which the railroads and other cor
porations are putting up for him, shoulC
think he would not stoop to such a petit!
graft as this, but would pay his postag'
like anyone else. I was never inclined Il
believe the charge that he was a deadheaC
and a deadbeat, but cheating Uncle Sam on
Of postage in this fashion is pretty close t
the limit. Just think what 1t means. l
means that Mercer has the free use OF tn
postofhce and the mails to send out thou
sands OF circular letters and pictures an
other compaign papers, while his opponen
finds that avenue closed unless he puts u
cash to pay the bill. 1t is the same thin
as Mercer drawing on the national treasur
for a campaign contribution, and not onl
that, but a contribution which all the res
Of us have to put up for him in taxes, whieI
we pay. / have read about congressmel
using their frankng privileges to send thel
laundry from Washington I'd Troy and bacl
every week, and l can believe now tina
Dave might have been among the number.
1t turns out that this is not the first in
stance In which Mercer has been abusin
the ranking privilege in the present cam
paign. Before the primaries he importe
from Washington several boxes of cartoon
representing him as a public building SAINT
Claus, with human-headed dogs barking q
his heels. A few samples were distribute
to postmasters and close friends in FRANKIE
envelopes. The Intention was to send ou
the remainder OF the supply to all the vot
ers OF the district, and the envelopes ar
ssid to have been prepared for that pull
pose. but Mercer found that the cartoo
had overshot the mark and the boxes cor
tanning the pictures are stlll unemptied 1
his warerooms.