The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1906-08-31
Burden of the Mails.
(Reprinted from Manufacturers
Record, August %, 1906.

|
Record, August %, 1906.
The Joint congressional commit
tee charged with investigating the
annual deficits in the Postctfice
Department attributed 10 second
class mail matter will sthke hot
trail in circular of the Merchant
Marine League of Clevcland, Ohio,
In which the following occurs:
We are sending you two sepa-
rate packages, one containing docu-
ments under congressional frank,
and the other, documents issued by
our League"
One containing documents
under congressional frank" is a
clause pointing straight to the real
cause of the difference between rthe
receipts and expendi lures of
of Postoffice Department. This
particular batch of documents,
costing the Merchant Marine
League nothing for the paper, the
printing, the binding and the ev-
velopes and nothing for transpor-
tation in the mails, weighs one
pound. The documents are mailed
under seal, and if they were not
franked would have required for
the batch 81 cents postage. How
many patches have been sent we
are not informed, so it is impos-
slble for us to estimate the thous-
ands of dollars that their distribu-
tion has cost the Postoffice
Department. The point to be
emphasized is that their distribu-
ton in this way, virtually in
furtherance of private enterprise
and typical of the use of the frank
ing privilege for the advancement
of hundreds of more or less private
enterprises, is not only gross
abuse of the franking privilege
designed for the especial benefit of
senators and representatives in
their correspondence as public
officials, but also a tremendous
drain upon the resources of the
Postoffice Department. Strict in
terpretation of the franking priyi-
lege would debar individuals from
using it, from making use of it in
their personal correspondence, and
calling documents circulated under
it for one purpose or another part
of Congressional Record" is essen
TALLY an evasion, no matter how
highly legalized it may be. The
principle involved should forbid an
individual or any group of individ-
uals, no matter how patriotic or
public spirited their intent, from
abusing the franking privilege in
the advancement of any cause in
which they may be interested.
The American sense of fairness
should also forbid: such abuse. For
instance, two or three years ago the
proposition was advanced that the
Ogden movement should be permit
ted to circulate it's campaign litcra-
ture through the mails free of cost.
In spite of the millions at its dis
posal for advertising purposes, the
Movement had been checkmated by
individual initiative and activity
with not even thousands of dollars
behind it. There was and is a
widespread, persistent opposition to
the Movement which, if the Move
ment were given the franking priv
ilge for it's literature, would have
the right to demand the same
privilege. But the recognized
character of the Movement is a
reasonable guarantee that it would
use the hooks which it has endeav-
ored to fastcn in one way and
another upon departments of the
National Government to insure for
itself an exclusive enjoyment of the
franking privilege in it's particular
field. Again, aside from the qucs-
tions of principle and American
fairness, the matter of the practical
operation of this kind of franking
as related to the expenses of the
Postofficc Department is to be con-
sidered.
Let the Joint congressional COM
mittee look into this matter care
fully; let it inquire how many
schemes are being promoted
through the use Of the mails under
the franking privilege; let it calcu-
late the gross weight of the materi-
al thus circulated which ought to
pay at least a cent for two ounces if
not sealed, and it is believed that it
will discover the clue to the annual