The National tribune., 1906-03-01

accepted similar favors' from this same
fellow. I suppose he must have sent
out at least 10000 pounds of books
and documents during the weigh
ing period. After this experience l
have to smile when l read the solemn
assurance of railroad representatives
that it is impossible to stuff the mails
and thereby increase the railway mail
pay"
But all the cost of the Post Office
| Department does not come in paying
freight in this fashion Post Office
| officials have the right to the frank, 1t
must be remembered. And the things
they do frank 1t has been charged,
and proven, that there have been MEM
bers of Congress who do not like the
4 laundry work done in Washington, and
who frank their soiled linen back TO
i their homes-well, we Will say on the
wabash far away" though that is not
the place. Then they franked the
cleaned linen back to Washington. II
has been said that they franked wife :
fine clothes back and forth in the same
manner. Well, there are Post Office
officials who go that a whole lot better.
| They frank big Office desks. carpets,
office furniture of all descriptions, huge
iron safes, all this going through on
express cars as MAIL" and bearing
the Post Office frank. Now what do
you think of that?
Postmaster-General Cortelyou is af-
ter all this sort of thing and he intends
to see that the frank is used for mail
proper, and not for anything else.
| There has been good deal of discus
sion about the liberty permitted Mem
| bers of Congress in sending out mail
under their frank. 1t is charged that
matter is franked by them that is an
| sion of the law and sim nile
Several reform bureaus are sending out
| parts of the Congressional Record
under various franks, which it is
charged that they have no right to do.
| All this Is being looked into also. Post
| master-General Cortelyou won't wink
at any kind of deception or fraud, and
as fast as he can stick pin In a fraua.
ulent action, he does There have never
been so many fake concerns brought to
book and fired out of the mails In the
same length of time as during his in
cumbency. He proposes to bring the
appropriations and the expenses of his
great big Department a good many
thousands nearer together.
The strength of the Standing Army
of the United States is to-day $4,000.
That isn't very big army for S6,000,-
00G of people and country which has
to police the whole Pacific Ocean.
Representative Southall. of Virginia,
has introduced a bill asking that the
battlefield of Petersburg, or the field of
operations about it, be made into Bat
tlefield Park.
The provisions of the eight hour law
will not be of effect in the labor prob
/ lem in Panama. That is settled.
United States Senators do not believe
that Senator Smoot should be fired out
of the United States Senate. They are
Senator Perkins, of California, and
Senator Warren. of Wyoming. Both
have presented petitions with thousands
of names this last week against the
seating of Senator Smoot, and both have
taken occasion to say that they pre-
sented the petition by request, but that
they did not believe that way.
Samuel Alschuler, a former Demo-
cratic candidate for Governor of Illi-
nois. presented the case of the pro-
testants against the seating of Repre-
sentative Anthony Michaiek, of the Fifth
District of Chicago, before the House
Committee on Elections No. l last
week.
Representative Mann, of Chicago, is
Chairman of the committee. and heard
the evidence against his colleague, who
was represented by Attorney James
Wilkerson.
Mr.. Alschuler claimed that no eyi-
dence had been found that Michalel.
had ever been naturaliZed. He said the
burden of proof was on the Republican
Representative from the Fifth District to
show that he had been naturalized. Mr..
Wilkerson threw the burden of proof
on the protestants. 1t is on this ques-
ton OF the burden OF proof that the
committee will probably decide the
case.
The case is a peculiar one. Repre-
sentative Michalek is a Bohemian, who
is also a Republican, and who lives in
the Bohemian district in Chicago. He
is the first of his race ever elected to
Congress. He was born in Bohemia in
1873, and was brought to this country
by his parents when he was three
months old. 1t is claimed that he never
became a naturaliZed citizen. His nomi-
nation was a surprise to him and all his
friends and his election even more so.
The charges of lack of naturalization
were made in the campaign. and his
election is contested on those grounds.
His majority was about $50 over the
Democratic candidate.
The Hepburn "Pure-food" bill pass
ed the Senate by big majority. only
four votes being recorded against IL.
The bill makes it unlawful for any
person or corporation to manufacture,
sell, offer for sale, or deliver for ship
Inent. or to cause to be delivered, ship
ped, or transported from any place
within the jurisdiction of the United
States "any article of food, drugs, medi-
cines, or liquors which is aduterated or
misbranded, or which contains any
poisonous or deleterious substance"
The penalty provided is $500 fine or
one years Imprisonment for the first
offense, and $1,000 fine or imprison-
ment for each subsequent offense. The
second section extends the penalties to
persons or corporations who offer to
ship or receive for shipment, either to
any place within the United States or
to any foreign country, such articles.
The Bureau of Chemistry of the Agri-
cultural Department is directed to make
examinations under the bill. and after
due notice and hearing the persons
found guilty of viola ding the provisions
of the act shall be proceeded against by
the United States District Attorney to
enforce the penalties.
Under the provisions Of the bill
candies are declared contraband which
contain terra alba, barytes, tale, chrome
yellow, or other mineral substances or
poinsonous color or fiavors.
II the bill actually prohibits the sale
or such stuff as coaxes the pennies from
the hands of eager school children, it
will have worked righteous purpose
Undoubtedly the stomachs of half the
school children are permanently in
jured by the vile stuff sold in the push