Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-01-31

9X5n41R stGOyetnment free matter, exClus
s4bk sire az eQaapment constituted 12
W HAE&EHN 90 per cent OF the entire weight
NJ TE carried, and applying this ratio to
the e137, "a, ,O2O. .OS-from matter mailed
by the public during the year 1904 which accord
ing to that report is 87.42 per cent Of the entire
weight carried-the tranking and penalty envelope
privileges are found to have OccasiOned loss in
enue Of $19, ,822, ,OOO."
Agitation against the abuse OF the franking privi
lege by congressman is old as the privilege itself
Every session Of congress the matter comes up and
as regularly 1t is dropped. One Washington news
paper makes these sweeping charges. Congress
men load the postal cars with all sorts Of freight
furniture Libraries, kitchen utensils barnyard ami
mails, ETC., without limit. They frank q COW, q
washtub churn as glibly as they do a letter OF
the speech that no one ever heard" It was once q
famous Missouri joke that w. D. vandiver wher
in Congress franked old pair Of trousers back tC
Missouri as mail matter. From this episode Mr.
Vand1ver received his nickname OF "Pants' Vandi
yer. The specific instance OF shipping a COW on
congressional frank is not given, but one may al
most believe it was so without proof.
The congressional frank:ng privilege has been ex
tended out Of all contemplation Of lite original scope
II has become cheap and overwOrked graft, and
the fact that the government 10 lade the HpferOrm
stead Of an individual or coIpDEatlDms aakes iSnl
Lass graft. EheoretiCally tho privilege 10 bhsel
amapposGd neCessity Of the UUngrea6mot
2eUp1uR In Gl03o C0xkS@pO0u0mC0 Win Un91f CONSUL
tnents, but the letters sent ont as official matie
compose small proportion Of the great mass oi ton
mage that the postal department is compelled to han
die during each session OF congress.
An iniquitous custom that has developed during
the last decade in the sleave OF print" privilege
which allows members Of congress to send writer
speeches mp to the reading clerks of the house
senate which are printed in the Congressional Rec
ord although never actually read in open session
These speeches are then printed in pamphlet foru
and mailed out free of charge to the constituents al
campaign material II this custom were abolished
together with the other garng abuses of the frank
ing privileges, the postal deficit each year would b
surplus for the extension Of the rural mail deliv
Iery. Il is even limited by Postmaster General Cor
telyou that curtailment Of the irankiug privilege
would mean possibility at no distant date Of re
duction of first class postage 30 per cent. Thi
would mean 1 cent letter postage.
--p-------
Probably no other living American of any prom
nence. has General Miles extraordinary talent TO
Stiffness in public utteranCes. The other day il
Boston he came near breaking his own record In
speech before the Twentieth Century Club, advocat
ing the independence Of the Philippines, when b
said, Chow long were any Of the American GOOniEt
orebelled agaiDGt Grset Britain echoolsd N 1el
gcvernrat Not one mOlnent,s 3ha tact n tho
ISHe AnIs ~ cSlonists Who TSkslle3 ~ elrp
Rrltatn, like vi other Eritlsh Unbtct1 y tbht "a
IhnA hSen hchooled in eoIfsRoVarf loe % Ns1
$50 pears, aking the dats of the u % ths
% CRsrta 90 that Oi the beginning a thelr eincpn
For 500 years they had been accIAtOmed t0 th
forms and the TACT Of representative popular govern
ment gradually but steadily growing more and NOR
powerful. Their governmental history and exper
ience had been that Of the English people Of whicl
they were part. For centuries they had been
free people, with freedom slowly broadening dow
from precedent to precedent. They we're then, d
they are now, the best and longest rchooled In th
matter Of sell.gOvernment 81 all the inhabitants
the earth. Their sscOnstitutionv was the Britiel
cOnstitUtiOn, and it was Just because they wer
schOoled in self government, knew their rights aB
self governing people and knew that 'sgOVernmen
without representation was denial of those rights
that they rebeled against the existing British ad
ADMINISTRATION and SO came gradually to desire ami
70 achieve separation from Great Britain. Ever
! American, except, apparently, General Miles
knows these facts &c least vaguely, and they ar
cited here merely 70 suggest how completely ign
rant and unphilOHc phical is General Miles, view
the constitutional history Of his own country
how blind guide he must be as to any queati. E
national policy. 1he extreme tnctIessnesg w I
remark addressed 70 An audience Oi BOetOniar VI M
scarcely be pointed ont.
The DepeHn and Platts will not cut sr IEN ~:
ID Washington this winter. Their sac NV wv,
lear the snub which others d their ~ M eouni
corrupt viii be forced 70 give them iO public oni
II trssy, 31iro vVooh4n0f8t, flftw ~ ensa.-.