The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-01-17
SEND COWS THROUGH MAIL
PIANO AND FURNITURE ALSO GO
WITHOUT POSTAGE, 1T is SAID.
How Some Congressman Abuse the
Franking Privilege. Resolutions
Introduced to Investigate.

Introduced to Investigate.
A Washington special to the Bal
timore Sun says the Simms resolution
instructing the house committee on
postoffices to investigate abuses of the
franking privilege by members of
congress should be productive of what
Horace Greeley would style mighty
interesting reading" The resolution
is privileged one, upon which a re-
port can be required in five days if
desired, and passed the house in the
following form:
Resolved. That. on
postotfices and post roads be, and
hereby is, instructed to investigate
whether or not there are or have been
abuses of the ranking privileges by
members of congress or in the name
of members of congress"
Cows Sent by Mail
The resolution was brought up and
adopted as a question of privilege by
Mr.. Simms of Tennessee as a result of
charges made in a Washington news
paper to the effect that members of
congress have been guilty of ranking
COWS, pianos, cooking utensils, etc.,
through the mails. This allegation
was read to the house by Mr.. Simms
before the passage of the resolution
and was, in parts, as follows:
"That this privilege has been out
rageously abused is fact of universal
knowledge. Congressman load the
postal cars with all sorts of freight
furniture, libraries, kitchen utensils,
the family wash, pianos, poultry, barn
yard animals, etc., without limit. They
frank a COW, washtub or a churn as
glibly as they do letter or the speech
that no one ever heard. They go fur
ther-they lend their franks in large,
uncounted lunches to societies and
propagandas that would flourish on the
public treasury as they already thrive
upon the peoples discomfort. The
whole system has been converted to
the most abominable ends. 1t presents
the perfected spectacle of graft. But
its worst expression is to be found in
the numbering up of the mail cars, the
preposterous demands upon the depart
ment's resources of transportation,
and the corresponding and concurrent
gripping of the postal service in all
it's proper and legitimate activities.
Mr.. Payne, the republican floor
leader, did not think it worth while
taking up the time of the house in dis
cussing or denying the allegations"
and tried to ridicule it by declaring
he had no idea that any congressman
had ever sent furniture through the
mails or could do so if he tried.
Furniture Was Sent Free.
Mr.. Payne and those who entertain
ed the same views on the subject may
be greatly surprised when they learn
what the postoffice department will
report to the house postoffice commit
tee in connection with the investiga-
ton. 1t cannot be known in advance
what the character and extent of that
report will be, but it is known that
there will be no effort to conceal the
facts concerning congressional frank
ing, and that if the direct question is
asked the highest postal authorities
will admit as absolutely true the
charge that furniture has been sent
through the United States mails by
members of congress through the use
of the congressional frank.
Chairman OVerStreet says that
the house postoffice committee will
meet on Tuesday and that there will
be bonafde investigation of the al
legged abuses. He says he has no per-
sonal knowledge of any such abuses,
and does not know exactly where he
will start. but intimates that he
will begin by asking the postmaster
general to make report to the CONF
mittee to be used as a groundwork for
the investigation.