The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-01-14
POSTAL BILL
CAUSES TALK
Crumpacker Would Radi-
cally Change Mail Regu-
lations in Fraud Cases.
IS THERE A MOTIVE IN IT?
Probability of It's Getting by the Sen
ate and the President Con-
sidered Slim.

Through the fatherhood Of DILL
which, II passed by the senate as II
has been by the house, and meets
with the approval of the president
will take the censorship of the mails
practically out of the hands OF the
postofice department and place IL IN
those of the federal judiciary with
the possibility of trial by jury con-
gressman Crumpacker of the Tenth IN
diana district has placed himself IN
the limelight at Washington.
The bill, which slipped through the
house recently with hardly a dissent
ing voice and whose import evidently
was not appreciated at the time, would
nullify the postal regulations to the
extent of permitting questionable con-
Germs to ply their business for sufti-
cient length of time to complete their
plans and close in on the prot1ts or
their schemes
Under the existing laws the post
office authorities are given to dealing
summariIy with such concerns. AS to
what constitutes fraud and fraudulent
use of the mails is now a matter or
investigation and discretion which is
vested in the postmaster general and
MS subordinates.
The fraud order" has done the work
and it has done 1t effectualy. Beyond
the edict of the postmaster general
which is based on the testimony sub
mitted by his inspectors, there is no
appeal.
Nigger In WOOdpilef
Since the launching of the Crunl-
packer bill, as it is called by the house,
the astute correspondents. John Allan
o'Laughlin among them, have been
busy in search of the ulterior motive.
They seem to regard it as rather more
| than a coincidence that one of the big
concerns, whose mail was stopped, has
| for It's head one of Mr.. Crumpackers s
constituents. This concern is the Lew
is company of st. Louis. whose mail
was stopped on account of alleged
fraudulent practices. Vice President
Kramer of this concern is a resident
of this district. 1t is also regarded as
more than a coincidence that the
Crumpacker bill met with such hearty
support as given 1t by Representative
Perkins of Rochester. N. Y. and Rep
In Representative Perkins district
the Adkins Institute of Physicians and
} Surgeons has its headquarters and E.
F. Hensen, the promoter of Nutriola
company. which deals in patent medi-
cines and advertises through the mails,
is a resident of Belfast, Maine. which
is in Representative Littlefieid's dis
trict. Both of these enterprises as
we'll as the Lewis company, have been
plastered with a fraud order.
None of these three congressman
has been accused of colIusion with the
J concerns to which the Crumpacker law
would bring relief Private advices
: from Washington are to the effect that
: Congressman Crumpacker. at leost
: simply acted under stress of the i'm
portunities of the country editors il
? mis- district, who through the effects OF
r fraud order" were deprived of a con
siderable amount of profitable adver-
. tising.
Much Good; Little Harm.
3 It is argued against the proposed
s law that although the power placed
s in the hands of the postal authoriti e.
8 may have been used to the prejudic'
8 ana injury of legitimate businesses
e is a power for good and the hast,
working out of the same has don
e. more to purify the mails than an,
other influence that could be brough
= to bear
e AS the postal regulations now ar
e mail is excluded on the recommends
:. ton of local inspectors 1t is not a
n all certain that the evidence thus pro
t duced would In all cases stand til
light of q jury investigation. 1t
" conceded that in many cases that If a
d appeal could be taken to the circui
s Judge and jury the decision of tn
d postal authorities would be set asid
n In any event an appeal to the judiciar
Z would result in a delay and enabl
o those who might be inclined to US
e the malls for fraudulent purposes
= carry out their work and cover u
g their tracks.
t In the light which has been throw
on the Crumpacker bin since it sliI
ped through the house. 1t is not col
J. sidered probable that 1t will be alb
to run the gauntlet of the senat
te Even If 1t docs 1t is said to be almo
absolutely certain that the presidel
will veto it,
prominent Hammond attorney sa
j. this morning. II am inclined TO cred
n Mr.. Crumpacker with sincerity in Il
D furtherance of this measure. He ce
" tainly is sustained by the spirit of o.
lie form of government. I think a man
* entitled to a trial by q jury of h
es peers, no matter what offense he
q charged with committing. The art
r trary power placed in the hands of t
y postal authorities is subject to abuse