Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-01-16
FRAUD ORDER LAW.
Gives Individuals Right to Appeal from Postmaster Generals Ruling.

A4uu 4VotuootC4 VCAC4oA SsU410ks
 Washington, Jan 16.--Fraud or
 ders issued by the post office depart
 ment in protection of such Americans
 as the late P. T. Barnum once said
 like to be fooled" are to be at-
 tackled in the courts, if measure
 which already has passed the house
 of representatives should be enacted
 into law.
 The bill favorably considered by
 the house provides that the concern
 against whom the fraud is issued
 may have the right to appeal to the
 courts for relief against the order of
 the postmaster general. In the pres
 ent circumstances the order issued by
 the post office department forbidding
 an individual or concern from using l the United States mails is final. The department has operated under the law for many years. Of course, there
 have been many objections to the
 arbitrament of the department in such cases. but the Investigations in- stituted by the postmaster general are so thorough that it is regarded as scarcely likely that a mistake should be made.
 However, bill was introduced providing for court review of the findings of the department It was reported favorably by the committee and one day when few members were In their seats and the proceedings were dragging along in a perfume tory way, the measure was called up and passed. In the brief debate on the bill 1t was supported by Repre- sentatives Perkins of New York, Lit tlefleld of Maine and Crumpacker of Indiana, who was the sponsor for the measure. A quorum of the house was not present. but the bill was allowed to pass without a call for the ayes and noes.
 Get-rich-quick concerns and indi- viduals, who have been backing the proposed legislation, were jub!lant; but it is likely that they laughed too early. A strong opposition to the bill has been developed in the senate and it will have rough sledding in that body.
 Postmaster General Cortelyou frankly opposes the measure, because he regards 1t as bad legislation. Should it be enacted into law, post | office officials say that it will be next ! to impossible to put stop to the operations of the grafters who work | through the United States mails; that the swindlers will have practi- cally an open way to reach the gulli- ole public. In the end. perhaps, a lew of them could be held to proper | account in the courts. but it would be a long and tedious proceeding.
 Under the present system the l post office department stands be- .ween the swindlers and the unsus- 'ecting public and. in cases brought 70 the attention of the department where 1t is shown that the operators evidently are grafters or frauds. the department interposes a fraud order Is means of protecting the people.
 It is notable fact that, since he authority was conferred upon he postmaster general to issue raud orders prohibiting persons lsing the mails. about 26.00O of sucn ,rdsrs have been issued and. in all hat number, only about thirty ob- ections to the accuracy of the de- rulings have been made. n most of the cases where objections we're filed. the constitutionality of he law was attacked. the merits f the particular cases not being gone nto.
 It is only fair to Representatives ittlefeld and Crumpscker, both of Thom are able lawyers. to say that hey supported the pending measure ii ecause they believed simply, that nder less efficient administration f the post ofice department than 4, hat given by Mr Corteiyou. for in- tance. the power to Issue such orders night be abused. They hold that he right of review by the courts ught not to be denied in any such , zsp