The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-10
MAG VI mad ID! ALL THROUGH II! ]l) ] |
SAYS HE DID NOT .uSE POSTAL
FRANK IMPROPERLY.
Demands That Congress Start an In
vestisation; He Makes Bluff
That Ought to BE Called.

From Fridays Daily.
The following appeared in The Min
neapolis Journal of last evening:
Washington, Jan. 2.-Representative
ii. T. McCleary, maintaining that the
use of his postal frank on letters of
inquiry relative to proposed amend
ments to the postal laws is not i'm
proper asks for an investigation by
congress to settle the point. He wants
the congressman who intimated his ac-
ton was improper to take the initia-
tive in securing am investigation. Mr..
lMcClearv presents his challenge as fol-
| lows:
"Mv attention has been called to an
article rejecting on me published IN
recent issue of The Minneapolis Jour
nal. Evidently the article was regarded
as having considerable news value,
because it was published on the first
page and at the head of the column. 1t
was given the striking caption, Me
Clearv Accused of Misusing the Mails,
and was embellished by a picture
labeled with my name.
'sThe article, in the form of com
munication from the Washington cor
respondent of The Journal, said that
certain members of congress- had
criticised me for sending out under my
frank last November letters of inquiry
relative to certain amendments to our
postal laws that have been recommend,
led to congress by Postmaster General
/ Never. The article concludes by say
inc that these members of congress
ihold that this is misuse of the
ranking privilege and they are talking
of bringing the matter before the
house after the holiday recess
/ 81 neither know nor care who these
members of congress may be. Whoever
they may be challenge them to bring
the matter before the house, In what
II believed then, and believe now, tc
be the proper discharge of my duty,
sent out under frank the letters of in
uuiry referred to. I am not only will
inc to have my action in the matter
brought before the house, but | shall
be glad to have that done. Such al
investigation contains possibilities Of
much information and interest.
"And it seems to me that it is the
duty of The Journal to see that
whoever is behind this publication is
not allowed to forget the matter
after the holiday recess Some ONT
is deserving of censure in connection
!, with this publication. If I am the one
let the world know it. If the censur'
belongs elsewhere, let that be known
son Tuesday of next week, Jan. &
congress will reassemble after the hol
! iday recess If these congressmel
really believe that l as a public Off
cial entrusted with large responsible
ties in connection with the mails hav'
done wrong, it is their duty to bring
!. the matter promptly before the house
If they fail to do so within ten days
;. it may safely be assumed that the.
do not intend to do so at all. And i
by the end of two weeks they hav'
mot made good at least to the extern
of introducing resolution of inquiry
that fact should be made known. No
later than Jan. 20, The Journal owe
lit to itself, as we'll as to its reader
and to me, to give as prominent publ
cation to what they have done or fail
ed to do as was given to the attack Oh
4 mo -