The Penn's Grove record., 1910-05-13
Masbin0ton

SulppSu luIO VlTS1uld uuuST Iuc
franks of members of Congress that
emphatic protests are
A Disgrace beginning to reach the
full Practice. members whose franks
this waste paper bears.
The reason for this deluge, which is
~arousing the ire not only of the post.
masters, but of those to whom the
stuff is addressed, is that the mails
are being weighed in that State.
Once in two years the mails in a given
section of the country are weighed.
and the average struck is made the
basis of compensation of the railroads
until there is another weighing. OF
course the heavy public documents,
ancient volumes of The Congressional
Record and similar valuable publica.
lions greatly increase this average.
1t Is asserted that the railroads EN-.
ploy the entire time of a man who
goes about asking the secretaries of
members of Congress to mail this.
that or the other publication to adj
dresses furnished in order thus to
cheat the Government. A thorough
investigation of this Anticipated and
inaccurate method of c~ompensating
the railroads for carrying the mails
would doubtless prove far more pop
ular, and probably not less profitable,
than the increase of the postage rates
on periodicals so energetically advo-
Gated by the Postmaster General.
The Republican members of the
House Committee on Postofices have
come to a verbal agreement on a
postal savings bank bill which they
expect to pass as soon as
Postal the sundry civil bill, the
Savings last but one of the big ap-
Banks. preparation bills, is passed.
The House bill will limit
individual deposits to $500; will au-
thorize the deposit of the receipts of
the postal banks in National and
State banks and their investment in
Government securities, and in bonds
of States and municipalities which
have the taxing power; but a reserve
fund of five per cent. of the total de-
posits shall be kept in the Treasury
at all times. Investment in indemnity
bonds is prohibited. The trustees are
authorized at any time to devote for
ty-seven per cent. of the funds of the
postal banks to the redemption of
Federal bonds or to the purchase of
bonds of any new issue. An entirely
new provision requires that all new
Issues of United States bonds, for re-
funding or a new loan, shall be in
denominations of $24 and multiples
thereof. This Is designed to afford
a convenient form of investment for
those of moderate means. The de-
positor who manages to save So a
month, for instance, could purchase
a bond each year. The House lead
ers are proceeding on the theory that
it is their duty to pass the best posi-
BILE bill without regard to the diff
Guilty which may be encountered in
inducing the Senate to accept such a
measure.
X X X
The Smithsonian Institution has re-
ceived the dig dig killed by ex-Presi-
dent Roosevelt, to the great gratifica-
ton of Director Walcott. 1t came by
express. DR.. Walcott
The Dig Dig says many other speci-
Arrives. mems have arrived, but
he seems to be espe-
eially pleased with the dig dig, which
he intimates is a fascinating little
creature, although he exhibited such
reticence when members of Congress
asked him what the dig dig looked
like that some of them suspected it
had not been unpacked and that the
director was as much in the dark re-
garding the personal appearance of
the interesting specimen as they were.
Director Walcott said it was not the
purpose of the institution to exhibit
the many specimens furnished by Mr..
Roosevelt as the trophies of an indi-
vidual or an expedition, but to add
them to the many groups which with
out these trophies of the Roosevelt
hunt are far from complete. The d.
rector says that 1900 specimens
have been or will be received from
Africa, but even that number consti-
tutes a small portion of the whole
exhibit of the National Museum.
X X X
That the coming census will show
such an increase in population as to
warrant the addition of sixty-four
members to the House of Representa-
tives is the predic-
Congressional ton of those who
Representation. have enjoyed an OPP
portunity to study
the census returns thus far received.
That such action will be taken is,
however, gravely doubted by those
who realize how unwieldly the House
has already become in it's present
proportions, and they suggest the
probability of an agreement on an ar
bitrary number of Representatives
from each State, to the end that the
House membership may not be fur
Their increased. 1t is generally real
lied that ven the present member
ship of the House is far larger than
was contemplated by the trainers of
the Constitution, and that it is be-
cause the House SO greatly exceeds
the Senate in numbers that it has
been necessary to adopt rules which
seriously curtail the liberties of indi-
xyfdrynl anrahnrr o-I have 14Dv<r4d