The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1911-10-06

Of the Thanking privilege.
This may not be the final step to-
ward the adjustment of the congress
sional and government free postal
frank, but it is at least one of a num-
Der Of steps that are tending in that
direction. Charges that this right to
use the mails without charge is badly
abused have become so frequent that
the leading officials of the government
are seriously considering its complete
abolition and the giving of definite
sums Of money to members Of con.
gross and to the government depart
ments to pay their postage accounts.
Members of congress persistently
deny that the congressional frank is
abused. Whenever there is charge
Of this kind an investigation is usually
demanded, and it usually fails to show
any definite cases where family furni-
ture, automobiles or cows are sent iii
the mail cars under the government
free mail privilege.
= LIZ AuSSo tAN
however. that the illegal use of the
franks Of congressman by those not en-
titled to them, the widespread d:stribu-
ton of speeches and campaign docu-
ments under the free mailing privilege
and the rccklessness with which gov
eminent departments have in the past
poured all sorts Of merchandise into
the United States mails free OF post
age charge have added great burden
to the cost of maintaining the postal
system and have helped materially in
creating postal deficit.
Cause Of Heavy Loss.
Former Postmaster General Cortel-
you figured in 1904 that the free mail
ing system had caused loss of $780,
100000 to the post office department.
The official figures for 1908, when all
the free mail was weighed, show that
the congressional franks took $51S,3S5
out Of the post Office departments in.
come, and the penalty envelope" un.
der which the government departments
send mail, caused loss Of $5,210,G01
In the post Office departments re-
ceipts.
What the cost Of franking congress.
sional matter was last year has not
yet been made public. 1t must have
been an enormous sum, however. for
the campaign committees of both po-
litical parties sent out from Washing
ton, Philadelphia, New York and Chi
cago hundreds of tons of campaign
LITERATURE" consisting of extracts and
speeches from the Congressional Rec
ord.
Stories of Abuses.
The stories of fantastic things that
congressman have sent through the
mails are as old as the congressional
frank itself.
"The old story of the member send
ing his washing home under frank
and having it sent back to the capt.
tall" said former Senator Carter, zap
peared in n number of books purport.
ing to give "reminiscences of Washing
ton life and affairs. 1t may have been
| true in some isolated case, but the
postofflce department has made very
radical changes as to franked matter"
It is claimed that within the last
few years, however, one western con-
gresham franked his entire law IL
brary home from Washington at the
end of his term. Another, taking ad-
vantage Of the privilege accorded a
retiring member to use the frank for
nine months after his term expires,
used the time to food his old district
with campaign material. carry on con-
gressional business for his former con.
stituents and lay NIL the groundwork
for campaign for reelection against
his successor.
Under the penalty envelope every
thing from stuffed horse sent by the
postof11ce department to the world
fair at Chicago to billiard tables and
burglar proof safes sent out by gov
eminent departments has been carried
in the mail cars apparently ''postage
free" but really paid for by the post
office department at the high rates
charged by the railroads.
i ue COllSIGSSluull 1Iuuh, WA9MA NolI'
sists Of his name written across the
corner of the envelope with the initials
m. c." following, Is much more re-
stricted in its use than Is the 'pen
atty envelope" under which the gov
eminent departments send mail mat
ter.
The representative or senator has
the right to mail out parts Of the
Congressional Record" free govern
ment seeds or official correspondence
In letters weighing not more than two
ounces.
The Tillman Incident.
The last public controversy that the
postoffice department had with mem.
Der Of congress was the now famous
Tillman case. in 1909. Senator Till.
man had been in the habit of frank.
ing his typewriter through the mails to