The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1911-10-06
The Present System
Helps to Create a
Postal Deficit

The machine was owned by the gov
eminent. and lie commended that as
government property it was entitled
to free transportation in the mails.
The postmaster at Washington held
up the typewriter when it came into
the Washington office for delivery ear
ly in 1909. Senator Tillman declared
he would not pay the postage on it.
but the Washington postmaster Sc.
cured legal Endorsement of his con-
tention that the full postage would
have to be paid before it would be de-
livered from the office. The decision
was based OH the principle that con-
gressional frank does not cover the
transportation of merchandise simply
because 1t is government property.
For the one or two instances of this
kind that have occurred in late years
in the ranks Of representatives and
senators there have been scores in the
government departments.
Billiard Table by Mail.
On one occasion an army post in the
west had billiard table which the
war department wanted to transfer to
another post ut u different point In
stead Of being sent by freight at con-
Siderable expense to the war depart
ment It was put into the mail car UNI
der the free mailing privilege. and the
postofficc department paid the rail
roads mail rates for its carringe.
Tho treasury department ut Wash
ington used to distribute iron safes
weighing as much lis 1000 pounds
each. filing c;,scs, desks, chairs. office
devices md other furniture from the
Washington repository to all parts of
the country through the mail cars
Other departments III Washington sent
out furniture. typcwriterA and similar
things. The postoffirp department It.
self transported catlceli1g machines.
carpets. lounges aud various kinds of
furniture.
One OF the great abt1ses of the frank
ing privilege. which. it IL clainled. has
been fairly we'll eradicated now. was
practiccd for many years BY persons
apparently in the employ Of certain
railroad companies. Great quantities
of government publications.. Of no Use
to any one, would be sent out to dis
tatt points at the time that the period
ical weighing of the mails was going
on. w.
Wugon loads of these pouches would
be sent under the frank Of congress
man who knew nothing about the ship
nent and would be sent to some man
who knew nothing Of its coming. The
weight of this and of the hundreds of
other shipments of like character
would be credited to the railroads as
part Of the mail they carried during
the weighing period. and for the next
few years the government would 60
on paying the railroads OIL that basis
Of weight.
Trick of the Railroads.
One congressman in Michigan is au-
thority for the statement that he re-
ceived three wagon loads of publfca-
lions of various kinds at his home,
after congress had adjourned, for three
years in succession before he found
out the system.
An official report recently made in
the senate pointed out that thousands
of publications are thus sent to libra
ries.
It is claimed in this official report
by commission of the senate that
from 1895 to 1909 there were 1870. 1G4
useless documents returned to the ST.
perintendent of documents at Wash
ington, to be sold as waste paper. On
every one of these the government
paid the railroads postage charges
both ways. because they were mailed
rs free matter"
The Barlow case" has figured in a.
number Of Investigations Of this abuse
Of the Thanking privilege. In that case
It was claimed that many sacks of
this franked matter We're deliberately
held up at New Orleans so that they
would go over a certain railroad dur
ing the mail weighing period.
The use of the congressional frank
by the campaign committees r. not
contrary to law. but there are many
members Of congress and government
authorities who consider 1t an abuso
Of the free mailing privilege.
Used In Campaigns.
The Republican and Democratic con.
gressional committees sent out last
year under this provision "parts of
the Congressional Record" that would
have cost them thousands If not hun
dreds of thousands of dollars III post.
age. OF one pamphlet alone the Re-
publicans printed 3.00O,000 copies.
The entire Democratic campaign
book was sent out under congress
sional frank. The book was made up
of Campaign thunder" that had been
delivered in congress. but to make it
fully frankable Chairman Lloyd Of the
Democratic committee read to the
house of representatives the title, in
dex and subheads Of the proposed
book. This made 1t all part of the
=.