The Washington herald., 1916-06-30
The End of the Hobson Frank.

Capt Hobson complains that some evil
minded person is imposing upon the postal serv-
ice with his old frank, which ceased to be Of
ficial six months ago. 1t is a henious sin and
the cuprit ought to be punished. The Hobson
frank was the hardest worked official signature
ever known to the postal service. 1t had eight
years to and in that time it carried more
tonnage of free mail than any other frank that
had ever been turned out by the public printer
Capt. Hobson not only employed large corps OF
clerks to keep his frank busy, but he loaned it
for propagandas until it was the boast that there
was not postoffice in the United States which
was not familiar with the signature OF the man
who sank the Merrimack in the channel at San
tago. More mail went out Of Washington un-
Ger the Hobson frank than under the pink por-
trait OF George Washington, and if there was a
collection at the Capitol without a goodly as
sortment OF the Hobson franks, it was cause
for an investigation by the Postoffice Committee
1t is officially true that the Hobson frank
ceased to take che place of postage stamps on
December I, 1915, but it had become such a
feature OF postal service, and so familiar to
the thousands of postal employees and to the
millions Of patrons of the postofce that Post
master General Burleson feared to enforce the
law and dsappoint the people in his administra-
ton which he claims has carried more mail than
began. The Hobson frank had been response
BILE for such heavy tonnage in the postal serv-
ice that the sudden stoppage of that use would
have affected the railway mail paw
The captains protest against the further use
OF his frank ought to be needed whatever the
reduction in the postal tonnage. 1t is said that
there were many tons of the captains speeches
stored in the Washington postoffice last De-
cember when the frank expired by limitation,
and it is suspected that some tons of these
speeches are still wandering over the face OF
the earth through rural routes star routes and
fourth-class postoffices seeking the victims ad-
dressed. No postal authority has been found
willing to hazard a guess as to when all the
Hobson franks will be rounded I'D and delivered
TO the millions Of people to whom the captain
addressed himself when in public life
But since the captain has written to the Post
master General, warning him to carry no more
mail under the Hobson frank it must be ac-
Cepted as the official termination of the Hobson
monopoly the free use of the mails 1t will
be a disappointment to thousands, yes, millions.
OF people who have regularly received all sorts
OF matter under the Hobson frank, and the alb
sence OF that signature may be like changing
the color OF the stamps from red to green or
black. hut Hobson has said it is no longer of.
hc1al and the patrons of the United States post
office must reconcile themselves 10 the loss, and
say farewell to the most familiar frank ever put
on free package of seed or speech
There is one possible consolation We NAV
row have peace with Japan and forget that
demon rum is killing more people every day than
ever lived since the morning stars sang together
Let us then bid a long and sad farewell to the
Hobson frank. 1t is Hobson's choice