The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-24
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INTERPRETATIONS BUREAU
by FREDERIC j. RAsKIN. Director.
Washington. d. c.
UNCLE SANS MAIL BAG


writes and the letters he receives.
washington's daily war mail casts an
interesting light on the nature and
magnitude of various war activities.
The Washington city postoffice for
months has had to deal with con-
stant!y rising tide of what is known
as penalty mail" This term does
not connote, as might appear to the
uniritiated, that the sender is sub
iect to fine and Imprisonment. Pen
atty mail is official mail sent under
government frank, each envelope or
package bearing the phrase Penaity
for private use $500"
On typical day, according to POST
master NJ. o. Chance, the Washington
postoffice will receive anq handle
10000 pounds of outgoing penalty
mail. Some days run far above this.
mark. The record was probably
established when the treasury depart
ment on a single day malled S,oo'
sacks of liberty lean publicity matter,
which averaged loo pounds to the
sack.
The liberty loan bureau of the treas
ury is the heaviest single user OF the
mails among the government offices,
when liberty loan campaigns are at
their height. Besides the liberty loan
material, the war savings stamp mat
ter is mailed by the treasury. Recent
~ for a period of ten days this single
item totaled 200 sacks day
Other offices which call heavily on
the services of the local postoffice are
the provost marshal generals office,
the adjutant generals office, the food
administration, and the committee on
public information. OF course, the
importance of a government bureau
cannot be estimated in terms of the
letters it writes, but the test is a fair
one when agencies that work with the
public as a whole are considered.
1t is interesting to note that each
of these bureaus, which are now more
intimately connected with the daily
life Of the American people than any
other government agencies, has only
been established since the declaration
of war, and in some cases much later.
The only exception is the adjutAnt
generals office. Most of the thou
sands of sacks of mail matter sent out
by this office go to the various train
ing camps, and deal with military
matters from more or less technical
standpoint The incoming mail ad-
dressed to the adjutant general has in
creased enormously. The greater part
of it deals with enlistment in various
special branches of the army.
The provost-marshal generals mail
is concerned with the selective draft
Ten million missionaries were just
distributed to every corner of the ma
ton thru the mails. Their aggregate
weight was 100000 pounds This
represents only a fraction of the total
mail from this office. for scores of
millions of forms were distributed for
the fiji st draft first and then the final
selectiVe service regulations were sent
to all boards. as well as frequent ad-
ditions and lamentations to the rules
of the draft The provost-marshaI
general has sent out as many as 1900
sacks of mail in single day, and each
sack was so heavy that it required
two men to handle it.
The committee on public informa-
ton publishes the Official Bulletin,
which has attained a circulation of
100000 copies a day. Besides this,
the committee prepares and publishes
constantly growing series of PAM
phlets on the war, large and small
which are mailed out in bulk by mil
lions, Five numbers of the so-called
Red, White and Blue Series have been
published. and ten numbers of the
War Information Series. The Red,
White and Blue series includes some
numbers which fill a large volume
They deal in various ways with the
American case and position in the
world-war.
Thus the committee has issued some
of the speeches of President Wilson
with historical and diplomatic refer
ences explained in footnotes. Another
number consists entirely of carefully
selected utterances of prominent Ger
mans in every walk of life, showing
how completely the dream of world
domination had fastened on the Peu-
tonic empire, and the consequent dam
ger to the United States. Still another
number of this series is taken I'D with
the reprinting of various authenti-
tod Oh
German war theories and methods.
One of the principal functions of
the committee is to clarity the public
mind on the issues of the war, by the
presentation of the evidence in the
case. The public mind can only be
reached by reaching the hundred mill
lion individual Americans, and the
only way to reach them is thru the
mails. A recent report showed that
the committee on public information
has spent $1,35O,0OO since its incep-
t1on. If it had used postage stamps
instead of penalty envelopes and Ia
bells, the bill would have been several
The food administration sends the
public all manner of pamphlets and
papers dealing with wartime CON
servation. About 200 sacks of mail
is a fair days work for Mr.. Hooyer's
offices.
All this is in addition to the usual
stream of outgoing government mail
which is never a small item. Three
or four tons of Congressional Records
are sent out to an eXpectant public
daily, the exact number of pounds de-
pending on just how oratorical the
TWO legislative bodies felt the day be-
tore. The open season for Thanking
speeches. to constituents will soon be-
stn, ana another ton or SO will be
added to the total. The signature Of
q senator or congressman will carry
piece OF official printed matter free
TO any part of the United States. and
mere is now a movement on foot to
extend the privilege to France. where
a considerable American reading pub
lie will soon be gathered.
All the outgoing mail is only one
side of the problem Tba 1,-o-.2g4 ~ ~
livery of incoming government man