The Washington herald., 1919-03-31
SOLONS' FREE USE OF MAILS
SMELLS TO HEAVEN" CHARGE
Rep. Fuller Starts Campaign to Abolish
Franking Privilege; Says Congressman En-
list Postoffice AS Aid in Electioneering. -

REPRESENTATIVE Alvan T. Fuller. OF
Massachusetts,, the wealthiest mem
Der of Congress, has set himself the
task of abolishing the franking
privilege, an abuse OF Congressional
perquisites which he declares smells
to high heaven"
The career Of Representative Full
Ter is one of the real romances OF
business, since his immense fortune
was amassed in fifteen years as New
England representative for a high
priced automobile.
Refused Pay From State.
He first attracted attention polit-
fcally when after being elected on
an independent ticket to the Massa-
chusetts House of Representatives,
he turned back his $3.50 salary TO
the State Treasury. He then ran
for Congress as an independent and
succeeded in dethrOning Representa-
tive Ernest f. Roberts, a veteran OF
G. o. P. politics, who had served
,eight terms. More recently he came
into the financial limellight by his
purchase of 100000 in Liberty bonds.
Here is what he has to say regard
ing the franking privilege:
By REPRESENTATIVE ALNAN t
FULLER.
The shameful abuse of the frank
ing privilege by members Of Con-
gress is reprehensibIe at any time
but at times like these when the
public is being exhOrted to be
thrifty in all matters, to ecOnomize
and deprive themselves of all but
necessities, ii seems particularly rep
rehensible that their Representa-
tives in Congress, members, if you
please, of the greatest Legislative
body in the world, should waste
millions OF. dollars in an abuse which
smells to high heaven.
From time to time comments are
printed in the daily papers all over
the country referring to this abuse
and that abuse in connection with
the frlnking privilege. These items
encourage the people, and quite
justly so. in believing there is
something rotten in Denmark" II
discredits Congress because it gives
the impression that representatives
of the people in Washington enjoy
privileges and perquisites of one
kind or another that would not
stand the light OF day.
This creates a lack of confidence
and generates an impression that
citizens are warranted in feeling
that each should be for himself
and the devil take the hindmOst,'
which is not the kind of an impress
sion that should be generated by or
concerning a self respecting body OF
Legislators.
propose to enumerate a few
Illuminating facts that. with one
tenth as damninE evidence. would
lead you and me to demand an in
vestigatiOn of any industrial en-
terprise in which we might be in
tercsted.
Firstly, there is franked out of
the House Office Building daily
from twenty to thirty tons of mail
matter and about election time this
quantity is increased to thirty or
forty tons. One Congressman sent
cut 10000 parcels of literature and
'l,c political party at one election
sent out 5000, 900 speeches. I took
the liberty the other day of calling
on the superintendent who has
charge OF the clerks who send out
this mass of stuff, and he stated
that at times there were from 500
10 OVU NltINS flll plpA Gu hOli6 ilOlll-
ing but packing free literature into
free envelopes to be sent through
the mails free of expense for Con-
gressmen. He stated that these
clerks could address and send out
about 1900 each in a day. 1 asked
the man in charge how many paT-
cells a Congressman could have
and he said as many as he liked.
'WeII,-' 1 said, mot / 900. 900 apiece, j"
and he said, yes" And then
inquired how many envelopes, and
he said as many as a Congress
man wanted. 1 asked him how about
the printing, and he said, mo
charge to a Congressman" And
l asked him about the franking
privilege, and he said these things
were all ranked out, and then he
saisA - Say~Of Offering a defense,
course, no Congressman
DC were n damned hog,
paG'f .fSe more than 100000.
ssAbusc of Privilege.
Now the object is to muzzle the
damned hogs and TO hamstring
others of the high rollers" primarily
in defense of the Treasury and Sec
oRdIy in justice to the self-respect-
ing element in Congress who feel that
being a Congressman is a matter in
which they could justly take pride
rather than that they should be part
of body referred to as grafters and
psalm-singing hypocrites.
1 find it is quite the custom when
a Congressman is running for cleo
ton or wishes to have his name be-
fore the public because he aspires
for some other office to flood his dis
trict or State, as the case may be,
with all kinds of free literature For
example, one of our Congressman, q
while ago, desired to have his name
considered in connection with the
goyernorship of his State, with the
result that he conceived the idea
of sending out a nice collection of
books to the voters of his State. He
sent out $4,000 parcels of books in
one day. and upon inquiry at the
postoffice 1 found that the postage
would have been to ordinary mortals
E cents each per parcel 1t is a SIM
pie matter in arithmetic to see that
640, ,00Q parcels at IS cents apiece cost
Uncle Sam over 10000 for, postage.
0f-course, the cost of the books them
selves would be greatly in excess of
this amount, 1t is easy to -see.- with