El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-02
THE RETURN OF TWO CENT POSTAGE.
AND ABUSE OF FRANKIlNG PRIVILEGE

THE country has returned postage for reasons
that not quite clear II view Of the indisputab
fact that governmental expenditures high mark
requiring correspondingly great revenue and that
taxes have been devised and a Victory hoated t.
bring in the cash that the national financial emergency
requires So therefore, at time when It would be SUP
posed that than the three postage
brought in would be welcomed the been put back
IN the old two cent basis Parenthetcay that does
that cent postage letters be delivered in
the town where mailed IS to obtain of old
The public is not showing prying disposition It in
sutes inquiry why letter postage has been reduced
from three to two cents Tie good news stands its
legs requiring support and is accepted with proper
satisfaction and at its face value
As matter Of fact, those people who have given any
thought Whatever to the price of postage not quite
convinced that the cost should have been advanced from
cents IN the first place Or additional revenue
necessary, first step to It should have been
enforced economy in the ranking privilege, chiefly
Washington, privilege which has grown into gross
abuse Attention has been called to this matter many
times in divers and newspapers which have waste
baskets full Of RANKED publicity propaganda Of kind
another, quite experienced in practical phases
of the ranking abuse However datbes, both verbal and
printed have not sufced to curta this evil apparently
hot least is to accept accurate certain
lions By representative A. T Fuller, of Massachusetts
M. Fuller, commenting the franing free POSTAGE
privilege in congress, says:
There ranked cut Of the house office building daily
from 20 80 Of mail matter and about election time
the amount is increased to 80 OF 40 tons
One congressman sent ont 10000 parcels Of literature
fat two cent they would have cost S15ooe) and
political party at election sent out 5500oo9o
speeches The superintendent Of the mailing force says
that at times there from 500 to SEQ clerks doing
nothing but packing free literature into free envelopes 10
through the mails free of expense congress
mem" He should have added that clerk hire, paper
veopes and carriage free only far as the members
of congress concerned The taxpayers had to go into
their purses to pay for them
M Fuller goes on inform that certain congress-
man, member from his state Massachusetts, ~sent out
$4,000 parcels Of books in day and upon inquiry at
the postoce found that the postage to ordinary mortas
would have been As for each parcel II IS simple
matter of arithmetic to that $4,000 parcels IS
cents apiece cost Uncle Sam 100000 for postage
Of course the cost of the books themselves also free to
the congressman, would be greatly IN Of this
amount
commission, consisting Of Charles z. Hughes A
Lawrence Lowell and Harry Wheeler, reported IN 1908
that congress then franng 45310e pounds repre-
seutng eo075T4 pieces of mail
The total weight Of mail for the whole country that
year 1575o251o pounds" says Mr. Fuller, and then
states that that time the ranked mail Of congress
than doubled. There IS every believe
that members of congress had to pay at the usual rates
their letters pamphlets and packages which they send
through the nails the total would pass 100000 year
and probably be vey much greater than ta-Provided