Year: 1859

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Il CARD FROM THE SECRETARY OF TIL


REPUBLICAN, ASSOCZAT TON. d.


RHPUBLIcAN Rooms, L


WASHINGTON, Sept. 3, 1855
deem it my duty to call the attention o.
the people, and of the members Of the Con
gressional Republican Executive COMMITTEES
particularly, to one of the most despicable
acts Of political prescription ever perpetrated
by an Administration or government officer
| in order to accomplish party ends.
On the adjournment Of Congress, the Con.
gressional Republican Executive Committee
made arrangements with me, as Secretary Of
Republican National Association, to have pre-
pared, printed and circulated, certain political
| documents, and the Hon. John Covode, Of
Pennsylvania, was detailed to attend to frank
ing the same. This work has been industri-
ously prosecuted, and Mr.. Covode has, from
time to time, visited Washington for the pur-
pose Of franking and mailing the douments,
all OF which have been regularly forwarded
by the Post Office Department until Friday
last, when some thirty thousand, and most of
them for Minnesota, were sent to the Post
Office for distribution. Shortly after their ar
rival at the Post Office, Post Master Jones
sent package to me by messenger with the
remark that he had reason to believe that the
frank on it was not Mr.. Covode's, and they
would not be sent from the Office. Mr.. Co.
vode promptly replied, 81 acknowledge that
to be my frank" This reply did not satisfy
the Post Master. He again put the question
and was answered in the same manner. The
Post Master then went on to presume that
while Mr.. Covode acknowledged it to be his
frank, he (the Post Master) did not believe it
was written by him, and unless he would
avow that he franked all the documents him
self he would not send them off, MI. Covode
was not disposed to make any such avowal.
An appeal was taken to the Post Master Gen
eral, who decided that if the Post Master has
reason to believe any franked mail matter re-
ceived at the Office is not written by the per-
son himself whose frank it bears, it is to be re-
tanned in the Office, and that no member of
Congress or other person legally authorized
to frank has right to deputise any person to
do it for him, even though he go personally
and acknowledge it as his frank. So much
for the act of the city Post Master and the
decision of the Post Master General and now
a word as to the general practice of the Post
Office.


IL ID q 1dSG PotVuG W IuC WuOC COuhIl ,
and certainly to every individual who has Wis
tied Washington, that very few members
ever do their own document franking, but
generally authorize their wives, daughters,
sons or clerks to do it for them, and never be-
fore has an attempt been made to stop these
documents because not franked by the men,
bcrs themselves.


For years past the different political organ
izations have been in the practice of sending
out from here documents known at the Post
Office to have been franked by clerks en-
ployed by those organizations, and no excep-
ton has been heretofore taken to it.


The clerks of the Post Office inform me
that it has been their universal practice to
distribute all such matter coming to the of:
fee.


When asked for precedent for this act,
Assistant Postmaster Tree coolly referred me
back to the case of David Crockett when he
was in Congress.


We do not object to the decision of the
Postmaster General. AS the law reads he
could make no other; but why does the City
Postmaster demand this decision at the pres
ent time? and that, too, upon documents is
sued by the Republican party, and already in
accordance with what has been the custom
for years past? The answer must be plain
to the mind of every person, of whatever po-
litical stripe he may be.


In the first place, most of these documents
are directed to Minnesota secondly, because
violent partizan holds the Office of Post
master; thirdly, in the language of this Post
master, Jones, there were too many Of them;
that had there been fewer of them they would
have been allowed to pass fourthly, because
the Democratic Club are not now actively en-
gagged in sending out documents.


l requested, as he had admitted over and
over again that it had been the custom of his
office, for years past, to mail these documents
without any objection whatever, that he would
allow those sent to the office before this de-
cision was made to be forwarded, and apply
the rule to all future documents coming to the
office but this he peremptorily refused to do,
even though many among them were franked
by Mr.. Covode himself If this is not politi-
cal prescription, then know not what politi-
cal prescription is.


For weeks past have had it intimated to
me that these documents were to be stopped in
the Post Office; but paid no heed to such
rumors, little thinking that any man holding
the honorable position of Postmaster of
Washington City would descend to such pal
try tricks.


He may attempt to shield his act under COW
er of the law and the decision of the Postmas-
ter General but ask why he has not ap-
piled this law to his own party, and particu-
larly in the case of the Hon. T. B. Florence,
who has for moths past been sending thro'
the Post Office thousands of his Democratic
Review Circulars, known to have been frank
ed by his clerk


During the campaign of 1851 called upon
First Assistant Postmaster Gen. King (who
still holds that posltion) with reference to this
very question, and he then frankly informed
me that were the Department called upon to
decide this question officially, it would be
compelled to decide according to the letter of
the law but that this practice of franking by
proxy had become so general in its operations,
and been carried on by all political parties,
and for such a number of years, that general
usage had almost made it law, and that they
were not now disposed to do anything in the
matter, unless the Postmaster demanded an
official decision.


Colonel Berrett, who was then Postmaster,
demanded no official decision, perhaps, be-
cause the Democratic as well as the Republi-
can party were at that time interested in the
matter, but things have undergone change
The Democracy have no desire, or are too
much divided among themselves to attempt to
interest the people on any of the leading polit-
ical questions of the day, and every means
10 <cvr 10 Al