Year: 1870

'
Perhaps they do not care, either.
The .FrankiMg Privilege.
| It is announced that the Post
Master General will, in his forthcom-
ing annual report, urge upon Con-
grcss the abolition of the Franking


Privilege. The abu e Of the Frank


ing Privilege ought, by all means, to


be abated, but as to the advisability


of an unconditional repeal of the
| Franking Privilege with the substitu


tion of no system that shall answer
the purpose Of the present system to
a better advantage, we have serious
doubts. Senator Sumner, at the last
session Of Congress, proposed sub
stltue for the present system, but he
was not able 20 get it through the
Senate. On the renewal OF the
attempt to abolish the present sys-
TEN, we hope something of the char
acter OF the Sumner proposition will
be passed.


The reason why Mr.. Creswell will
urget he abolition of the thanking
Privilege, is given by the telel.r: PHI
so as to make the Post Office De
partment sclt.sustainlng. There are
"a set OF political monomanlacs, OF
whom the present Post Master Gen
cral appears to be one, whose "hob.
by horsical' whim is, that the Post
Offico Department should be self.
sustaining department. There is no
sense in This w'him, any more than
there would bc in the cry to make
the War Department selfsustaining
The various departments of the gem
eral government are organized for
the general good Of the people. They
are not enterprises through which
the Government may speculate tor
pecuniary profits.


What is really needed is, system
of Frank,ng, by which those officers
OF the Government who use the mails
in the proper discharge Of their Of
ticial duties, can do SO, and the priv
ilege should be SO guarded that the
officer will forfeit his bond and vic.
lote his oath ifhe uses it for any 9th.
er than official mail matter


II the Government must carry its
own mail matter, it does not matter
whether the Post Office Department
does the carrying under tho Frank,
or whether the Treasury Depart
ment furnishes the money to the par
ty sending the mail and by him hand
ed to the Post Office Department,
except, that by the last method the
modus sperands will be more tedious
and expensive.


Let us have unnecessary abuses
abatcl, but do not let us get crazy
on whim and spend thousands OF
dollars per annun in getting name
without the substance of o reform.





TIE BEARpLEss AGE.-When the
great Henry ", of France was sue
ceeled by Louis MI. (who never be-
came great. the new king was only
nine years old, consequently bcardlcss.
Courtiers have at all times been re-
markablc for their scrvility, and as
little Louis could have no beard, they
resolved to be beardless themselves:
and they went forthwith to the bar
bers. Tho honest stateman, Sully.
it's recorded, was the only man who
dared to appear in the same form as
he wore it III the time Of the old
master. Croplipped courtiers made
merry at the old counsellor's expense,
laughing ut his ancient appearance.
Sully bore their irrcvcrent jcsts for
some time, and then with dignity he
said to the king-"Sirc, when your
father OF glorious memory did me
the honor to consult me on his great
and important affairs, the first thing
he did was to send away the butfoons
of his court" Louis NIL, howcv-
er, had no idea above buffooncry.
The system ofcropping, we ard told,
was carried so far that even the in
ferior animals were subjected to the
process, which occasioned Marshal
Bassompicre, who had been impris-
oned during the twelve last years of
the preceding reign, to observe, on
coming to court again, that he saw
no other change in the world since
he had been excluded from it, than
that men had lost their beard and
horses their tails. In England in
Queen Elizabcth's time, the growth
of beard was regulated by statute in
Lincolns inn, and it was ordered
that no fellow Of that house should


year beard above fortnisht's
growth. What stubby appearance
the learned chins must have exhibit
led. The prohibition did not last
longer than year.