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Story
March 20, 1835
Richmond Enquirer
Richmond, Richmond County, Virginia
What is this article about?
Article denounces abuses of congressional franking privilege, citing examples like 180 lbs of documents sent to Senator Tomlinson, enabling free mailing for personal, family, and Bank of U.S. interests, burdening the Post Office with $100,000+ costs and urging reform.
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ABUSES of the POST OFFICE.
The N. York papers assure us, that in three successive days there were sent from the N. Y. Post Office, packages marked "Public Documents," addressed to Gideon Tomlinson, Fairfield, Conn., U. S. Senator, which weighed one hundred and eighty lbs.!—Only calculate the weight which is franked by all the members of Congress, during the whole year, and the People will see what an enormous privilege it allows to the individual, and what a tax it lays upon the Post Office. We have heard the last estimated as at least $100,000.
There is no one feature in the Government worse than the privilege which these members of Congress have voted for themselves:
They now frank any Public Document, no matter how large it is:
They can frank any letter, address, &c., of a smaller weight, for the whole year:
If a member's time is up, that is to say, when he is not a public servant, still he has the right to frank until the next meeting of Congress. Of course, Messrs. Archer, Gholson, Gordon, and so on to the end of the alphabet, have the advantage of franking through their districts while their competitors do not stand upon equal grounds:
And again—if one of these gentlemen should be beaten at the April Election, still he has the privilege till the 1st December—and his successful competitor has it also within the 60 days to the 1st Dec.—thus giving two persons from the same district, within those 60 days, the right of franking. What is more absurd than such a regulation?
The franking privilege is now so much abused, that members are in the habit of writing their names on blank envelopes, and then giving these franks to their families, friends, &c.
What is more—they frank Public Documents, Reports, Speeches, &c. for the Bank of the U. S. And it sometimes happens, that a member makes a speech for the Bank; the Bank pays for printing it—and then, the member, both to serve the Bank as well as himself, franks the printed Speeches, all over his District, or elsewhere.
We know of nothing, which more loudly calls for reform, than this franking privilege—unless it be the enormous extra printing which has been authorized by the Senate of the U. S., for the support of the press which supports those "grave and reverend seigniors."
The N. York papers assure us, that in three successive days there were sent from the N. Y. Post Office, packages marked "Public Documents," addressed to Gideon Tomlinson, Fairfield, Conn., U. S. Senator, which weighed one hundred and eighty lbs.!—Only calculate the weight which is franked by all the members of Congress, during the whole year, and the People will see what an enormous privilege it allows to the individual, and what a tax it lays upon the Post Office. We have heard the last estimated as at least $100,000.
There is no one feature in the Government worse than the privilege which these members of Congress have voted for themselves:
They now frank any Public Document, no matter how large it is:
They can frank any letter, address, &c., of a smaller weight, for the whole year:
If a member's time is up, that is to say, when he is not a public servant, still he has the right to frank until the next meeting of Congress. Of course, Messrs. Archer, Gholson, Gordon, and so on to the end of the alphabet, have the advantage of franking through their districts while their competitors do not stand upon equal grounds:
And again—if one of these gentlemen should be beaten at the April Election, still he has the privilege till the 1st December—and his successful competitor has it also within the 60 days to the 1st Dec.—thus giving two persons from the same district, within those 60 days, the right of franking. What is more absurd than such a regulation?
The franking privilege is now so much abused, that members are in the habit of writing their names on blank envelopes, and then giving these franks to their families, friends, &c.
What is more—they frank Public Documents, Reports, Speeches, &c. for the Bank of the U. S. And it sometimes happens, that a member makes a speech for the Bank; the Bank pays for printing it—and then, the member, both to serve the Bank as well as himself, franks the printed Speeches, all over his District, or elsewhere.
We know of nothing, which more loudly calls for reform, than this franking privilege—unless it be the enormous extra printing which has been authorized by the Senate of the U. S., for the support of the press which supports those "grave and reverend seigniors."
What sub-type of article is it?
Deception Fraud
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Deception
Justice
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Franking Privilege
Post Office Abuse
Congress Franking
Public Documents
Government Reform
What entities or persons were involved?
Gideon Tomlinson
Archer
Gholson
Gordon
Where did it happen?
New York Post Office, Fairfield, Conn.
Story Details
Key Persons
Gideon Tomlinson
Archer
Gholson
Gordon
Location
New York Post Office, Fairfield, Conn.
Story Details
Criticism of U.S. Congress members' franking privilege allowing free mailing of heavy public documents, letters, and speeches, including for personal and political gain, costing the Post Office over $100,000 annually and calling for reform.