Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/773

 POST 753 is unlawful to mail indecent publications, or prints, letters, or circulars concerning illegal lotteries or other unlawful enterprises, or con- cerning schemes intended to deceive and de- fraud the public for the purpose of obtaining money under false pretences. Such matter, if mailed and its character detected, must be for- warded to the dead letter office. The franking privilege, as a feature of the American postal system, has caused much discussion; efforts have been made at various times for its aboli- tion, but without success until 1873. For- merly the right to frank letters and documents of any size was granted to the president, ex- presidents, the vice president, former vice pres- idents, and the. widows of Presidents Harrison and Polk. Members of congress and delegates from territories, from 30 days before the com- mencement of each congress until the first Monday in December after the expiration of their term of office, and the secretary of the senate and the clerk of the house of represen- tatives during their official terms, could send or receive free letters weighing not over 2 oz., or public documents weighing not over 3 Ibs. The governor of any state could send free the laws, records, and documents of the legislature to the governors of other states. The cabinet officers and their assistant secretaries, the com- missioners of offices and heads of bureaus, the general-in-chief and adjutant general, and the superintendent of the coast survey and his as- sistant, might send and receive free all official correspondence, but not their private letters or papers. The chief clerks in the depart- ments might send free public official letters and documents. Deputy postmasters could send free all letters and packages relating ex- clusively to the business of their respective offices; and those whose compensation did not exceed $200 for the year ending June 30, 1846, might also send free all letters written by themselves, and receive free all letters ad- dressed to them, not weighing over oz. Ex- change newspapers, magazines, &c., between editors, passed free. All publications entered for copyright, which under the act of 1846 were to be deposited in the library of congress, passed free. In 1863 the franking privilege was limited to mail matter sent to or from the president and vice president ; official commu- nications to or from the chiefs of the executive departments, and certain heads of bureaus or chief clerks, as well as to the department ; cor- respondence to or from senators and represen- tatives in congress (including delegates from territories), the secretary of the senate, and the clerk of the house, all printed matter issued by authority of congress, and all speeches, proceedings, and debates in congress, and ^ all printed matter sent to them; their franking privilege to begin with their term of office, and to continue until the first Monday of Decem- ber following the expiration of such term. Pe- titions to congress, and official communications between postmasters and (by the law of 1866) between assessors and collectors, passed free. The franking privilege was limited to packages weighing not more than 4 oz., except peti- tions to congress, certain public documents, and seeds, roots, &c. In January, 1871, a special report was made to congress, showing that the postage on the free matter passing through the mails would have been $2,543,328 annually. The quantity of free matter is greatly increased during times of political ex- citement, and has been estimated to reach in one year an amount that would have required $3,500,000 for postage. In 1873 congress abol- ished the franking privilege, but certain fea- tures have since been restored. By the act of June 23, 1874, which went into effect (in respect to this provision) July 1 ensuing, the postage on public documents mailed by a mem- ber of congress, the president, or the head of any executive department, was fixed at 10 cts. for. every bound volume, and on unbound docu- ments 2 cts. a pound or fraction thereof. In such cases the words "Public Document" must be written or printed on the matter, with the signature of the president, executive officer, or member of congress. By the same act the post- age on each copy of the daily " Congressional- Record " mailed from the city of Washington was fixed at 1 ct. By the act of March 3, 1875, the provisions above given were extended to ex-members of congress and ex-delegates for nine months after the expiration of their terms of office. This act also restored at least temporarily to members of congress the privi- lege of sending certain public documents free ; for it provides "that public documents already printed, or ordered to be printed for the use of either house of congress, may pass free through the mails upon the frank of any mem- ber or delegate of the present congress, written by himself, until the first day of December, A. D. 1875." Under this law the " Congres- sional Record," or any speech or report in it, may be franked by a member of congress or a delegate. Seeds and agricultural reports may be mailed free by the commissioner of agri- culture, members of congress, and delegates, and by ex-members and ex-delegates for nine months after the expiration of their terms of office. Books and other copyrighted articles, which the law of 1870 allowed to be mailed free to the librarian of congress in Washing- ton, must now be prepaid. By the act of March 3, 1855, the postmaster general was authorized to establish a plan for the regis- tration of valuable letters, on the payment of a registration fee. Greater certainty in the transmission of important letters may thus be secured; but government is not liable for the loss of any registered mail matter. The number of letters registered has great- ly increased since January, 1874, when the cost of registration was reduced from 15 cts. to 8 cts., in addition to the regular postage. In June, 1875, it was raised to 10 cts. .money order system was established in the