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Speaker Blaine "speaks His Mind"

Speaker Blaine "speaks His Mind" image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
January
Year
1874
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The Boston Advertier prints the followiug letter to a geutleuian in Boston : Washington, D. C , Dec. 17, '73. My Dear Í5IR : Your note of inquiry is at hand. Yuu are in error in regard to the Poat-office Coinmittee of the Househaving pi epared a bilí tor the restoration of the traukiug privilege to meinbers of Congres. The Comiuittee have; I understand, agreed upon a bill providing tor souie inethud utsupplying siaiups tor the traiismisbioii of public documenta wnich we print in such ueediess and ex travagant profusiou. It seems to me the wiser and better way wouid be to dispense wilh the documents. Inevercould see the justice or the propriety of paymg froui the public treasury tor ihe priutmg of books for gratuituus distnbutiou among a sin all fnlction of the peupie The euormous edition of the agricuitural report, tor instanee, though eosting so mucb, ouly affoids six hundred oopit-s to earh Coiigressional district, vvhere the total population is one hundred and thirty thousaud, and the average number of voters twenty five tboueaúa. And then whiie ni.uibeis of Cfinnot be expectnd to pay lile puhtüge un a vasl niass of public ilocuments, ïmounting in the aggregaie to several hunditd dollars, it is quite safe to say that the peisuns to whum the documcnis are addrnsst'd wouh] in a large ninjiTity of cases decline to take them trom the Pust-oöice if they had themselves to py the p'istMge. The Governinent, theiefore, not onlj furnibhea the booRs graiuitously, but pnys tor the transportaron besides, in order to induce people toacci-pt them. 1 tbinkit wie to stop a business of this kind, and tliereby save uearly or quite two niulion unnually to the public puree. As to restoring the franking privilege foi the imlividual correspondenoe of uiemberö, I can dardly concuive any one de siring it. There vvould be Du possible convenience resu ting fiouj the revival that would compénsate :or the general injustice and odium of the act, espeoially at this time, when ttieie has been no fair trial of the new sytcm. The personal and official correspoudence of any one meniber is not large eiiough to be pecuniarly burdensoine. Just reuiember that .'00 will pay the postume on 10,000 lei Hrs, and then find the Congressuian that writes half that nniuber in a single year. We have the cheapest post ge, all tliings considered, of ny people in thi"1 word, and about the fairist thing I know oí is tbr BVt-ry citizen, puolic and private, lo pay nis own sliare of it. If I would vote toi auy possible exception to the mie of nnitorui and universal paymentit would be in favor of nevvspaper exchanges and the free circuiation of county papera within our bailiwicks. Verv sinceielv vours.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus