Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1912 — ASSERTS HIS MAIL HAS BEEN RIFLED [ARTICLE]

ASSERTS HIS MAIL HAS BEEN RIFLED

La Follette Creates Sensation in Senate by Charge. P. 0. OFFICIALS ACCUSED Bourne-Bristow Parcels Pest System Amendment Adopted by Upper Body of Congress in Place of House Bill. : .. i; v : ; I Washington, Aug; 1 13. —Charging that postoffice officials had rifled his mail while he was conducting an inquiry intended to disclose the treatment accorded railway postal clerks and other employes of the postoffice department, Senator La Follette created a sensation while the postoffice appropriation bill was under consideration. The Wisconsin senator told how he had sent out between 12,000 and 15,000 circulars to clerks asking for replies, practically all of which had been responded to. These were the letters he said had been opened by officials desirous of knowing what these clerks and carriers were saying about the departmental heads: Declares Letters Were Rifled. The senator showed a bundle of letters while talking and declared they had been tampered with before they reached him. “Every one of these,” said he, tapping the bundle with his finger, “was opened In violation of law and rifled by some one hostile to the purpose 1 had in view while making this inquiry. My mail was subjected to an espionage almost Russian In character.” The charge of Senator La Follette was considered of sufficient Importance to call forth a batch of official denials on the part of responsible heads of the postoffice department. Mr. La Follette submitted cprrespondence and facts to prove that faithful employes, long years of service, had been dismissed or demoted because they had been active in creating and fostering an organization to which clerks belonged that had for its, object the betterment of their condition as government employes.

Adopt Zone Parcel Post. So much headway on the postoffice budget was made that an agreement was reached to take the vote on all amendments and the t hill itself at 4 o’clock this afternoon. To the surprise of everybody, when the BourneBristow parcels post system amendmend was reached it was agreed to practically without discussion and without dissension. A vote will be demanded when the senate rises from committee of the whole. The parcels post provision is the result of several months of hearings and a very thoroughly worked out , scheme based upon zones, in which the charges are regulated according to the distance carried and the weight of the package. The house provided for an experimental parcels post system and made a straight-out charge of 12 cents a pound the country over. The house provision appropriating a considerable «um for the construction of good roads was rejected and a substitute adopted to create a commission to investigate this subject and report to congress. A third important change from the house Sill relates to aewspapers. magazines and other publications using the mails. It rejuires the filing with the postmaster jeneral of the names of the owners, publishers, editors, stockholders and polders of the bonds and mortgages, 1 any, of all such concerns.