Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
"Privilege" franking is a personally pen-signed or printed facsimile signature of a person [12] with a "franking privilege" such as certain government officials (especially legislators) and others designated by law or postal regulations. This allows the letter or other parcel to be sent without the application of a postage stamp.
A free frank was a mark applied by means of a hand-stamp to parliamentary mail in Britain to indicate that the mailed item did not require postage. The privilege of free franking was granted to four different classes: Members of Parliament; peers sitting in the House of Lords; office-holders, largely as stipulated by Acts of Parliament; and to archbishops and bishops sitting in the House of Lords.
After the civil war, the United States Post Office Department had a large deficit and according to the Postmaster General's 1869 report 31,933 had the franking privilege at an estimated cost of $5 million, [5] so in 1872 the Republican party included a proposal to eliminate the free frank as part of their election platform. [6]
The franking privilege allows members of Congress to send official mail to constituents at government expense. Though they are not permitted to send election materials, borderline material is often sent, especially in the run-up to an election by those in close races.
The abolition of the franking privilege would be effective on July 1, 1873. [13] On February 26, 1873 Postmaster Creswell went before the House Committee on Appropriations and testified that federal postage appropriations were necessary for the U.S. Treasury and the Postal Department, after the abolishment of the franking took effect.
The franking privilege (free postage) for various C.S.A. government officials officially ended in March 1861 except for the Postmaster General and other members of his department. Other government agencies were required to prepay postage, even the secretary of war during wartime, as evidenced on this cover.
Franking#Franking privilege; This page is a redirect. The following categories are used to track and monitor this redirect: To a section: ...
If you are interested in learning more about the Congressional "Franking Privilege" I invite you to look at the December, 2007, report number RL34247 of the Congressional Research Service entitled Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change which I intend to use quite extensively when I get around to revising this article ...