PATRIOTIC STUDIES by New York Herald

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Sep 13, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 37.

"PATRIOTIC STUDIES."

By New York Herald

THE Rev. Dr. Wilbur F. Crafts, of Washington, with his International Reform Bureau, which styles itself "The First Christian Lobby," is certainly a very ingenious gentleman.

If Mr. Crafts, with the ponderous volume of "Patriotic Studies" he is distributing free through the mails, is really trying to do good, he has stolen the livery of the devil to serve heaven in. Engaged in the publishing business, he has hit upon the happy expedient of using the franks of members of Congress to send his book without cost to possible purchasers "on approval," and enclosing extra franks to insure the free return of the book if refused, or the money if accepted.

Fancy tens of thousands of copies of this book, each copy weighing more than a pound, loading down the postal cars in every part of the continent, and all at the cost of the American people, the pretext for free carriage being that in the 288 pages is included a leaflet which on motion of Senator Gallinger of New Hampshire was ordered printed as a Senate document. And this document is merely an advertisement for the Rev. Wilbur F. Crafts and his International Reform Bureau, with its address in Washington, and a list of books it publishes with their respective prices.

Not the least amusing feature is the fact that the book contains a statement made by Dr. Crafts in favor of the Loud Postal Bill in a hearing some years ago in which he objected to the existing postal laws on the ground that "it gives large subsidies to certain special interests and makes the people pay the bill."

Thirty-five thousand envelopes, we are told, have been printed for the use of Dr. Crafts with the frank of Representative Gillet, of Massachusetts, and a like number bearing the frank of Senator Gallinger of New Hampshire.

There have been many abuses of the franking privilege, but none so glaring as this. It calls for investigation that the public may know by whose order such an outrage is perpetrated.

The law provides that "the Vice-president, Senators, Representatives, and delegates in Congress, the Secretary of the Senate, and the clerk of the House of Representatives, may send and receive through the mail all public documents printed by order of Congress," and that the name of the person exercising this privilege "shall be written thereon with the proper designation of the office he holds." The fact that the law prescribes that the name shall be "written" thereon indicates that Congress never looked to the "printing" of thirty-five thousand franks in one block in the name of any Representative or Senator, nor does the inclusion of a single leaflet make of Mr. Crafts' bulky document a "public document."

Who is the "still higher official" who authorized this performance at the expense of the people? —New York Herald.