nue; Supervisors of the Revenue; Inspectors of the Revenue; Commissioners for direct taxes; Purveyor; the Secretary of War; Accountant of the War office; the Secretary of State; the Secretary of the Navy and Accountant of the Navy; the Postmaster General; Assistant Postmaster General: Provided, that the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Representatives, shall receive their newspapers free of postage only during any session of Congress, and twenty days after the expiration of the same:Manner of franking letters. And provided, that no letter or packet from any public officer shall be conveyed by post, free of postage, unless he shall frank the same, by writing his name and office on the outside of such letter or packet, and until he has previously furnished the postmaster of the office where he shall deposit the same, with a specimen of his signature: Provided also, that all letters and packages to and from George Washington, late President of the United States, shall continue to be received and conveyed by post, free of postage.
Penalty on franking letters improperly.Sec. 18. And be it further enacted, That if any person shall frank letters other than those written by himself, or by his order, on the business of his office, he shall, on conviction thereof, pay a fine of ten dollars: Provided, that the Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Navy, and Postmaster General, may frank letters or packets on official business, prepared in any other public office, in the absence of the principal thereof. And if any person having the right to receive his letters free of postage, shall receive enclosed to him any letter or packet addressed to a person not having that right, it shall be his duty to return the same to the post-office, marking thereon the place from whence it came, that it may be charged with postage. And if any person shall counterfeit the hand-writing or frank of any person, or cause the same to be done, in order to evade the payment of postage, each person so offending shall pay for every such offence fifty dollars.
Newspapers may go free to printers.Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That every printer of newspapers may send one paper to each and every other printer of newspapers within the United States, free of postage, under such regulations as the Postmaster General shall provide.
Manner of sending newspapers by the mail, and rates of postage.Sec. 20. And be it further enacted, That all newspapers conveyed in the mail shall be under cover, open at one end, and charged with a postage of one cent each for any distance not more than one hundred miles, and one and an half cents for any greater distance: Provided, that the postage of a single newspaper from any place to another in the same state, shall not exceed one cent; and that the Postmaster General may make such regulations as to require those who receive newspapers by post, to pay always the amount of one quarter’s postage in advance.
Offences in relation to newspapers.If any person employed in any department of the post-office shall improperly detain, delay, embezzle or destroy any newspaper, or shall permit any other person to do the like, or shall open or permit any other to open any mail or packet of newspapers not directed to the office where he is employed, he shall, on conviction thereof, forfeit a sum not exceeding fifty dollars for every such offence. And if any other person shall open any mail or packet of newspapers, or shall embezzle or destroy the same, not being directed to himself, or not being authorized to receive and open the same, he shall, on conviction thereof, pay a sum not exceeding twenty dollars for every such offence. And if any person shall take or steal any packet, bag or mail of newspapers from or out of any post-office, or from any person having custody thereof, such person shall, on conviction, be imprisoned, not exceeding three months for every such offence, to be kept at hard labour, during the period of such imprisonment.