A Big Mistake

Representative Melvin Orlando McLaughlin (Republican) was the only one of Nebraska's six Congressmen so fortunate as to be re-elected last Fall. He has degrees from the Peru (Neb.) Normal School, the Union Biblical Seminary, Oskaloosa College, Omaha University, Leander Clark College. He has been a teacher, a United Brethren Minister, a college President and since 1919 a Congressman. He is President of the Lever Lock Rim Co., a Common Law trust company of Colorado, capitalized for $500,000 in shares of one dollar each. Last week he almost got into trouble.

It is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $300 for any Congressman to use his letter franking privilege for other than official business. The General Manager of the Lever Lock Rim Co. used some 250 of Mr. McLaughlin's franked envelopes, with Congressional stationery, in sending out letters from the Company's Manhattan office. The letters were sent to "Republican friends," inviting them to subscribe to the Company's stock "on the merits of inside information."

One of the letters fell into the hands of a Manhattan newspaper that enjoys no sport as much as baiting Republicans. An expose followed. Mr. McLaughlin telegraphed asking whether "any person had been so ignorant" as to use his envelopes without stamping them. Thereupon the contrite General Manager began a check on the number of letters sent out, promised to send a check to the Post Office Department for the postage, despatched a telegram to the National Republican Committee to prevent the Congressman's "getting in wrong," made a public statement: "I'm solely responsible. I made a big mistake."

Meanwhile the Post Office Department remained quite unconcerned; Postmaster General New was of the opinion that the misuse of the frank had been a clerical error.