The postal power of Congress: A study in constitutional expansion

by Lindsay Rogers

INDEX

• Abolitionist literature. See [Incendiary publications].
• Adams, John Quincy, [78].
• Administrative determination to exclude mail matter, conclusiveness of, [57] ff.
• Advertisements of intoxicating liquors, [146] ff.
• Amendments to Constitution giving Congress power to construct roads, [73].
• Anarchistic publications and the postoffice, [118].
• Antecedents of the postal power, [9–26].
• Appropriations for national and local purposes, [79].
• Arbitration of industrial disputes, [151].
• Articles of Confederation, [72], [76], [81].
• Bache, Richard, [15].
• Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, [28].
• Bank Note Case, [169].
• Bankruptcy laws, uniformity of, [114].
• Banks, power of Congress to charter, [80].
• Barbour, J. S., [74].
• Beck, J. M., [169] n.
• Bilké, H. W., [108].
• Blackstone’s Commentaries, [100], [101].
• Blair, Postmaster General, [51] n.
• Bonaparte, Charles J., [118] ff.
• “Bonus Bill” for road construction, [66].
• Brewer, Justice, [177].
• Buchanan, James, [110–112].
• Calhoun, J. C, [67] ff., [106] ff., [136] ff.
• Canals, power of Congress to cut, [25];
• to aid by appropriation, [72].
• Carter, James C., [148].
• Clapp, Moses E., [35].
• Classification of mail matter, [29–30].
• Clay, Henry, [71] ff., [110].
• Cockburn, Lord, [50].
• Codification of postal laws, [60].
• Collectivist activities of post office, [33–36].
• Commercial power of Congress, [155], [160].
• Committee of the States, [20].
• “Commodities clause,” [170].
• Confederation, Articles of, postal clause in, [16];
• inadequacy of the power vested in Congress by, [20–22].
• Congress, power to establish postoffices, [26] ff.;
• to secure the mails and punish improper use, [36] ff.;
• to establish postroads, [61] ff.;
• to own and operate railroads, [150];
• to own and operate telegraphs and telephones, [156];
• to extend control through exclusions from the mails, [158] ff.
• Constitution, grant of postal power by, [23].
• “Constitutional American Postoffice,” [13].
• Constitutional Convention and postal power, [22–25];
• and power to cut canals, [25];
• and freedom of press, [98–100].
• Constitutional morality, [180].
• Constitutionality, of excluding obscene matter, [51];
• lottery tickets and advertisements, [52];
• fraudulent matter, [56];
• anarchistic publications, [120];
• of owning railroads, [150];
• of owning telegraphs and telephones, [156];
• of excluding libelous matter, [159];
• of attempting indirect control, [160] ff.
• Continental Congress, establishment of post by, [13].
• Copyright, publications violating, non-mailable, [48] n.
• Cotton futures, trading in, [164].
• Crimes against the mails, [36–56].
• Crimes in postoffices, [149] n.
• Crittenden, Attorney-General, [131].
• Crumpacker, E. D., [58] ff.
• Cumberland Road, [62] ff., [82].
• Cushing, Caleb, [140] ff.
• Dallas, Secretary, [83].
• Daniels, Justice, [90].
• Davis, John, [111].
• Dead Letter Office, [125].
• Dead letters, [16].
• Debs Cases, [46].
• Defamatory matter non-mailable, [50].
• Detention of mail, [131];
• by postal employee, [133].
• Dicey, A. V., [100].
• Dickey Case, [91].
• Due process of law, [126], [158] ff.
• Eminent domain, federal power of, [15], [63], [70], [87], [91–92], [155].
• Establish, meaning of, in postal clause, [81].
• Exclusions from mails, and freedom of press, [114];
• as denying due process of law, [178] ff.
• Expansion of postal facilities, [26–33].
• Extension of federal control over postroads, [150];
• through exclusions from the mails, [158] ff.
• Fairbanks, Richard, [11].
• Farrar, E. H., [154].
• Federal aid for national but not local purposes, [95].
• Federal control, extension of, through exclusion from the mails, [159];
• under taxing and commercial powers, [168–171].
• Federal incorporation of railroads, [152];
• of trading companies, [179].
• Federalist, The, [9], [10], [65].
• First Amendment to Constitution, [98] ff.
• Fourth Amendment to Constitution, [123] ff.
• Franking privileges, [14], [20].
• Franklin, Benjamin, [12–15], [23].
• Fraud orders, [56–60].
• Freedom of press, [98–123];
• meaning of constitutional guarantee, [100] ff.;
• abridged by preventing circulation, [103];
• and exclusions from mails, [158], [163].
• Freight trains on Sunday, [130].
• Freund, Ernst, [129] n., [159].
• Gallatin, Albert, [63] ff., [82].
• Gambling contracts, [163].
• Gerry, Elbridge, [98].
• Goddard, William, [13].
• Good roads, congressional aid for, [34], [80].
• Goodnow, F. J., [180].
• Gouverneur, Samuel L., [104], [138].
• Granger, Gideon, [27] n.
• Grote, George, [180].
• Hadley, Arthur T., [26].
• Hamilton, Alexander, [99].
• Heisler, R. C., [179].
• Holt, Postmaster General, [143].
• Incendiary publications, by northern abolitionists, [103] ff.;
• power of Congress to exclude from mails, [107] ff.;
• power of state to punish officials disseminating, [136] ff.
• Index Expurgatorius, postal, [39], [158];
• commercial, [170].
• Internal improvements, [28], [61].
• Interstate commerce, power of Congress over, [127];
• analogy to postal power, [128];
• power of states to exclude, [145];
• exclusion from, of articles made by children, [170] ff.
• Intoxicating liquors, excluded from mails, [40];
• interstate commerce in, and police power of the states, [127].
• Jackson, Andrew, [78] ff., [103].
• Jay, Chief Justice, [62].
• Jefferson, Thomas, [62] ff.
• Johnson, Justice, [81].
• Jones, Samuel, [25].
• Judicial review of fraud orders, [58] ff.
• Jurisdiction to try offence of depositing non-mailable matter, [53].
• Kendall, Amos, [104] ff., [137] ff.
• Kent, Chancellor, [42].
• Kenyon, Lord, [100].
• King, William R., [106].
• Lacey Game Act, [127] n.
• Lee, Richard Henry, [14].
• Letter carrier routes, in cities as postroads, [43], [93].
• Libelous publications, [159].
• Limitations on postal power, [97], [158].
• Lottery advertisements and freedom of press, [116].
• Lottery tickets, excluded from mails, [52], [146];
• in interstate commerce, [169], [174] ff.
• Lovelace, Francis, [12].
• McCray Case, [169].
• McLean, Justice, [89].
• Madison, James, [9], [62], [65] ff., [100].
• Mail matter relating to current business of carrier, [44].
• Mails, interference with, [10];
• safety of, [19];
• right of Congress to compel transportation by railroads, [29], [151];
• classification of, [30];
• what constitutes obstruction of, [46];
• exclusions from, [47] ff.;
• use of, to defraud, [56] ff.;
• exclusion from, to extend federal control, [158–180].
• Mala prohibita and mala in se, [54], [135], [148].
• Mann White Slave Act, [170].
• Marketing by parcel post, [34].
• Marshall, Chief Justice, [36], [81], [136] n., [153], [154], [169] n., [177].
• Marshall, Louis, [172] n.
• Maryland, Sunday observance in, [131].
• Mercury (Charleston), [104].
• Money orders, [31].
• Monroe, James, [27], [69];
• “Views on Internal Improvements,” [74] ff.
• Moon, J. A., [32].
• Morris, Gouverneur, [24].
• Morris, Thomas, [112].
• Municipal streets and postroads, [150].
• Neale, Thomas, [12].
• Nelson, E. C., [65], [77] n.
• Newlands, Senator, [161] n.
• Newspaper Publicity Law, [121] ff., [164], [175].
• Northern Pacific Railroad, [91].
• “Nullification by Indirection,” [169] ff.
• Obscene literature, in mails, [48], [146], [174];
• definition of, [49];
• in interstate commerce, [170].
• Obstruction of the mail, [45] ff.;
• what constitutes, [135].
• Ohio, admission as state and Cumberland Road compact, [63].
• Oleomargarine in interstate commerce and state laws, [127];
• federal tax on manufacture of, [168].
• Ordinance of 1782, [17–20], [36].
• Original packages, [146].
• Panama Canal Act, [161].
• Parcels post, [30], [34].
• Paterson, William, [22].
• Paterson’s plan for Constitution, [41].
• Penn, William, [12].
• Penrose, Boies, [51] n.
• Pinckney, C. C., [98].
• Pinckney’s plan, [22], [98].
• Police regulations by Congress concerning postoffice, [52].
• Postal clause, in Articles of Confederation, [16];
• discussion of, by constitutional convention, [22];
• in Constitution, [23];
• poor expression of, [25].
• Postal crimes, severely punished, [37];
• obstructing the mail, [37];
• private competition, [37];
• robbing the mail, [38];
• meticulous enumeration in federal criminal code, [39];
• articles excluded, [40];
• constitutionality of laws, [40] ff.
• Postal facilities, recognized function of state, [11];
• beginnings of, in America, [12];
• governmental monopoly of, [14];
• importance of, [26];
• in New Zealand, [33], [36];
• denial of, to objectionable stock exchanges, [162] ff.;
• to insurance companies, [164].
• Postal laws, codification of, [60].
• Postal monopoly, power of Congress to establish, [41].
• Postal power of Congress, antecedents of, [9–26];
• importance underestimated, [11];
• granted by Articles of Confederation, [16];
• by Constitution, [23];
• and freedom of press, [98], [163];
• limited by Fourth Amendment, [123];
• may not deny due process of law, [178];
• and police power of the states, [127] ff.;
• as a means of extending federal control, [158] ff.
• Postal savings banks, constitutionality of, [32].
• Postal telegraphs and telephones, [156–157].
• Postmaster general, office of, for America created, [12];
• Franklin appointed, [14];
• duties of, [18];
• salary increased, [28];
• made member of Cabinet, [28].
• Postoffice, American, extension of functions, [10];
• under Articles of Confederation, [17–22];
• temporary establishment by Congress, [26];
• expansion of power of Congress to establish, [26] ff.;
• collectivist activities, [33].
• Postoffice, British, service in colonies, [14].
• Postoffice employees, exemption from military duties, [15];
• punishment by state for performing federal duty, [136] ff.
• Postroads, power of Congress to establish, [10], [61] ff.;
• to appropriate for, but not construct, [72];
• power of states over, [84] ff.
• Power of states to delay carriage of mails, [131] ff.
• Presbyterian Church, [127].
• Press, freedom of, [54], [98] ff., [103], [158], [163].
• Preston, William C., [106].
• Princeton, robbery of mail at, [20].
• Prize fights, moving picture films of, [158].
• Publicity of corporate affairs, [161].
• Publishers granted special postal rates, [29].
• Pujo Money Trust Committee, [162], [172] ff.
• Questione Sociale, La, [118] ff.
• Railroads, federal incorporation of, [10], [94];
• subsidies to, for carrying mails, [28] ff.;
• in Alaska, [80];
• as postroutes, [92].
• Receipt of mail matter, power of state to forbid, [145] ff.
• Religious freedom, [159].
• Republican form of government, guarantee to state of, [144].
• Right to use the mails, [52], [112], [178] ff.
• Road construction and transportation of mails, [61] ff.
• Roosevelt, Theodore, [51] n., [118], [150].
• Rural free delivery, [34].
• Schofield, Henry, [101] n., [102], [117] n.
• Schroeder, Theodore, [51] n.
• Searches and seizures, unreasonable, [123] ff.
• Sealed letters and packages, not open to inspection, [124] ff.
• Second class privileges, [121], [164] ff.
• Secretary of agriculture, [34].
• Secretary of labor, [35].
• Sedition, power of Congress to punish, [103], [107];
• constitutionality of sedition act, [107].
• Semple, James, [85].
• Sherman, Roger, [23], [98].
• Sherman Act, [161].
• Southern Patriot (Charleston), [104].
• State bank notes, tax on, [168].
• State laws preventing circulation of incendiary matter, [104].
• States, consent of, for construction of postroads, [72], [82];
• authority of, over postroads, [96];
• power of, to interfere with the mails, [127] ff.
• Stock exchanges, incorporation of, [162] ff.
• Story, Joseph, [9], [10], [81] n., [99] n., [108].
• Sunday mails, [128] ff.
• Sunday observance laws, [130].
• Taft, President, [165] n.
• Taney, Chief Justice, [88], [91], [134].
• Tappan, Arthur, [104].
• Taxation for purposes of regulation, [168].
• Taxing power of Congress, [160].
• Taylor, Hannis, [55], [97].
• Telegraphs, federal ownership of systems, [10], [156].
• Telephones, federal ownership of, [10], [156].
• Tolls, right of state to charge mail carriers, [136] ff.
• Tonnage duties, [61].
• Tucker, John Randolph, [108], [142].
• Unemployment bureaus and the postoffice, [35].
• Unmailable matter, [47] ff.;
• large packages, [47];
• articles likely to damage mail, [47];
• intoxicants, [48];
• obscene matter, [48];
• showing defamatory language, [50];
• lottery tickets, [52];
• fraudulent matter, [56].
• Untermyer, Samuel, [172] n.
• Use of mails as crime against state, [146] ff.
• Use of mails as privilege or right, [173].
• Van Buren, Martin, [74].
• Von Holst, H. E., [75], [95], [97].
• Wakeman, T. B., [51] n.
• Washington, George, [62].
• Webb-Kenyon Act, [113] n., [127] n., [146] n., [148].
• West Virginia prohibition law, [147].
• White, Chief Justice, [165].
• Wickersham, Geo. W., [44].
• Willoughby, W. W., [159], [170].
• Wilson, James, [23].
• Wilson, Secretary, [35].
• Wilson, Woodrow, [180].
• Wilson Act, [127] n.
• Wise, Governor, [142].
• Working on Sunday, state laws to punish, [130].
• Young, J. S., [62] n., [77] n.

VITA

Lindsay Rogers was born in Baltimore on May 23, 1891. He attended the public schools, studied under private tutors, and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Johns Hopkins University in 1912. He then began graduate work in Political Science under the direction of Professor Willoughby, with Private Law (LL.B., University of Maryland 1915) and Political Economy as subordinate subjects. He was a University Fellow, 1914–1915, and was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1915. Since 1909 he has done considerable newspaper work.

FOOTNOTES

[1] The Federalist, No. 42.

[2] Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, vol. iii, p. 22.

[3] Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, vol. iii, p. 26.