FRANKING. A term used for the right of sending letters or postal packages free (Fr. franc) of charge. The privilege was claimed by the House of Commons in 166o in "a Bill for erecting and establishing a Post Office," their demand being that all letters addressed to or sent by members during the session should be carried free. The clause embodying this claim was struck out by the Lords, but with the proviso in the Act as passed for the free carriage of all letters to and from the King and the great officers of state, and also the single inland letters of the members of that present parliament during that session only. It seems, however, that the practice was tolerated until 1764, when, by an Act dealing with postage, it was legalized, every peer and each member of the House of Commons being allowed to send free ten letters a day, not exceeding an ounce in weight, to any part of the United Kingdom, and to receive 15. The Act did not restrict the privilege to letters either actually written by or to the member, and thus the right was very easily abused, members sending and receiving letters for friends, all that was necessary being the signa ture of the peer or M.P. in the corner of the envelope. Wholesale franking grew usual, and M.P.'s supplied their friends with en velopes already signed to be used at any time. In 1837 the scan dal had become so great that more strict regulations came into force. The franker had to write the full address, to which he had to add his name, the post-town and the day of the month; the letter had to be posted on the day written or the following day at the latest, and in a post-town not more than aom. from the place where the peer or M.P. was then living. On Jan. 1o, 1840, parlia mentary franking was abolished on the introduction of the uni form penny rate.
In the United States the franking privilege was first granted in Jan. 1776 to the soldiers engaged in the American War of Inde pendence. The right was gradually extended till it included nearly all officials and members of the public service. By special Acts the privilege was bestowed on Presidents and their widows. By an Act of March 3, 1845, franking was limited to the President, vice-president, members and delegates in Congress and postmas ters, other officers being required to keep quarterly accounts of postage and pay it from their contingent funds. In 1851 free ex change of newspapers was re-established. By an act of March 3rd, 1863, the privilege was granted the President and his private secretary, the vice-president, chiefs of executive departments, such heads of bureaus and chief clerks as might be designated by the postmaster-general for official letters only , senators and repre sentatives in Congress for all correspondence, senders of petitions to either branch of the legislature and to publishers of newspapers for their exchanges. There was a limit as to weight. Members of Congress could also frank, in matters concerning the federal de partment of agriculture, "seeds, roots, and cuttings," the weight to be fixed by the postmaster-general. This Act remained in force till Jan. 31, 1873, when franking was abolished. Since 1875 by sundry Acts, franking for official correspondence, government pub lications, seeds, etc., has been allowed to congressmen, ex-congress men (for nine months after the close of their term), congressmen elect and other government officials. By special acts the franking privilege was granted to the widows of Presidents Garfield, Grant, McKinley, Cleveland, Roosevelt, Harding and Wilson.