POSTAGE. The money charged by law for carrying letters, packets, and documents by mail.
2. The rates of postage between places in the United States are fixed expressly by law; the rates of postage upon foreign letters are fixed by arrangements entered into by the postmaster-general, in pursuance of author ity vested in him by congress for that purpose.
All mailable matter is divided into three classes : letters, embracing all correspond ence wholly or partly in writing, except that mentioned in the third class ; regular printed matter, embracing all mailable matter exclu sively in print and regularly issued at stated periods, without addition by writing, mark, or sign, see 12 How. 284 ; 4 Opin. Atty.-Genl. .10 ; miscellaneous matter, embracing all other matter which is or may hereafter be by law declared mailable, including 'pamphlets, oc casional publications, books, book-manu scripts, and proof-sheets, whetlier corrected or not, maps, prints, engravings, blanks, flexible patterns, samples and sample cards, phonographic paper, letter envelopes, postal envelopes or wrappers, cards, paper, plain or ornamental, photographic representations of different types, seeds, cuttings, bulbs, roots, and scions.
3. The rate of postage on all domestic mailable matter, wholly or partially in writ ing, or so marked as to convey any other or further intelligence or information than is conveyed in the original print, in the case of printed matter, or which is sent in viola tion of law or regulations of the department touching the inclosure of matter which may be sent at less than letter rates, and on all matter introduced into the mails not other wise provided for, excepting manuscript and corrected proof passing between authors and publishers, and memorandums of the expira tion of subscriptions, receipts and bills for subscription, inclosed with or printed on re gular publications by the publishers, is three cents for a half-ounce or less avoirdupois, and three cents additional for each additional half-ounce or fraction.
The postage on all letters not transmitted through the mails but delivered through the post-office or by its carriers is two cents for a half-ounce or less, and an additional rate for each additional half-ounce or fraction thereof.
4. The postage on all transient mailable matter of the second class, and on all miscel laneous mailable matter of the third class, ex cept circulars and books, is two cents for each four ounces or fraction thereof contained in any one package to one address. Double these rates are to be charged for books. Un sealed circulars, three in number, pass for two cents, and a proportionate rate for a greater number, adding one rate for every three or fraction thereof.
The postage on all mailable matter of the se cond class is, upon newspapers aud periodieals issued weekly, five cents a quarter, if weighing four ounces or less, and five cents for each additional four ounces ; and an additional five cents for each issue in a week. If issued less
frequently than once a week, one cent for each paper or periodical weighing four ounces I • or less, and an additional rate for each addi tional four ounces or fraction.
5. Authority to frank mail-matter is con ferred on the president of the United States, by himself or private secretary ; the vice-pre sident of the United States ; the chiefs of the several executive departments ; such princi pal officers, being heads of bureaus or chief clerks of each executive department, to be used only for official communications, as the postmaster-general shall by regulation de signate ; senators and representatives in congress, including delegates from the ter ritories, the secretary of the senate, and clerk of the house of representatives, to cover correspondence to and from them, all matter printed by authority of congress, speeches, proceedings, and debates in con gress, and all printed matter sent to them, commencing with the term for which they are elected, and expiring on the first Monday of December following such term ; all official communications addressed to either of the executive departments by an officer responsi ble to that department, bearing on the out side the term " official" and the signature of the officer ; postmasters, for their official com munications to other postmasters ; petitions to either branch of congress.
The act of con gress approved March 3, 1847, section 11, and the act of congress of March 3, 1841, sections 3, 4, provide that, to facilitate the transportation of letters in the mail, the post master-general be authorized to prepare post age-stamps, which when attached to any letter or packet shall be evidence of the pay ment of the postage chargeable on such letter. The same sections declare that any person who shall falsely or fraudulently make, utter, or forge any postage-stamp, with the intent to defraud the post-office department, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment not exceeding five years, or by both such fine and imprisonment. And if any person shall use or attempt to use, in prepayment of postage, any postage-stamp which shall have been used before for like purposes, such person shall be subject to a penalty of fifty dollars for every such offence; to be recovered, in the name of the United States, in any court of competent jurisdiction. See, also, Act of Mar. 3, 1851, 9 U. S. Stat. at Large, 589 ; Act of Aug. 31, /852, 10 U. S. Stat. at Large, 141. It is made penal to sell stamps or stamped envelopes for a larger sum than that indicated on the stamp or than is charged by the department. Act of Mar. 3, 1855, 10 U. S. Stat. at Large, 642.