Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-03-29

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being on concurrng with the Committee Of lbe Whole
! IN their amendments.
| The amendment under consideration was the follow.
Ing clause Tor appropriations lnr the service of the Post
Office Department for the current year:
For transportation Of mails S34OU,000
For compensation OF postmnslers y35 600
For ship, steamboat and way letters 81 900
For wrapping paper ~ .0D0
For Office furniture 6 600
For advertising $4,000
For mail bags 10000
For blanks 36n 900
For mail locks and keys md stamps 5000
For mail drpreduons and special agents $4,000
For clerks for Offices 100000
For miscellaneous 10000
DIR. Cambreeng moved the following in lieu Of The
above:
"For transportation Of mails compe nsation Of post.
masters, ship, steamboat, and way letters wrapping pa
per- office furniture, advertising, mail bags blanks, mail
locks, keys and stamps. mail depredaons and special
agents, clerks Tor Offices and miscellaneous expenses,
making according 10 The estimates Of the Department
Tor each branch OF these expenditures aggregate Of
four million six hundred and ninety -four thousand dol
lars; 10 be paid out ofihe receipts Of the Post Office De-
pnrnient and charged 10 that fund provided by the
third section Of The ucl aforesaid
Mr.. Adams opposed The amendment, because he OBJ.
jccIed to the specification being stricken He would
not ask The Chairman Of the Committee Of Ways and
Means 10 assign reason for this because under
stood 10 be by order Of the Postmaster General and that
he supposed sufficient. MIR. A. argued 70.
time in support Of specifying, the only mode to
accountability.
Mr.. Whitllesey Of Ohio stated that he had made the
inquiry which he had given notice Of yesterday, and
satisfied that The two items he had alluded 10
ought 10 be retained in the bill With regard The
question beiure The House, he thought it proper
that ihfse appropriations should he specific Formerly
The Postmaster General accountable for all the
pendures Of that Department. but this found to be
an evil, and Congress had determined 10 take this
power from the head Of that Department., and have
The Post Office Fund placed in the Treasury, and
then appropriate it all other appropriations made
Well, other appropriations specific, and why
1t that this appropriation should not be specific! II this
not done, the act Of 1896 nugatory and Of no
effect, il made The hend Of that Department
accountable Than he before il enaced and it il
was not necessary that this appropriation should be spe
cRc II was mot necessary that any other appropriation
should be specific His understanding of the act Of 1896
was, that the Postmaster sRpHsS rs s'gd s.o IL; 49,
7ee IN his Department for the coming veor md ha.,
should he made The basis OF tile appropriation in The b
each item being there specified. ,, -, amendment
w., w. Cainofcrng 81 e of 1886 lie
muc IN favor OF Specific appropriations as the gentle
man from Massachusetts or the gentleman rom ohio,
but he it singular that in this Instance The
gentleman from Massachusetts had made such objections
to his amendment the ground of lis not being specI-
fed WHEN The whole fund OF this Department. from he
year I7cg to 1896 at the discretion OF the Pcsmas.
ter Grprrn aud could not be affected or controlled ~
the appropriations nf Congress.
During the gent!emaus administration OF the OF.
fairs Of the Government, there had been some twelve or
General without there being any control over by CON.
gress Ile with the Postmaster General considered
that there in specific appropriations, the
Executive Department Gould transfer Them from one ser
vice 10 another and this had been done during the ad.
minislralion OF The gentleman from massachusetts, not
only with law, but without il; and was this very IN
dviJual whom the gentleman now Thought proper 10
speak of with some severity, while Fourth Auditor, who
had discovered and exposed this practice he was as
willing that appropriations should he specific possible,
but it impossible to make these appropriations spe-
cic because there no telling what each service
would cost year before hand In the army the salary
Of every officer fixed, and consequently II was very
easy 10 make these appropriations specific To The dollar,
but Ibis was not the in the Post Office. No one
could tell precisely what the transportation of the mails
would COST and consequently il was impossible TO make
specific appropriations for this service.
Mr.. Tillinghast went into All examination OF The law
OF 1884 and the report Of The Postmaster neral with
view of showing that that Officer was mistaken 10 say
ing that this appropriation is gross
Mr. Ewing OF Indiana, commended that, by the con-
struction of this amendment it made an appropriation
of s55 OOu OOO instead of no. and moved to strike
ont The words "or each branch OF these expenditures;
hut The motion was ruled To be out OF order.
Mr. Reed commended that thess appropriations ought
to be specific rs this was the only way in which the
power of the Postmaster General which was in his OPT.
MON, by far great, could be limited
Mr. Rice Garland went into an argument OF some
lenrth to show that the act Of 1896 required that tins
appropriation should be specific, and thought most SIN
pu!ar that such construction should be put upon this
act of 1885, put upon by The gentleman rom
from New York and the Postmaster General. He con.
tended that great inconvenience couso resuil rom
specific appropriations.
MIR Conner called The attention Of the House 10 the
appropriation bill Of 1886, Immediately after The law
passed to place this fund in the Treasury, which made
an appropra,ion in gross Of upwards of three millions OF
dollars for Tie expenses of the Post:oiIce Department.
This was the construction of the House in relation 10
this natter Immediately after the passage oil the law OF
1896 He commended that impossible TO make this
appropriation specific while appropriations for The other
branches Of the public service might te specific Take
the item of blanks and it WAS impossible 10 say how ina.
nv would be needed Next the of the mnis and
huw was possible to make appropriation sPechc nf
this purpose with any accuracy? They were continually
changing and the expense OF them continually in.
creasina the refore il was impossible to arrive al accu
racy. The Postmaster General was invested WIN e1'
raorduary BY law from the necessity OF The case
This discovered 10 be necessary al an early ano
why was it that his power should be limited ne
considered that some discretion was necessary IN fela
ton this officer, and he trusted the Rouse "ou'o
not 90 limit him to make him incapable Of performing
his duties in such manner as 10 be satisfactory TO
the whole country.
MIR. Underwood believed that this the first time
which the attention OF the House had been brought 10
this subject and it having been brought 10 IL, 10
his oDinop il was proper that this appropriation should
no made in The same manner in which oil other appro.
! ori,,;ons were made There no more reason why
this appropriation should not be spec,'c han mere was
that other appropriations should mol be, ana ne usld
the Hnuse would aONere 10 ptoSSeI'o
this appropriation like all Others os this was IN MS OPT
MON, The safest and the best mode of proceeding.
rsd I" the act H. apo sp'so
,.,s, General 10 send is estimate OF the amount
witch il was expected would be required for the use Of
his Office Well this had been done; but why should
,hsse snee6c items be inserted in the appropriation
h;i,s If they wcre and one Of these appropriations
.bond not be half enough for the service to be per.
EARNED. what was the consequence? He will not
transfer any other appropriation TO ibis service and the
service will be reduced onp.haf This mgn! opetale
go oiuriousy 10 some parts Of the ssrvicr Of The DE
D.riment Bot, If the appropriation was made in gross