Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-07-17
CONGRESS.
SATURDAY, july 10, 1852.
The Senate did not sit to-day.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House resumed the consideration of the bill to
amend act entitled An act TO reduce and modify the
rates of postage in the United States and for other pur
poses, approved March g. 1851, reported by Mr. OLDs
from the Committee the Post Office and Post Roads
Tuesday last.
Mr.. 0LDS instituted comparison between the rates
Of postage newspapers charged under the existing
law and those proposed to be charged under the bill
before the House. He remarked that yesterday the
gentleman from New York based his calculation upon the
weight of newspapers at three the minimum
weight under the old law, and he Mr. o. based his cal
cuaton at the minimum provided for in the bill under
consideration, which This, he commended
would reach nineenths Of NIL the newspaper circulation
Of the country. Thus he based his figures upon nine
tenths of the newspaper circulation while the gentleman
from New York based his figures upon the other oneenh
The gentleman from New York he sadly mistaken in
saying that the proposed change would increase the post
age newspapers. 1t would be reduction Of postage
1t true that under fifty and up to hundred miles,
the average might be high it under the old law
but FIVE hundred miles there was reduction in the
Of postage The bill before the House had received
the sanction of the Post Office Committee of the House
and that of the Senate and Of the Post Office Department
The present law experiment. and had been found
to be failure so far the postage upon newspapers
concerned The bill now under consideration would
be but experiment and if it should fail rs sgnally
the existing law would devove upon the Congress
to remedy its evils The country demanded change,
and he thought that this bill, passed. would give salts
faction to the country
Mr.. WASHBURN moved to amend that portion Of the
first section which reads all newspapers and periodicals
not weighing ounce, published regularly, Of
ten in three months, and sent from the Office OF
publication to actual subscribers shall be chargeabe with
only oneha the foregoing by increasing the weight
to and half He contended that the adoption of
this amendment would benefit the newspapers published
in rural districts
Mr.. OLDS replied and argued that the interests Of
country papers had been provided for in the bill before the
House. by examination they had found that the weight
of these papers generally did not exceed
The debate was further continued by Messrs BROOKS,
CHANDLER, SHELTON, and CABLE of Ohio, until the
expiration of the morning hour when
Mr.. HOUSTON moved that the House go into Commit
tee of the Whole on the state of the Union
DEFICIENCY BILL
And thereupon the House went into Committee Of the
Whole the state of the Union mr. STUART, of Mich
gan in the chair and resumed the consideration of the
amendments Of the Senate to the bill Of the House
supply deficiencies in the appropriations for the service OF
the fiscal year ending the thirtieth Of June, 1852.
The committee resumed the consideration of the appro
priation for the Collins steamers.
Mr. STEVENS, of Pennsylvania, moved to amend the
clause by adding thereto provision that the duties to be
levied goods wares, and merchandise imported into
the United States shall be assessed upon the average
prices which such articles bore in the principal markets
the United States the first of December, 1885, such
prices be asceraned by the Secretary Of the Treasury
in order raise the money appropriated by this and
other laws.
Mr. HART raised the questiop that the amendment
not in order the ground that not germane to the
subject under consideration.
The CHAIRMAN SO decided.
Mr.. STEVENS appealed from this decision.
And the question being TAKEN the Chair sustained
Ayes 3D. noes not counted
The debate on the amendment of the Senate then
resumed, and continued at great length.
Without taking any vote the original proposition,
On notion the committee and reported progress
and the House adjourned.