The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-02-16

/ Judgment OF the committee.
ocsAs-srrAssa BEtI
I Mr. 0LDS. move lay the cvil and diplomatic hin
ASIDE or the purpose OF taking up the
Mr. JONES Of Tennessee submit ,ha. that motion Il
not la order.
Il The CHAIRMAN The Chair decides tha, the motion ~
the gent from Ohio Is in order
Mr. SEWARD. | desire know what has become Of
'hs o' g construct seven sloopsofwar lLaughcrJ
Mr. LEICHkK appealed from the decision Of the Chair
but subsequently withdrew H.
Mr.. SEWARD move that the committee rise I have
made an inquiry, and II has not been answered
The motion was ruled Of order and the question
being then taken by teers The motion Of Mr. olDs il
was agreed ,o-ayes "a, noes ST.
Mr., FAULKNER now move that this bin be laid asde
agreed to--ayes IS, noes "a
Inc eomn,,ee accordingly proceeded to the consdera
M " ne PHI making appropriations for the ransporus-
aon Of The United States mail by ocean stcamers and
during the fiscal year ending the 30h of Juue
Inc oi approprates $sissoo for transportation OF
tas MAILS from Nsw Yosk Lvcrpool saa 49, snd IT,
secretary Of the Treasury Is directed 10 give nosr ID
ahs ns heretofore made granting
pora'on OF the mails between the places
y n.seoy ,ermaated u approprates for transportation
OK ue mails from New York 10 New Orleans Charles
ton, savannah Havana, and Chagres and back two
hundred and sixy-one thousand dollars for
o. 'ne has oi Panama 70 California; and Oregon and
dred and nifty dollars and for carrying ont the contract
entered into by the Post Office Department under the pro-
visions ot the act approved thrtieth August one ton-
sand eight hundred and 6y-two establishing tronth
mail by steamyeSscls between New Orleans and Vera
oraA VIA Iampioo, sixty thousand hundred
ana my dollars ana u further appropriatcs for
portuon OF the mails in two Steamships from New York
by southampton to Bremen, and back, at one hun
dred thousand dollars for each ship and in two steam
ships from New York. by Cowes 10 Hayrs and buck nj
seventy hive thousand dollars Tor ship under the con-
trac, with The Ocean Steam Navigation Company OF New
iorh three hundred and fifty thousand dollars trans
portation OF the mails between Charleston and Havana
sum not exceeding fifty thousand dollars and for trans
portaton OF the mails the ishmus Of Panama one
oliars
Mr., oLDS submitted the following as an amendment to
| the first section of the bill
For the transportation Of the mails from New York to
in the first section Of an act entitled An supply
eenees IN The for the service Of the sc
July 1881 be, and the hereby repealed Proga.
That Edward X Collins and his proceed with
with the terms Of the contract and have the ready
mail service in two years from and after the o. this
Edward X Collins and his sssocis.es
shall the United States mail. between New York and
Liverpool from the expiration Of the said two years. every
fortnight, rse q Any charge e ths EovsEsmen until the
Mr.. TWEED inquired whether proposition had not
been made to carry the mails for half that price.
Mr.. OLDS replied in the affirmative. He said that he
had given this measure thorough Investigation and pro-
ceedeu 70 read nj length very able speech giving full
history of oeeanma-seam service, which speech he did
not complete before the hammer fell He said that the
Collins line OF steamers had done for the
of the world and establish nteroceanic
nicon than all the of the of the world put
together He had no doubt that X Collins could per-
form this service for trip such steamers as the
North Star but not in such the Arctic the
Baltic and the Pacifc. The Collins line of had
been built Of enormous size and strength by order OF the
governments and the government was therefore, bound in
honor to make appropriations which ample to their
support and which would correspond the amount of ex
ense which Is necessary to feed and such extraord
nary and superior oceanbound steamers as those OF the
Collins line
Mr.. SMITH Virginia replied at length to The remarks
of such an amuNt mput
the gentleman entirely unexpected by him, from the
fact that the gentleman ago openly and boldly
denounced the proposition to allow Mr. Collins additional
compensation for transportation of the mails from New
York Liverpool He considered that the gcntlemans
conversion less sudden than that of St Paul Com
modore Vanderbilt had proposed to perform this mail
vice for $4,000 per trip and be thought il gross yola
ton of the universal practice Of the government, Of giving
contracts for mail service To the lowest bidder to allow 10
H. X Collins S33000 per trip. lie opposed to the
tire system Of maintaining and supporting mail steamers
! at the expense Of the government
/ Mr.. WALBRIDGE (dem,) of New York: t"
Mr. CHaRMAs Looking to the important relations which
the city Of New York bears toward the of the
Union and The of her annual contributions to the
revenue o the country no one will deny she has legt
mate right TO be heard in the matter now before
The question involves high and grave considerations
1t affects deeply commercial interests and is less
than this: Shall American naval enterprise invited by
your legislation begun and sustained under your auspices
for the wises considerations and resting upon basis OF
the soundest economy to the country be neglected
carded by hestnncy refusal to continue the contract
which gives position of ascendency In the rivalry be-
tween this country and Great Britain in nayga-
| tion2
The general government had long felt the rcproach that
lay It's door for negectng the interests Of our
for years by permitting transatlantic rival de-
liberaey to assume superiority in steam nayiga~
/ ton.
In the year 1893 the first ship OF the Cunard line was
built She called the Great Britain In the year fol-
lowing the British government made contract for
with the proprieors for carrying the mails from their
shores What the condition ot things ut that
time in the competition between the American aud British
sailing vesses The former defed all competition 10 the
transportation of light merchandise and Of passengers Su
peror speed and other saiing qualities placed them far
ahead OF the English models What TO be done
The British government justly sensitive TO the commercial
interests of It's citizens sought remedy in the contract Of
1899 with Cunard; and with it went to that line almost
monopoly Of the valuable carrying trade which we bad
previously possessed
In this and profitable channel OF business Anglo
rivals prosperously for themselves bat most
detrmentaly spendid opperships that had been
doing thrifty business and hsd distinguished themselves
I in this special department Of the carrying trade
The country felt the neglect people the listess
Of the legislative department In the matter but
ofsreaebed these halls and dictated the enactment Of
s4s By which the Postmaster General authorized 4o
for the transportation Of the United States mail
between any OF the ports Of the United States and port
ports any foreign power wheneyer In his opinion the pub
lie interest would thereby be promoted and the Postmas
ter General also directed Ia all Of offer 10 com
tract Tor carrying the mail between any ports Of The United
States and any foreign port place to give the Peer
10 snch bidder shall contract 10 carry the mail n
steamship steamships and the sad contractor s,paa-
deliver said shp steamships 70 this United states