The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1859-03-17
From the ana Joaraa
A Word I'm Season TO be lSem e nm bered

me lnited State Senate, bv party vote
every Republican opposing it. decided to
double the present rates of postage. So ben,
upon II were they that they put the provis
ION INTO ftco baHs, the Post Route bill and
tGe post Otice Appropriation BILL The
1 House, every Republican voting AVE. ;"
struck Ont the obnoxious clause, and semi the
bills back without it. The Senate, under the
objections Of Toombs and Mason. would moi,
concur, adhered to their determination 10
double the postage, and so tailed TO pass anv
Fost Route or Appropriation bill This is
briefly the cause of the failure of those impor,
tant bills, which offers one of two alternatives
to the administration. either 10 close the Pos,
Once, alter few months, or To call an extra
session Of Congress. Let US state the history
OF the matter little more fully, that all may
understand 1t, and be able when the time
comes TO set the matter right If misrepresen,-
alton be attempted On the e6th of February
the Senate passed Pos, Office Appropriation
oiii tctt4oRt any ciauss relating 70 the rates or
postage. About the same time they passed
the Post Route bill, on which was tackled
provision nearly doubling letter postage, and
more than doubling newspaper postage
Every Republican voted mo" on this clause
Ihus the two bills went from the Senate
be latter bill being OF little importance was
dropped on all hands. aud nothing more was
done with it. The House passed the Appro.
prlatlon bill. which was the important meas
ure, almost exactly 1t passed the Senate
only adding some u,impor,snt little appro-
Priaslons, and sent it back to the Senate II
was now the business OF the Senate 10 concur,
as the House had accepted the Senate bill
without demur. But the Senate. after agree
ing to the House amendments, tackled up0a
htS btH also klc do4bie postage pyoeisioa.
determined. on some bill or other, to pass
through tie double postage tax. By this last
amendment the Senate tried to compel the
House, under the screw of having the Ap-
preparation bill defeated and the Post Offices
closed, TO accede TO the double postage. But
the House, on motion of Mr.. Grow, decided
that the Senate had no right to originate
measure tor raising revenue, this did, and
sent the bill back TO the Senate to strike out
he Senate IN furry OF dignity refused but
at last consented TO a Committee of Confer.
ence, which, after due consultation, agreed
to report 10 both Houses. a compromise,
the bill that first passed the Senate, exactly
as 1t was passed. The Senate could hardly
ask more than that they should be required TO
pass over again bill they had already passed
once. They yielded nothing by this course
but the double postage. This compromise.
or original Senate bill, WAS passed by the
House at once, and SO far as that body was
concerned the Post Office appropriations
were safe. But the Senate would not give
up its darling idea OF double postage
Ioombs, OF Georgia, Mason, OF Virginia, and
Bayard, of Delaware, declared that it should
never pass the Senate. If it had the House
and they talked against time till the sessions
ended, and the bill killed. Remember,
the House passed this appropriation bill ex-
actly as the Senate had passed it, with a few
little appropriations added. The Senate re-
fused to receive their own bill after it had
passed the House. unless the rate Of postage
was doubled. And after the refusal of the
House 10 concur in tnis abominable tax had
made committee of conference necessary,
both Houses were offered, by the committee,
the original Senate had passed it first. The
House passed it. The Senate refused TO
adopt their olen bill, and thus killed the ap-
preparation. Ii an extra session OF Congress
is called. or the Post Office closed by the
first OF September. as it is calculated they
must be, the people will bear in mind that
the Senate caused the mischief, bv refusing
to pass the bill they themselves originated,
because the House refused to saddle it with
the double postage tax. This is the fact. as
the official report show.