The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-02-03
WASHINGTON. February

WASHINGTON, February "a, 1907.
The French spoliation claimants are much dis
heartened by the disposition made of their bill in the
House yesterday. The overwhelming vote by which
the motion to lay upon the table was rejected when
made test question, presents satisfactory evil
dence that decided majority of the House are in
favor of the measure, and believe that it ought
pass But, notwithstanding this gratifying result
a pretext was found for referring the bill to the
Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union,
whence it can never emerge except by two-third
vote to suspend the rules which is impossible to be
secured.
The secret of this premature burial is simply
that among the supporters of the are quite
a number of gentlemen, who, while they would al
ways vote for the French Spoliation Bill upon the
direct question, as just and prop measure, do
not feel any earnest or decided interest therein
These, too, are supporters of the Administration,
who do not want the bill to pass at this time and
thus add so much to our rapidly accommodating pub
lie debt In time OF peace. The ruling of Speaker
Orr, that the bill must go the Committee of the
Whole because it involves "tax' or "charge'
upon the people, gave these halfway supporters of
the measure good opportunity to compound be-
tween their obligations to Justice and to party by
sustaining the decision of the Chair
The bill is virtually dead for the present Congress-
And let me say that until the claimants have some
organization for the proper prosecution of their in
terests and place the subject in the hands of
petent and trustworthy gentlemen who know how
to anticipate and defeat the thousand side issues BY
of which the defeat of contested measures is
often effected, they are likely always to be
slaughtered. There are here any number of outside
harpies, constantly ready to ruin any thing no
matter how just, from which they fail to exact
tribute, commonly known 'black MALL They
do not rely generally direct vote upon the
merits OF measure as the occasion for striking their
deadly blows-but avail themselves of the powerful
enginery of delay, which, in the present case is
fatal as their schemes are insidious. Hence it is,
that reliance upon the merits of bill of the
character under discussion is dependence upon a
broken reed In addition to the of its own
merits, the French Spoiation Bill should be placed
for prosecution in the hands of able, upright and
experienced men, who possess the confidence of
Congress and the country, and who know how t.
meet, expose and battle the chicapery by which it
has year after year been consigned to defeat.
took the liberty of throwing out some suggestions
of this character several weeks ago, predicting at
the time the very result which has now been
reached, as the certain consequence of the inefi-
cient organization of the claimants.
The committees of Congress are looking about in
every direction for opportunity to cut down
appropriations for the support of the Govern
ment, in order, by reducing expenditures to
obviate the necessity for tariff revision The
thing is easier said than done, however,
1t is proposed to accomplish the desired OBJ
ect, to some extent, by cutting off some branches
Of public service heretofore authorized by law and
for the performance of which contracts for a term
of years have been entered into. This would be
strange mode of etfecting retrenchment-by alb
rogating contracts already made with private citi-
zens, who would be entitled to- and would certainly
obtain sooner or later, ample damages for the vio-
lence done them. Such policy would be ''saving at
the spigot and wasting at the bung hole" with ven
geance. The Overland California Mail Line be-
tween st. Louis and Memphis and San Francisco
might easily be dispensed with, it is true. 1t costs
100000 per annum and really is of little value to
the country at large To be sure, it gives US occa
sional later from the Pacific, but at the cost
of some $50 per letter, which no sane man can adj
yocate for moment.
The object of Congress, however, in authorizing
this line was not that of securing mail service The
real and laudable purpose of the bill was to open
the road across the Continent, and promote settle
ments, so as to secure protection to the road, and
facilitate overland emigration. 1t is unjust there
fore, to cry down the contract because as mail con-
tract it does not pay. But the Government in To-
eating the line, unfortunately decided upon circu-
ltous route, some seven hundred miles longer
than either of the emigrant routes, and thus de-
feated the real purpose of the bill authorizing a
contract, for emgrants will not add seven hundred
miles to journey already two thousand miles long
in order to follow stage road, when the old route
has been proven entirely practicable by the fifty to
across it! ''
Thus it will be seen that, practically, BY the man
ner in which the law is erecuted, the $500 900 per
annum paid to the contractors in this is ex-
pended for mail service alone! Nothing else is OBJ
tanned in return for it, If an amicable arrangement
can be made with the contractors for the abroga-
ton of their contract, wisdom and economy impera-
lively demand it; but unless they to discon-
nue their service, it would be in the highest de-
gree unjust to break up the contract solemnly en-
tered into with them. 1t is to be hoped that no
such absurd schemes of "retrenchment" will be
persisted in, for they must result only in great
private wrong, but in waste rather than saving of
public money.
learn this morning that Mr. CoBB begins to wave
in his antcipations of obtaining money enough from
customs revenue to carry ON the Government,
and the PRESIDENT has stated positively that the
SECRETARY will to-day or tomorrow send in to Con-
gress a communication recommending some rev-
sion of the tariff, with view to increase of
revenue.
The Democratic caucus of members of the House
last night, upon the tariff question, no con-
elusion and adjourned until Saturday evening next
The danger of an extra session is becoming so i'm
minent that gentlemen are beginning to look prac-
tically at the possible means of avoiding it.