Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1859-03-19
. - y 80
he Stapeat|r:o'.. & &
THE DEFEAT or THE Postal ArPRo-.
'b'' pRIATION BILI..sT. -. :, b:,
A LETTER FROM SENATOR GLINGMAN.

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-, TIDE, PRIATION 8ILI..sn.~ -. q bel
A LETTER FROM SENATOR GLINGMAN. a
,,sEsA1,s. e AMBER nssias, March I, 1853.
GEsrLE.zx : You have doubtless been apprized
ere this that the bin making appropriations for the
support Of the postal service Of the United States
was lost At the late session Of Congress: IS que
to nv constituents that they should be informed OF
the causes of this extraordinary occurrence, and
request the use Of your, columns to enable me to
present short: statement Of the faotA gneer-tne
rules and usages Of the two houses OF Congress the
annual appropriation bills have invariably been org
mated IN the House Of Representatives, and after
passing through that body they have been acted on
IN the Senate, and such amendments made to them
as majority of the Senate thought proper to direct
Thew were then returned to the House, and If q ma
iortv of that body agreed to the amendments of the
Senate no further action was necessary to the pas.
sage of the bills If however, the House disagreed
to any of the Senate amendments on that fact being
to the Senate, it might recedc from
such amendments, and its doing the bills stood
as passed It often happened, however. that the
Senate insisted on some of its amendments, ana
asked for committee of conference to consider the
disagreeing votes of the two houses. This was
agreed to BY the House, and there was joint COM
mittee composed of members of both houses, who,
on consultation decided which amendments should
stand and which be given up When their report
was agreed to by each house. the bills were consid
cred as passed. This has been the course of pro-
ceeding at every session of my service in Congress
The Post Office appropriation bill came from the
House to the Senate at the present session in the
usual mode. It made appropriations to the extent
Of above twenty millions Of dollars of which little
less than four millions was to pay off Deficiencies or
mainder for the postal service Of the coming year.
The bill was carefully considered by the Senate for
several days. and as usual number of amendments
were made. Among them was one abolishing the
ffapking privilege of Senators and Representatives,
and another raising the postage of letters from three
to five cents &C. twas sent back to the House for
concurrence in these amendments. For some time
after it reached that body, the majority refused to
consider it. though repeated attempts were made to
take it up At length, on the last night of the ses
son it taken up, but instead Of its amendments
being considered as usual and agreed to or rejected,
q resolution was moved declaring in substance that
the Senate had violated the constitution in proposing
to increase the rates of postage and directing the
Clerk of the House to carry back the bill and amend
ments to the Senate with copy Of their resolution
This motion was made by Mr.. Grow, noted abo-
itonist from Pennsylvania and the candidate at the
late Congress of the black Republican party for the
Office of Speaker 1t was supported by all the men,
bers of that party, by certain individuals belonging
to the late Know Nothing or American organza-
passed As this was violation of all parliamentary
usages of all legislative propreties and course in
sulting to coordinate branch Of the Congress its
supporters doubtless thought that the Senate could
not consistently with its own selfrespect take any
notice of the NATTER and thus the bill be suffered to
die quietly to the detriment of the public service.
When the message was brought in by their Clerk,
however, the Senate feeling that the public interest
ought to be of paramount consideration, determined
to overlook the insult however gross it might be,
and sent back respectful message to the House re-
questing committee of conference to consider the
disagreement on the bill. This was acceded to, and
a joint committee was raised When it assembled,
however, the members from the House refused to
consider this bill in any way. Had they done SO,
the Senate, I feel confident would have receded
from all its amendments rather than let the bill fail
In accordance however with the views of the House.
they would have nothing to do with this bill, but
insisted that the Senate branch Of the committee
should accept instead Of it. an entire new BILL which
was represented to be similar to the one which had
originally come from the House. The Senate branch
Of the committee, seeing that nothing else could be
done agreed to report this bill to the Senate for its
consideration.
Their report was accordingly made to the Senate
on the last day of the session. just forty minutes be-
fore IL O'clock the period at which by the consttu-
ton the session was necessarily to terminate The
bill was announced and read by its title only for the
first time. call was then made for the reading of
it through but it was said that there would not be
time to read it before the period of the adjourn
ment It was q new bill to the Senate, had never
been printed; but l suppose that the Secretary
could probably have read it over once before IL
o'clock, though there was certainly no time to con-
slider its provisions.
It was said that we must either pass it without
reading it even once or not at ALL A debate sprung
up which exhausted the remaining minutes, and the
bill was thus left Enacted on.
Ought the Senate to have passed this bill without
its being read over to let Senators know what
sort of measure it was? Remember that by the
rules of the two houses all bills must be read three
times in each house and this is done unless waived
by general consent of all the members. Ought q
legislative body ever to pass bill without at least
reading it once to ascertain what sort of measure
it is? This, however, was represented to be bill
apprOpriating twenty millions of money. Few per-
sons realize how large sum this is.
The taxes in our State are considered high by
many of our citizens. The amount raised last year
think was about five hundred thousand dollars Il
would therefore require forty years of such taxation
as the people of our State are paying to raise sum
equal to what this bill was said to appropriate. L
it existed in the shape of silver coin it would require
for its transportation three hundred wagons eacf
carrying four thousand pounds, and making trair
perhaps three miles long Ought the Senate TO hav'
passed such bill without once reading il over {,
see what in fact it did contain? 1t might have vic
lated any one provision of the constitution.
But those constituting majority of the Hous
are endeavoring to defend their course by saying
that the Senate exceeded its constitutional authority
when it proposed to raise the postage on letter
from three to five cents.
But this not in fact proposition to raise rev
enue by taxation. The carrying Of letters is . ser
vice done for individuals by the government and i
is competent for the Senate to say that more ough
70 be charged for it than is already provided by law
just IS it has repeatedly without objection, hereto
fore passed propositions to increase the price Of tn
public lands &C. They are also complaining Of in
creasing the rates Of postage on the people Blu
since the reduction Of the postage to three cents thi
department has been unable to sustain ITSELF an
the deficiency for the next year was estimated t
amount to upwards of nine millions. We mus
therefore do one Of three things: either cut dow
the present postal service or increase the rates
postage OF, thirdly, draw large sums from tn
Treasury to be replaced by high tariff taxes W
were opposed in the first place to cutting down pos
rorfeS monopo11v ho1;ovinv hoffeP arfanpe9nou