Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-03-23
The STANDARD.
THE DEFEAT OF THE POSTAL APPRO.
PRIATION BILL.
A LETTER FROM SENATOR CLINGMAN.


GENTLEMEN: You have doubtless been apprized
ere this that the bill making appropriations tor the
support of the postal service of the United States
was lost at the late session of Congress 1t is duo
to nv constituents that they should be informed of
the causes of this extraordinary occurrence and l
REQUEST the use of your columns to enable me to
present short statement of the facts. Under the
rules and usages of the two houses of Congress, the
annual appropriation bills have invariably been orig
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
They were then returned to the House. and II ma
orty of that body agreed to the amendments OF the
Senate further action was necessary to the pas.
sage of the bills. IT. however, the House disagreed
to any of the Senate amendments that fact being
communicated to the Senate, it might recede from
such amendments and on its so doing the bills stood
as passed. 1t often happened, however, that the
Senate insisted on some of its amendments, and
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 1t made appropriations to the extent
of above twenty millions of dollars of which little
less than four millions to pay oft Deficiencies or
debts due before the S0th of June next and the re-
mainder for the postal service of the coming year.
The bill was carefully considered by the Senate for
several days, and usual number of amendments
were made Among them was one abolshlng the
frankins privilege of Senators and Representatives.
and another raising the postage of letters from three
to five cents &c 1t was 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, the last light of the ses-
sion it taken up but instead of its amendments
being considered usual and agreed to or rejected
resolution was moved declaring in substance that
the Senate advolated 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 a copy of their resolution
This motion was made by Mr.. Grow, noted abo-
toniSt 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 organiza-
ton, and by several Democrats. and was therefore
passed As this was violation Of all parliamentary
usagcs of all legislative proprictcs, and course in
sulting to coordinate branch of the Congress its
not consistently with its own selErespect take any
notice of the matter and thus the bill he suffered to
die quietly to the detriment of the public service.
When the message 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 accedcd to, and
joint committee was raised When it assembled,
however, the members from the House refused to
consider this bill in any way. Had they done 50,
the Senate 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, 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
the last day of the session, just forty minutes be-
fore IL O'clock the period at which by the cOnstitu
ton the session necessarily to terminate. The
hill was announced and read by its title only for the
first time call was then made for the reading of
it through but it said that there would not be
time to read it before the period of the adjourn
ment 1t was new bill 10 the Senate, had never
been printed; but I suppose that the Secretary
could probably have read it over once before II
o'clock, though there was certainly time to
slider its provisions.
reading it even once or not at all 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
Legislative body to pass bill without at least
reading once to ascertain what sort of measure
1t 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 1t
would therefore require forty years of such taxation
rs the people OF our State paying to raise sum
equal to what this bill was said to appropriate. If
1t existed in the shape of silver coin it would require
for its transportation three hundred wagons, each
carrying four thousand pounds, and making train
perhaps three miles long Ought the Senate to have
passed such bill without once reading it over to
see what in fact it did contain? 1t might have vio-
lated any one provision Of the constitution.
But those constituting a majority of the House
are endeavoring to defend their course by saying
that the Senate exceeded its constitutional authority
when it proposed to raise the postage on letters
from three to five cents.
But this was not in fact proposition to raise rev.
enue by taxation. The carrying of letters is ser
vice done for individuals by the government, and it
is competent for the Senate to say that more ought
70 be charged for it than is already provided by law
just as it has repeatedly, without objection, hereto
fore passed propositions to increase the price of the
public lands, &c. They are also complaining of in.
creasing the rates Of postage on the people. But
since the reduction of the postage to three cents this
department. has been unable to sustain itself, ant
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 dowr
the present postal service, or increase the rates O
postage, or. thirdly, draw large sums from tn,
Treasury to be replaced by high tariff taxes W,