The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-09

OOu8ross xostor0ay H~~~ -
Amnesty Bills. Steamship sabsidies and
Fishery ANA shipbuildins Bouuties.
The Educational bill, which has attracted
so much attention recently in the House Of
Representatives and in the country generally.
was passed yesterday by a majority of seven
teen. The vote was not strictly party one,
as sixteen republicans voted against it. while
five democrats, including Kerr and Storm,
who had opposed 1t In debate, voted for it.
The bill as passed provides for the distribu-
ton of the School fund on the basis, not OF
population, as originally proposed, but of
illiteracy, which will have the effect Of giving
the bulk of it to the Southern States, where 1t
is most needed, and also guards against COM
polling any State to have system of mixed
schools. This last provision was triumph
for the democratic side Of the House, though
it may prove fatal to 1t in the Senate, particu-
larly if the Sumner code of negro social
equality Is to prevail in that body.
After disposing of this serious matter of
the communistic sentiment of its members by
having fresh deal for the choice of seats.
OF course there were as many malcontents at
the close of that performance as there had
been at the beginning, and there is nothing to
prevent them if in the majority, as they
necessarily are, from having a fresh drawing
next week, and so on from week to week till
the end of the session.
The Senate plodded on its weary way in the
discussion Of the Amnesty bill, or rather of
Summers amendment to it establishing negro
equality on railroads, steamboats, and omni-
buses, and in hotels, schools, churches and
cemeteries. The free religious element. how
ever, proved too strong for Mr.. Sumner. The
Senate thought it would never do to put
churches under the ban for excluding persons
from membership for any cause which they
might deem sufficient and preferred also not to
invade the graveyard in the enforcement of
negro equality. Mr.. Summers bill was there
fore amended by striking out the reference
to churches and cemeteries.
The bill which was reported from the FL
nance Committee few days ago, for the
retirement of the three per cent temporary
loan certificates at the rate of three millions
month, was taken up yesterday in the Senate
and passed, and bill was reported from the
Post Office Committee to double the mail SER
vice and subsidy between San Francisco and
China. Whatever may be thought Of the pro-
priety of subsidies in the abstract, there can
be no question as to the great commercial ne
cessity of increased postal service between
this county and China and Japan. Our trade
relations with those countries are growing 80
extensive and intimate that our merchants
should certainly not be confined to monthly
mail. The steamer which was to have left
San Francisco for China and japan on the LIST
of February was detained four days in order
to take out the mails, which were snowbound
on the Pacific Railroad, and had eventually to
start without them; and now those mails can
not be forwarded before the LIST of March,
unless the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
despatch an extra steamer. The mail service,
if not weekly, should be at least semi-monthly.
Secretary Boutwell, gave his views on this
and other questions connected with our mari
time interests before the House Committee on
Commerce yesterday. He presented bill,
prepared by himself and designed to revive
our commerce. His plan is merely system
of bounty to iron and wooden shipbuilders
and bounty to the cod and mackerel fisher
men of Maine and Massachusetts,. He is
averse to the plan of drawbacks, as facilitating
frauds, and also to the plan of subsidies, as
being too special and restricted in their effects.
He was modest enough to confess his difidence
in the efficacy Of the measure proposed by him,
If it should become q law, but thought
that it should have trial before falling back
on what he deemed the last resort-but which
is, nevertheless, the only feasible resort-of
letting our merchants buy their ships in the
best and cheapest market. There Is no use in
losing time and money and trade in any half
way, miserable expedients. We must, if we
would re-establish our commerce, be placed on
an equal footing with all other maritime
Powers. The protective system may do
within our own domain, but on the ocean
there must be free trade and free ships.
Too MUoH.-They have an idea in London
that the american case" will probably exceed
the indemnity exacted Of France by Germany,