The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-02-12
XLIID CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON, Feb. II.
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SENAlE.
Mr.. Fenton presented a memorial from
Messrs. Rutherford, Hassler and others, claim
ing that New York was the first State to organ
ize volunteers to suppress the rebellion
The bill continuing the Southern Claims
Commission was passed.
Bills were passed authorizing the Secretary
of War to erect a monument in salisbury, N.
c., to Union soldiers who died in prison there;
permitting Lit. Mason of the navy, to accept a
decoration from the Emperor of Brazil; grant
ing the right of way to the Denver, South Park
y 4. PACIFIC, and the Denver Georgetown &
Co IAN railroads, through the public lands in
Colorado; removing the political disabilities
OF certain citizens of Georgia and other States;
70 ploslee Iof a payment in gold of certgin
wages oI seamen in foreign countries: amend
for other V III 1sos 70 prevent smuggling and
formation OF the condition of banks organ;yed
under State laws; to remit the excise taS an al
cohoi used by universities and colleges for SCI
10 the
dore; to enforce the stipulations of the conyen.
tion of 1866 with Venezuela; amen6in@ Az
Shipping Commissioners act. VIM
Mr.. Anthony, from the Joint Committee on
Printing, reported a joint resolution accepting
the bid of VIM. j. Murtagh, of Washington,
for reporting and printing the debates of Con-
| gress, and gave notice that he would call it up
! at an early day. Adjourned
HOUSE.
| Mr.. McClelland of Penn, presented a petit
| ton from the citizens of Beaver Falls, Pa,
| protesting against the importation of Chinese
| laborers by coliery company there, claiming
| that their employment is similar to slavery, is
degrading, and requested Congressional action
to stop contracts for such immigration The
| petitioners asked that Congress authorize the
| free importation of such articles as are manu-
featured by such Chinese labor.
The sundry appropriation bill, appropriating
S27,0000O0, was reported and specially ordered
| for tomorrow.
| The river and harbor appropriation bill was
reported and specially ordered for next Monday
The Harbor bill appropriates $500, 400. A
| bill was passed authorizing the President to ne
| gotiate the cession of the reservation to the
| Seminoles and Sac Indians. A bill was passed
to pay the heirs of George G. Boston $125,OOO,
for losses in constructing iron-clads
A bill further amending the postal laws,
making letter postage after July 1, two cents,
was reported. An amendment was adopted
striking out the words "actually and wholly
from the section relating to weekly newspapers,
so that it will not exclude those country weekly
papers having a portion of their editions print
| ed in large cities.
length. As to the payment of newspaper post
age, he made the following statement The
postage revenues last year were, on letters
Sl9,354 900; on newspapers and periodicals,
S9o5, 94O-so that the revenue from letters was
twenty times as great as that for newspapers
while the newspaper mails were twenty times
the weight and bulk of the letter mails In
1870 there were in round numbers printed of
daily papers in the year, 800 millions of copies,
or an average of over two and one-half millions
a day; of weekly papers, 600 millions of copies,
or an average of over eleven and one-half mill
lions week; of monthly periodicals, 100 mil
lions OF copies, or an average OF over eight and
one half millions month. The lowest rate of
4 postage on these publications was at present
on dailies, 81. 20 per year; weeklies 20 cents,
and on monthlies 10 cents.
He thought it not too much to say that ten
per cent of dailies and so per cent. of weekles
and monthles passed through mails. If that
was So and if postage had been collected on it,
it should have yielded a revenue from the daily
papers Of 1907 ,692; from the weekly papers, Of
$1,S46, 1913, and from monthlies Of $500, 600,
making total of S2,953, $40, while the actual
receipts from these sources were only 1886, 94O
1t was therefore manifest that but small part
OF postage on that which constituted the great
bulk and weight of the mails was ever received
by the Department. He thought that eventual
ly Congress would require every man who uses
the mails to pay for their use, but he admitted
there was now feeling of Difference to the
country weekly press, to the extent of allowing
of publication. AS to the effect of the pro
posed bill, it was his opinion that while next
year might show slight deficiency in the post
age received from the letter mails, within two
years the present revenue would be secnfed.
As to the prepayment of newspaper postage
that was not to go into operation until Jan. LIST
next
E. H. Roberts moved to amend by making
the postage on daily newspapers not exceeding
four ounces in weight, 10 cents per quarter.
Agreed to.
The amendments offered by Messrs Garfield
and Hubbard, in respect to magazine and news
paper manuscripts, were agreed to. The bill
then passed.
The bill. as amended, reads as follows:
Be 1t enacted, &c, that on and after the first
day of July next all mail matter which is
wholly or partly in writing, except book maya
zine and newspaper manuscripts and corrected
proofs, passing between Authors and publishers,
and excepting also correspondence or postal
cards on all printed matter which is so marked
as to convey any other or further information
than is conveyed by the original print except
the correction OF mere typographical errors, on
all matter which is sent in violation of law or
regulations of the Department respecting in
closures, and on all matter to which no specific
rate OF postage is assigned, postage shall be
charged at the rate of two cents for each hall
ounce or fraction thereof, and this provision
shall include all letters commonly known as
drop or local letters delivered through Post
Offices or their carriers; and magazines, manu-
| scripts, and newspaper manuscripts are hereby
declared to belong to the class of mailablt
matter.
SEC 3.-That from and after the first day of
January next, in such manner as the Postmas-
ter General shall prescribe, the postage provid-
ed by law to be paid upon printed matter or
mailable matter of the second class, shall in all
cases be prepaid and collected at the offices re-
spectively where such matter shall be mailed,
and the postage on daily newspapers not exceed
ing four ounces each copy in weight shall be
charged and collected at the rate of Is cents
per quarter; provided that weekly newspapers
within their respective counties where the same
are printed and published, and none other, may
pass through the mails free of postage as pro-
vided in the 9Th clause of section 1874 of the act
to revise consolidate and amend the Statutes
relating to the Post Office Department.
SEC. 3.-That any person who shall take any
letter, postal load or packet out of the post Of
flee, or branch post Office, or from letter OF
mail carrier or which has been in any post Of
flee or in the custody of any letter or mail car
rier, before it shall have been delivered to the
person to whom it was directed, with design
to oSstruct the correspondence or pry into the
business or secrets of another, or shall secret,
embezzle or destroy the same, shall, on convic-
ton thereof for eve;y such offence, forfeit and
prisoned at hard labor not exceeding one year,
or both, at the discretion of the court
A petition was received from G. B. Stewart,
the recusant witness, that his case be referred
to the Judiciary Committee, as the Credit Mo-
bilier Committee was hostile to him, and it was
referred to the latter committee.
The House went into Committee of the
Whole on the army appropriation bill. -.
Mr.. Roosevelt defended himself from the criti-
cisms of certain newspapers.
MIR. Chapman defended the board of public
works from the structures of Mr.. Roosevelt, say
ing the latter had the audacity to hold a seat
not from votes but from certificate of Tam
many Hall.
At the close of this personal discussion the
House proceeded with tho consideration Of the
bill.