New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-02-20

Kefeffcd COmmlttoe
tves-atLarge for Alabama unless the Legislature shal
election He stated that the Necessity for the bill arose
from the failure OF the LEGISLATURE % So oiher Rs
State one House being Democratic ana inc o'no' NJ
MIR. CESSNA fRep.. PENN. from tho same Committee:
ferred TO the Committee OF the Wboe. ALSO, U In
s,e wSe have receyed fees and
in excess Of their legal compensation 10 oeP1 i csso
OF refusal suits TO be brought and future cases 70 DC
punished msdemeanors; special AGENTS 10 no 1
are 10 be paid out of the fees and emoumens
but their total compensation not 70 ehceeu soV'' ]" any
Mr. POTTER Dem. " W. from the same Committee.
reported bill 10 establish an additional 1u1,cal 81
in the State of New-fork Referred 70 tno
Mr. BUTLER Rep. Nasal asked unanimous consent y, mt
port at any time the bill for tho Distribution 9i wy
Geneva award aud the Senate amendment TO the BANK
Mr. W. r. ROBERTS Dem. N " objected
THE FRASKING BILL"
The House then at l45 D. M took up tho bill for the
distribution Of public documents printed by au'hoilV
Of Congress seeds furnished by tina Agricultural Dc
partment for the exchange OF newspapers between
publishers and for the free transmission OF weekly
newspapers within the county where publisnea ,o
o M kAsTN S dr the hST S S providing that all
number. Of Pnssd y Grdf n Ro and
the abrdgement Of the Presidents message aud accom-
panyng doc at IS cents per volume ana an oine
SpSinS and that weekly newspapers shall go free in
the mails within the county where published but shall
age ace snail have been paid at the usual rates.
Mr. MONROE Rep Ohol gave notice OF an nnsing
to a continuance Of the system Of distributing puoho
documents. ..,.... ~ u.o,,,s ro,o
MrSCOFIELD rep. PENN stated that he would vote
against the whole bill except the 80 section which pro-
vdes for the free transmission OF weekly newspapers
ithin the county where published ana OF newspaper
exchanges. He would support that, but would vote
against all the rest OF it, IN accordance with the pledge
which Republican party gave IN the convention III
Phadepha in s!2 70 abolish the thanking he
without charge and to insert s tse onnt tbereof
shall stamped the wrapper and paid by the person
receiving the same -
port OF the substitute of which he had gwen notice he
argued that under 1t every citizen would nave (ls ne
nossess himself Of any public document that gives in
formation as to any branch OF the Government Tne
districts representing two-thrds OF the United States.
bnt mere traction Of the political opponents OF the
be defended on other principle than as subsidies or
perqusites TO members of Congress la reply TO the
tufa Report was less than the cost he said that his OBJ
eot in fixing that prlce to make it easily ootainaee
| the price Of public documents at less than
| the actual cost. "A to the franking privilege,
he remarked that the XLId Congress. which had been
censured by the public FOR some OF actions bad never
been censured for The abolition OF the ranking pry
eee but now the XLlIId Congress was asked to undo
the one special reform act Of the XLlld Congress- lie
replied 10 the argument that the carrying OF free maj,
ter would not add the OF mail transportation and
be showed allcy Of that idea. quoting from THE
NEwYoRK TRIBUNE Of yesterday TO show that the man
lettings lust let made at much less rate than the
previous lettings. He had been told this morning by the
head OF the contract office in the Post Office Department
that over that vast west of the Mississippi and
north Kentucky and Tennessee the mail lettings were
per cent certainly 80 per cent? less than the last let
Mr. ELDREDGE Dem. Wis., asked him whether half
OF their contracts were not let on straw DIS anu
whether they would not be gwen up.
Mr.. KAssoN replied in the negative, as the bidders
the amount Of 81 10000 had been put up the other day
Mr. ELDRlDGE asked whether he believed that the
reduction III the mail lettings was because OF the aboli-
ton of the franknR privilege.
Mr. KAssON replied that it was owing partly to other
things but that he belived It was largely owing to the
abolition OF the franking privilege and the stopping OF
the carloads OF books which used to DO distributed lo
that great western country thcy uscu 10 take saoAs OF
books by the dozen load them on their coaches and
when the coaches got INTO the mud,holes throw Out
these sacks TO fil up the mud'ho'es and run the
coaches them, leaving them to be picked up by
MIR BECK (Dem, KY called upon Mr.. Kasson to
plain why the estimated deficiency for the PostOAice
| was larger this year than 1t was last year.
Mr. KAsSON declined 10 enter into discussion OF the
| fnances; but Mr.. GRASSLAND dem, Ky) undertook
PostmasterGeneras estimates, but In the estimates OF
the Secretary the Treasury, who wanted couple or
millions 10 subsidize steamships.
MI Grassland continued TO talk loudly and to ges
ticulate violently, manfestinR very angry feeling
low go oIt so that it was for the re-
porters get idea Of what Mr. Grassland was talk
At length order restored. and Mr.. KASSON pro-
ceoded with hts argument. He asked the Republican
members whether the very moment they were elected
they TO gO back on the platform on which they had
been elected. He for one would not 20 back on his
pledges until the people had manifested their will
that effect he would show the House what the voice
of the people TO the XLIId Congress was
Here he had placed upon hs desk four large waste
baskets filed with memorials for the abolition of the
ranking privilege Wo M So on tno p ma c
these petitions had been got up by the Postmaster
General In the midst OF the noise and confusion the
speakers gavel indicated the close of Mr. Kasson hour
and objections made to an extension OF his time
Mr.. TYNER rep, Ind.l next took the floor. He said
that he should support much OF the bill authorized
the free TRANSMISSION OF weekly newspapers within the
county Of their publication and of exchanges between
newspaper Offices should oppose that portion of
the biz which provided for what equivalent to the
free distribution OF public documents He arrived at
his conclusions, however, by different course of
reasoning perhaps from that which led other gen
tiemen 20 like conclusions He reviewed the
p pOrt. of the hue but onS to
discredit them. He stated that although $4,000
petitions had been sent out by the Postmaster General
FOR tho abolition Of the frankng privilege there
Post Office Committee Of the House that the did
represent ten per cent perhaps not one per cent
should vote against that portion Of the bill authorizing
the free distribution OF documents was that he wanted
to deal fairly with the PostmaserGenera and TO give
him year at least to demonstrate the accuracy
iDcorrectness Of his calculation
He called the attention OF the House to the fact that
the Postmaster estimates for the next fiscal
show probable deficit OF TO which was to be
added the amount to be PAID Tor Official stamps Tor the
Executive Department. making the real deficiency
363 OF 81 900 than the deficiency OF
last wear. He believed that the next official report
OF the Posmasterenera and all other official reports,
would show like deficiencies, and therefore 1t his
opinion that the abolition OF the frankng privilege
would not diminish the PostOnice expenses dollar
He believed however that the stoppage Of the free cir
cuatIon OF public documents would result In annual
savings OF half million OF dollars in the matter Of
public printing and for that reason ana the other which
&c had mentioned that he wanted 20 give zone full year
to test the accuracy OF the Postmaster Generals report
he would vote against that feature OF the bill He would
make the weekly pspersland exchanges free and then
he would compel prepayment on all other newspapers
by which he believed the revenues OF the Post-Oiice