New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-22
NAILS ON THE PACIFIC.
THE SENATE VOTES TO RENEW TIE PACifIC WALL
sI-BsIDY-Irs DEFEAT BY THE HOUSE PROBABLE
IBY TELEGRAPH To THE TRIBUNEl

THE SENATE VOTES TO RENEW THE PACIFIC MAIL
sUBsIDY-Irs DEFEAT BY THE HOUSE PROBABLE.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIDUNEI
WASHINGTON. Feb. 21.-The Pacific Mail Steam
shin subsidy Job was slid through the Senate to-day
With the ease that showed that all danger of OPPOSE
,;or had been carefully guarded against in advance.
There never has been great lobby scheme so qnl-
etly and effectively worked up Under cover OF the
excitement about the Presidential question the
agents of the company land their plans without the
newspapers the opponents of the measure IN Con-
rress suspectng what they were at. When the
PotOfice Appropriation bill had been gone through
with to-day Mr. Hamlin offered as an amendment
,be paragraph continuing the subsidy of 100000
for monthly service this line during another fiscal
year. This was adopted in committee of the whole
without any contest, but afterward, ont OF regard
for the feelings of some Senators, the form of ap-
ropriation was changed to open the service to
coupetition This was, however, mere blind, for 1t
VS. provided that the service should be performed
IN Amercan-built vessels Of 2 900 tons burden,
aud il Is well known that there is no
other American company that has ships
Of this capacity whchcan compete for the subsidy.
The Pacific Mail Company Is believed here to be
on the verge of bankruptcy. and 1t Is understood
that on the continuance of this subsidy depends the
solvencv of the concern, that the effort to get IT
through Congress is really a fight against death
itself 4 rival company, the Oriental and Occl-
dental is offering to carry the mails for tie sea
hostage only. which VIII amount TO only few
thousand dollars year. The same bill which pro-
vides this magnificent gift TO sinking company
under the plea Of sustaining American commerce,
onproprlates only 100000 for the carriage Of all
the mails between this country and Europe. Thus
it-appears that a monthly service TO China and
Japan costs more than double much as an almost
daily service to Europe. Among the lines crossing
the Atlantic is a line of American ships sailing from
Philadelphia that might be supposed to have as
good claim upon the Government bounty for the
support of commerce as the Pacific line. Its service
is performed in Amercan-built ships Of over 1000
tons burden: but il receives for It's weekly trips
merely an insignificant SUN IN ocean hostages,
awouuting only to a few Thousand dollars year.
, The amendment viii probably be rejected by the
House When the bill gets to a conference COM
mttee in the last hours of the session. the agents Of
the company will undoubtedly know how 10 have
their Job taken care Of. Speaker Randall said in
relation 10 this subsidy today that he was strongly
opposed to It's renewal. If it should come before
the House in such a form as 70 be open TO debate
he would be inclined to leave the Speakers chair
and make a speech against it and while he did not
say that he should make up the House portion
of the Conference Committee on the Post-Otice bill
In such way as to insure its defeat, II is fair 20
presume from what he did say that the job will re-
ceve no comfort from the conferees Oh the part OF
tie House.