The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-02-27
Last Nights Dispatches.
xLvI CONGRESS.
HOUSE.

| HOUSE.
| WASHINGTON. Feb. 26.-The house
considered the Star service deficiency bill
| Mr.. Page opposed the bill as striking al
lO7 great lines of the Star service in the
west, No member had shown any fraud
on the part of the postofice department.
| MIR. Belford characterized the bill as an
! Infamous measure.
| Mr. Barker submitted q substitute sp-
propriating $970,000 to meet the expenses
on the inland mail transportation on the
! Star routes for the remainder of the cur
| rent fiscal year at or within contract prices
as they existed on Feb. /, 1880: provided
that on any route where there has been an
increase of the original contract price dur
| ing the last or current fiscal year for expe-
0iting the delivery of mails on any such
route at more than 50, 500 compensation
for expedited service on such route shall
be reduced to the terms OF the original
contract on or after March |, 1880, and
| nothing herein contained shall be constru-
ed to require reduction of the number OF
| trips per week on any such route, and
during the present fiscal year no further
expeditiDg OF the service on any postal
star route shall be made. Section appro-
| PIRATES 100000 to enable the postmaster
general to place the new service as author.
Ized by law. He said that whenever a
question touching the impeachment of the
pOstoffice officials was presented it would
be time enough to indulge in bitter crimi
nations against that Department But no
such question was before the House now.
The substitute reported by him would give
to every state and territory the same num-
Der OF mail deliveries that they had now.
1t would only affect the rate of speed
MIR. Clymar said that when the POST
master General asked the APPROPRIATION of
SIS, 900, 900 last year he was running the
department at a cost of Sc, 100000. The
blue book for the first time since its pub
lication omitted the statement of the cost
of running the Postofice Department
What was the object? Should the Second
Assistant Postmaster General a mere
clerk. defeat the statutes, violate the
spirit of the law, override the legislative
part of the government, make Congress
his servant and drive them to do his will
against their best judgment?
Mr.. Conger humorously alluded to Mr..
Clymer's fearful manner, comparing, it
with the occasion when he spoke on the
impeachment trial of Belknap, and &C..
cused Mr. Clymer of contradictory state
ments regarding the bill, which Mr.. Clymer
denied.
General debate having closed, Mr.. Blount
moved as a substitute for section 1.-the first
section OF the bill reported to-day by Mr..
Baker
Mr.. Hayes said be would be willing TO
vote S5, 100000 If it was needed to keep up
an efficient Star service.
Mr.. L pson said an attempt was beiag
made to force the present bill througl
~. ] Il
derstood by the House or by the Commit.
tee on appropriations itself That conn
mite was entirely at sea. 1t had yester
day brought in bill which would save to
he government only 800 coo. To day,
by this substitute, 1t was proposed TO cut
DOVE that service over 100000. And
Why? Members of the committee had
given no reason for it Their mouths had
been frothy and bloody and afire with open
and general denunciations of the Postmas-
ter General and his subordinates, but they
had not placed their fingers upon single
fraud, aud he challenged them to point to
single substantial reason why the bill
should not be adopted 10 its present shape.
Mr., Biounts substitute was agreed to.
Yeas 1858; nays no; counted.
Mr.. BIount moved to amend section
by striking out the appropriation OF $780,
900 to increase the service On existing
routes
Mr.. Cannon. in advocating the amend
meat said that in his opinion the expendl-
tures now being made Oh the star routes
was no; wise. As a Representative he
expressed that opinion boldly and fear
essIy. In politics he was Republican,
yet he stood on all questions of expenditure
Of money on bis character and freedom as
Representative. and 10 cracking of the
party whip in the naBds of the gentleman
from California (Page) by talking about
riders or reiltorcements from the Solid
South" (alludiug to a remark of Pages
that it was ''hard to beat the solid South"
when reinforced by his side of the House.)
Politics bad nothing to do with the matter.
Ii it was to he uade political test
whether these $4,000, 600 were to be
poured into the lap of half dozen con
tractors on these enormous .routes, then
he was not a politician.
Mr.. Duunell offered an amendment per-
mitting the $l00,0 900 appropriated :or the
purpose of enabling the Postmaster Gen
era to place the new service authorized
by law TO be used, also, for the Increase of
the service on existing routes other than
those reduced by Section J.. Adopted.
MIR. Blouuts amendment was then
adopted.
The committee then rose and ordered
| the bull TO the House and it was passed
Mr. Morrison introduced bill reducing
the duties in excess of adyalorem on arti"
cles specified in schedules A, 3, G. K, L
| and NJ of Section 1904 Of the Revised
Statutes aud subject to internal revenue
tax Referred.
Adjourned.