, 1880-02-26
HOUSE.

| dQUSE.
nran:,It! Mr: ,Btl!onnt, from the Committee on Al
| ice" Deficiency bill, and it was referred t
the Committee of the Whole.
Memorials were presented by Mr.. McLane
and referred, praying for the removal of th
tax On paper and the repeal of the duty o1
rent the adulteration Of food. ~ ~ -
Mr: Beale, OF Virginia, from the Commit
tee on Manufactures, reported a bill to pre
vent the adulteration of articles Of food AM
drink. KecoMM.itted.
~ ~; b:lat BIGknell, Chairman Of the C9mmtttes
joint resolution amending the Constitution a:
to the election Of President and Vice-Presi
dent Recomn1itted.
Mr. Davis, Of California, offered reso1u.
aon la, csllint{ on the President for copies d
celved from the Consnl-General at Shanghai
On the subject Of slavery, and that portion OF
Adopted. '''>D''
!, The House then went into Committee on
O1r. Blackburn raised a point of order
against the BILL that, while 1t id not itenljze
the appropriations, it did.not specify the total
amount appropriated as required by Rule II,
The Chair (Scales) submitted the question
g r. tue .t Committee which refused to sustain
;, Mr. Blount then explained the bill, and in
the course Of his speech denounced in very
severe terms the Postmaster General and Sec:
ono Assistant Postmaster-(ieneralf for their
violation Of the law in making contracts to
alton, and thus placing Congress in an atti-
tude, either Of fndorsing their action or leay-
Ing the country without such mail service for
three months. # this was to be the manner
III WHICH the public funds are to be used, he
trusted the House, ,withoutreference to party,
n a f1ytsc @ff In frosf
due regard to good administration of them,
would resort to such an example rs would
drive such miserable sophists out Of place
hereafter.
Mr.. Blackburn, a member Of the Commit
main features Of the bill, made a criticism
m some Of its details. The estimates Of the
Post Office Department had not been pruned
Or cut down to the extent Of single dollar,
md yet the. appropriation was about ex-
aaqsted, and Congress was told that on the
!! !oth 3h Of March next there would not be
loliar left to carry on the great postal serv-
&c Of the country unless this or some other
deficiency bill was passed In the meantime.
The main features Of the bill were two:
.lFst, to provide such sum, Of money
.. With that purpose he fully cor
;;urred; It mattered not whether it !
hould be found hereafter that there had ex-
'ted abuses in the Post~O Office Department.,
nd that the money had been injudiciously |
nd extravagantly expended. That was not |
1e country Of the mail service on these TO-
~ star routes. The second main object Of
1e bill was to put limitations on. what the
ommittee on Appropriations believed was
10 abuse Of discretion on the part or the /.
ost-gtficc Department. With that too, he
as thoroughly and heartily in sympathy. !.
vt he did not believe the bill had been care
lily enough drawn to accomplish that second /;
lrpoSe, and that was the principal objection to
le bill. lie knew exactly what the Commit
g would be met with when its report came
to the House. He thought that he could |
e without even the aid Of a prophetic eye |
e leglons that would be arrayed against the |
lie did not mean to prejudice
e case,. but he would say that when the
brought into the House no man would 70
rther than he in vindicatlng the Post-Office
apartment If it had been honest, or in pun
ling it even by prosecution to Impeachment
It's heads had been dishonest He saw be-
use nm 4e tSay Ssays e. e. ts tha HS5 nen.Sfnth gf the
p npg tnef to '0cis1Hn naence ssd ai'ey he yoes a
members. He had seen them here yester-
y, when the public prints Of the country
given out that an effort was to be made ! .
the Post-Ohice Committee to Withdraw
N the Committee on Appropriations any
:ther duty in connection with the matter,
to take this work out Of It's hands;
lr. Money, Chairman Of the Post-Ofice
nmittee, asked Mr.. Blackburn whether he
/ got the information from the prints Of
country that the Post-Of1ice Committee
intended to take hold Of the matter.
II. Blackburn repeated his statement
lr. Money-Then I denounce any such
tement on this floor as without FONDA