National Republican., 1882-12-15
while the bill proposed an appropriation of

Mr.. Cannon defended the action Of the com
mittee on appropriations in failing to make
provision for special facilities. He believed
that the annual appropriations for that pur
pose, if continued would in the near future
amount TO millions, and an immense sum
would be placed in the hands of the postmaster
| general TO be used at his discretion He
thought that the mails should be carried un-
der the general law evenly and alike to all
| sections of the country.
MIR. Robinson, of Massachusetts,, argued
| that the bill should contain an appropriation
which would continue to the people the bene-
fits of the special mail facilities,
| Mr.. Anderson, of Kansas, suggested that
| Massachusetts was getting something out of
these facilities, and in reply Mr.. Robinson
stated that sixteen states paid their own pos
tai bills and the bills of all the rest. The
| first ten on the list were the six New England
and the four Middle states. There were six
more which paid their own bills, and yet the
gentleman from Kansas said that Massachu
sets was getting something out of these
special facilities, hut she should get some
thing. She contributed Sl,0S0,OOO more than
il cost to carry on her own service. lie was
not asking this provision for Massachusetts,;
he wanted to see these facilities continued
into tho west and through the west Why
not give tho postmaster general the Same
amount of money given him last year, so he
could mako ARRANGEMENTS with the railways
of the west. He was astonshed that gentle
men who represented states in the west and
south that wanted development of greater fa-
cilities would give uttcrances TO any doctrine
thatwould not encourage that development
Mr.. Ryan. We have given the postmaster
| general the money. We have given him the
power to use it in securing special mail tacili-
ties, and he has not chosen to do so.
Mr.. Robeson, of New Jersey. | said that
the reason why the special facility fund had
not been expended on lines running west
ward was because the three lines running out
of Chicago westward refused to contract at
reasonable rates, and the postmaster general
was not able to put them in competition with
each other because they pooled their issues.
Mr.. Ryan said that his objection to facility
provision was that if the government was to
afford additional mail facility it should be for
the interest and business of the country-it
should afford intercourse between all the
great commercial interest of tho country, and
not limit it to some particular locality which
was not of general or national interest in q
commercial point of view.
Mr. RobesOn suggested that the gentleman
from Kansas underrated the power of q large
section of the country if he intimated that all
the states from Maine to Texas represented
nothing but n local influence.
Mr.. Anderson said that there seemed to be
n general impression in that strip of country
! known as New England that when God
Almighty made the boulders up there and
framed them in with sand, and put upon that
region among the brightest and bravest of the
, American race, he stopped. He did not stop
New England had somewhere about 100000
of population, and he rather fancied that
the remaining 56,000,000 of the American
people were just about as good and had just
about as much brains to the square inch as the
inhabitants of New England. The Inference
drawn from the valuation which New Eng
land put upon itself was that when the postal
service was continued special regard should
be paid to that section. If it were a mere
matter of dollars and cents, it might be O
good proposition that Massachusetts contri
| buting n surplus revenue was entitled tC
special advantages. But the true spirit ofthe
government was that mail facilities should be
adopted, which would more largely serve the
largest number He cOntended that the mai
matter of New England was small when com
pared with that of the rest of the United
States, and could SEQ no good reason why, i
the remaining 50000000 of people could be &C
corded facilities ordinary trains, the peo
pie of New England could not be contenteC
! with the same facilities.
= Mr.. Bingham delivered an exhaustive anC
: able speech on the subject of the reduction o
the rate of postage. 1t bristled with figure
and gave detailed history of the administra
: tion of the Post Office department on that sub
, ject. He believed that the time was au
1 spcious for a reduction of postage. Whel
4 the reduction should begin was question
, worthy of serious consideration Domesti
letters yielded to the government u revenu
of 96 cents per pound; second class matte
yielded 2 cents; third class, s cents and fourtl
E class, Is cents. Its principle item of cost il
the mail service was for transportation, AM
the same rates were paid for all classes of mai
4 matter. The burden, therefore, fell heavil,
0 on the letter matter, and it was on that matte
: that the postage should be reduced Som
f idea of the immediate loss to the government
: of a reduction from to cents Nigh
o be obtained from the issue of the ord
nary 3 cent stamps and stamped envelopes
During the fiscal year ending June, 1882, tn
y | number had been Si9,000000; this year
:, would be 934, 100000. In the fiscal year end
ing June, 1884, it would be 1,027 0,0OC
One cent taken from the value of each @
them would amount to $10,200,000; tina
c would be the maximum loss for the first yea
n of n reduction of the rate should the chang
= go into effect on the 1st of July, 1888. H
had reasons for believing that the actual los
would be much less than that amount. Til
O loss of revenue for the first year might b
n safely placed at $s,0O0,000; the estimate
surplus for the next year was about ,OOt
j. If the estimates were correct, and the loss {
@ revenue would amount to $S,O00,00O, the dc
,. ficiency would be only $1,3O0000. If the II
l. duction did not go into effect until the 1st {
Is January, 1884, he did not believe that ther
X would be any deficiency.
MI. flOWer, Oh NOW 1OrR, spoke IN duVC
e cacy of his joint resolution authorizing tn
It President to veto specific items in appropriG
tion bills, while giving his sanction to the IT
q manning portions, contending that such q la
Q would leave no loop-hole by which extrava
e CANT and unnecessary items could creep int
d such bills. The objections to it could onl
l. spring from the love of power inherent i
congress, or from a mistrust of the eXecutiv,
= Such objections were based on jealousy, an
It not on study of the subject. 1t was time
If saving, money-saving, job-defeating measure
j. and one calculated for good and not for evil.
Mr.. Reagan entered his protest against tn
J. reduction in the rate of postage. He believe
y il to be mistake and based that belief on tn
IS fact that postal cards furnished all the neet
q full facilities for cheap postage. Withor
le closing the general debate on the bill til
is committee rose.
j. NEW BILLS.
.. Mr. Cox introduced bill providing for th
~ forwarding of letters ON which the postage
y unpaid or underpaid. Referred.
II Mr.. Macllcy introduced bill authorizir
~ ~ the President to place Robert Smalls on Il
W retired list of the navy. Referred
= The house then (at 4,3O) adjourned.