National Republican., 1882-12-16
THE HOUSE.

GAsLIGHT BUOYS.
Mr.. O'Nell presented petition of the Phil
.adelphia Maritime exchange urging an appro-
priation for gaslight buoys. Referred.
DISSEMINATING DUTIES
Mr.. Kasson, from the committee on ways
and means, reported back the bill amending
the act to repeal discriminating duties on
goods produced east of the Cape of Good Hope,
and it was passed. The bill relieves from the
payment of duty such goods as may be in
bonded warehouses or on shipboard on the 1st
of January 1888 the date when the general
relief goes into effect.
A NEW MEMBER.
Mr.. Reed presented as n question of privi-
lege memorial of James II. Mclean, claiming
to have been elected to succeed the late Thos.
b. Allen as representative of the second con-
gressional district of Missouri to the forty
| seventh congress. Mr.. Mclean asserts that
he received plurality of the votes cast at the
special election, but that the secretary of state
absolutely refused to give him the certificate
| on the ground that the second district had
been legislated out of existence. He asks the
| house to declare him entitled to the seat
| Mr.. Reed stated that there was no dispute
as to Mr. McLean's plurality. The reason
which was alleged for not giving the certificate
was that the new redistricting of the state had
abolished the old district. That ground could
not be maintained. He admitted that he had
| no documentary evidence to show that that
was the ground of refusal.
Mr.. Carlisle agreed that the redistricting of
state went into effect only at the election for
| the subsequent congress- but if Mr.. Reed had
no evidence of the ground of the refusal of a
certificate by the secretary of state he thought
| that the question should be referred to the
committee on elections
Mr.. Clardy stated that Col Brodhead, the
rival candidate for congress, did not deny that
on the face of the returns Mr.. Mclean was
entitled to the seat. He had never enter
tanned the idea of contesting the election He
had authorized him (Mr. Clardy) to say that
he did not wish to interpose any obstacle to
Mr.. McLean's taking his seat.
| Mr.. Bland, of Missouri said there were
precedents to sustain the secretary of state in
the ground which he had taken. He thought
the committee on elections should investigate
the case, and report what the law and the
precedents are.
Mr. Springer favored the immediate seat
Fling of Mr.. Mclean. 1t was conceded that he
was elected, and the committee on elections
could throw no new light on the matter.
Mr. Herbert, of Alabama, argued in favor
tof referring the question to the committee, so
| that its decision would have the weight of
we'll considered precedent.
Mr. Reed said that to refuse to admit Mr..
Mclean on the instant was not only a denial
| of justice to him. but denial of justice to the
constituents who elected him.
The question was then put as to whether
the claimant should be sworn in, and it was
decided in the afirmative-144 to 15-and
Mr.. Mclean appeared at the bar of the house
and took the oath of Office.
RELIEF FOR THE SHIPPING INTEREST.
Mr.. Dingley, from the joint shipping COM
mittee reported bill to relieve certain bur-
ha A rir maj bon Mt orin IN an
courage the American foreign carrying trade,
and to amend the laws relating to the shipment
and discharge of seamen. Together with the
report the bill was referred to the committee
on commerce. The views of the minority, pre-
sented by Mr.. Cox, of New York, received the
same reference.
MAY BUILD BRIDGE.
Mr.. Washburn, from the committee on COM
merce, reported a bill authorizing the East and
West railway company Of Alabama to con-
struCt bridge across the Coosa river. Placed
| on the house calendar.
MANUFACTURES FOR EXPORT.
! Mr.. Martin, of Delaware, introduced bill
| to encourage manufactures for export Re-
ferred. 1T allows a drawback on articles
manufactured in part of imported materials
when exported.l
ExPEDITING STAR ROUTES.
Mr.. Bingham introduced bill providing
| that whenever it shall become necessary to
increase the speed on which the mail is car
| ried on q star route, the service shall be re-
advertised for the reduced time required.
| Referred.
The house then (at 1:2O) went into commit
tee of the whole Mr.. Calkins, of Indiana, in
| the chair) on
THE POST OFFICE APPROPRIATION BILL,
all general debate being limited to two hours
| Mr.. Townshend congratulated the country
| on the fact that congress was about to reduce
| the rate of postage. He then addressed him
self to an argument in favor of an amend
ment which he proposed to offer to the bill
abolshing postage on secOnd-class mail matter.
Mr.. Atkins, of Tennessee, thought that
| there would be considerable danger of Great
| ing pretty large deficiency in the revenue
of the Post-office department if reduction
should be made in the rates of postage. 1t
| was contended that larger number of letters
would be written after the reduction. That
had been the history of most reductions, but
he did not think that that would be the his
tory of this one. The postal card at present
afforded cheap postage, and he did not believe
that the reduction of letter postage would to
any appreciable extent increase the number of
! letters written.
Mr.. Reagan opposed the reduction, holding
that its effect would be to remove IA small tax
from the persons best able to bear it.
| Mr.. Hill thought that the time had come
when postage could be safely reduced The
question was one in which the people of the
| whole country were interested, and it came
home not only to the large business houses
and mercantile Ccnters, but to the masses gen.
orally. The cheaper the postage the larger
the number of persons who would take advan-
| tage of it, and the reduction would be soon
followed by u largely augmented increase in
the matter Of correspondence.
Mr.. Anderson advocated the reduction of
postage, arguing that if 1t should result in a
deficiency in the revenues of the Post-office
department, that deficiency would be but tenn
porary, and in few Yeas the service would
again be on paying h<sis.
| Mr.. Willis stated mat during the last con-
gress he had introduced bill to reduce pos
tage, for the purpose of bringing about an in
vcstigation of the question; and that inyesti-
cation, he was glad to say, had shown its pro-
priety.
Mr.. Dunnell, of Minnesota, did not think
that any measure could be passed by this con-
gress which would be received with more
universal appreciation by the people,
than one reducing the rate of postage.
1t was in the interest of intelligence.
Mr. Holman thought that the present plan
of inland mail transportation by railways was
open to objection, and considered it strange
that no effort had been made to remedy its
defects. As to the land grant roads they
should be required to transport the mails ON
the basis fixed by decision of the United
States supreme court.
Mr., Blount did not think that it was wise
to reduce postage at the present session. Just
at present the country was in u prosperous
condition, but the prosperity might not be
permanent and congress should not be in
| gtn m IA