National Republican., 1883-01-20
The POstOflce Appropriation Bill Again Under
Consideration.
A Rather Sharp Debate on the Question
Of Reducing Postage.
The Tariff Bill Further Discussed--A Short Session Of
the House.
The Republicans I'm Caucus Resolve to
Force tho Tariff Bill.
TIE SENATE.


Mr.. Harrison, from the committee on terri
tories, reported a bill to authorize the county
of Yankton, Dakota, to issue bonds. He said
the majority of the committee were satisfied
that there was a general desire on the part of
the people of that county to have such legis
lation as would enable them to refund their
debt and get rid of the taint of reputation,
and that he would ask the senate to consider
the bill at an early day.
Mr.. Hale suggested that general consent
might be given for its consideration to-day.
Mr.. Garland said he had no objection to its
being considered now, but he gave notice that
the minority of the committee (three mem
bers) disapproved of the bill, and would op
pose its passage most strenuousy.
Mr. Hale presented the credentials of his
colleague, Mr.. Frye reelected senator from
Maine, which were read and filed.
Mr.. Morrill, called up the bill to authorize
the settlement of certain claims, amounting
to $1,000, barred by existing law, and it was
amended and passed.
Mr.. Coke called up the joint resolution au-
thorizing the secretary of the treasury to buy
steam launches for use in the harbors of Gal
weston and Mobile instead of building them.
Passed.
Mr.. Sherman called up the bill to authorize
the increase of the capital stock of the Second
National bank of Xenia, Ohio Passed.
THE PosToFFIcE APPROPRIATION BILL
was taken up.
Mr.. Plumb said he would ask the senate to
dispose of the bill at onceg
Mr.. MaXey doubted the propSiety of the
change recommended by the senate committee
for putting into effect the reduction of letter
postage to two cents The object of the house
in fixing on the first of January 1884, was to
give the department time to get rid of the
three-cent stamps now on hand, and this OBJ
ject would be defeated by making the change
six months earlier, as proposed by this bill.
The time fixed by the house would also give
the department q better opportunity to pre-
pare for the deficit which the reduction would
be almost certain to produce.
Mr.. Plumb said that three-cent stamps re-
naming on hand after the change could be
used as fve-cent and ten-cent stamps are
now, to pay the larger postal charges. As to
the other point, he doubted for several rea-
sons whether even temporary deficit would
result from the change.
Mr.. Maxey believed that in this, as in all
previous cases of the reduction of postage,
either here or in Europe, the first result
would be deficit, although the ultimate eff
feet would doubtless be to increase the reve-
nue.. He believed too that there would be
some loss in connection with the three-cent
stamps, growing out of the fact that the sala-
ries of country postmasters are paid by the
amount of stamps sold.
Mr.. Platt had heard of no demand for the
reduction of letter postage to two cents out
side of congress and certain newspapers and
he believed the change was premature. If
postage was to be reduced there was other
directions in which the reduction was
more needed. The additional charge of
one cent on drop letters in cities
having free delivery was real bur-
den upon the correspondence of the
business community, and ought to be removed.
Instead of imposing penalty upon the free
delivery system, the government ought not
only to deliver letters without extra charge,
but ought to greatly extend the system. The
census showed 216 cities in this country of
over 10000 population. Nearly one quarter
of the people of the United States lived in
these cities. Only 112 such cities had free de-
livery, but there was no good reason why the
system should not be extended to them all.
In England more than 90 per cent of the let
ters passing through tho postoflice were de-
livered free. Another matter in which there
was room for great improvement was office ac-
commOdation. Boxes should be increased in
number and the rents charged for them
should be reduced. Tho frequency of mails,
too, ought to be increased. Even in New Eng
land and the middle states mails on one fifth of
the routes were less than daily. He had sought
heretofore to have mail facilities increased
on certain routes in his own state and had been
told that congress would not appropriate sufli-
cient money, because there was n deficiency
in the department Now, for the first time in
twenty years, the department was self-sus-
tanning, and he objected to any change which
would reduce its revenues and prevent the
improvement of the service. Another ques-
tion of great and growing interest was the
transmission of messages by electricity. The
telegraph was now the rich mans mail, but
the time would soon come when the people
generally would demand that it should be
brought within the reach of all. Ii was not
easy to understand how our government,
which boasted of its progressive spirit, should
Inc pOntpnt tO tlp slow railroad and sion m
boat for the transmission Ofmessages, leaving
the telegraph in the hands of substantially n
single corporation. Gentlemen who were
disposed to make war upon monOpolies ought
to turn their attention TO this the
greatest in the world in proportion to its cap
ital, It's receipts last year were $4,000 900;
its acknowledged profits S7,000,0O0, more than
DO per cent of its receipts, and its real profits
no one knew how much. And its present
profits were tritlng in comparison with those
anticipated by its president, who estimated
that by 1855 they would amount to Sl600O-
600. The transmission of letters and mes
sages was government function which ought
never to have been allowed to go into private
hands, and congress should take steps before
the coming storm to pass the telegraph system
of the country into the hands of the govern
ment. AT the proper time he would offer an
amendment repeating the law which forbids
the employment of letter carriers in cities of
less than 10000 population, or yielding less
annual revenue than $4,000 and authorizing
the postmaster general to extend the free
delivery system from time to time ut his dis
erection,
Mr.. MaXey said that Mr.. Platt's remarks
seemed to be based on the idea that the ex-
penditures of the PostofIice department ought
not to exceed its revenues. From this idea
he dissented, Tho original object of the es-
tablishment of the PostOllice depart
ment was the transmission of intel
ligence. Tho constitution made this u
monopoly in the hands of congress, and the
primary duty of congress in this matter was
to transmit intelligence with certainty and at
reasonable cost the question of doing it
within the revenue yielded by the department
being a secondary consideration, One of the
great duties of the government was to settle
up its waste places and whatever contributed
TO this end was real economy, so that when it
carried the mails to the men upon the frontier,
even though carriage cost more than the rev.
enue resulting from it, tho government was
only performing its duty. The senator from
Connecticut (Alr. Plato wanted daily mails
all over the country and u general free de-
livery, but he (AIr. MaXey) spoke for the peo-
pie who appeared to be under the ban of the
PostOiiice department, tho frontiersmen, who
felt privileged when they got the mails even
once a week. There would be more justice in
giving increased facilities to them than to the
people who live in the cities and along the
railways.
Mr., Platt said he desired to have increased
mail facilities extended to all points Of the
country,
Hov,I,,, If1 ~ lo,,lt