National Republican., 1883-01-22
THE SENATE.


tions for national aid to common schools,
many of them signed, he said, exclusively by
colored citizens.
Mr.. Voorhees, presented resolution of tho
state board of agriculture of Indiana express
ing hearty approval of the transfer of so much
of the signal service as relates to climate and
weather forecasts to o civil department of the
government, and earnestly recommending
that the transfer be made to the department
of Agriculture, "where the subject of climate
naturally belongs"
Mr.. Miller, Of New York. pres ented the
memorial of the chamber of commerce of New
York protesting against the transfer of the
revenue marine service to the Navy depart
ment
Mr.. Rollins introduced bill granting q
pension to Emma De Long
At tho close of tho morning business Mr..
Plumb moved to postpone the calendar to
proceed with
THE PosToTrIcE APPROPRIATION BILL.
Agreed to.
The postoflice bill was taken up. The
pending question was on the amendment
changing the date when the reduction of let
ter postage from three to two cents shall take
effect from Jan. l, 1884, to the first Of July
next.
Mr.. Sherman said he would vote against the
amendment, not SO much because he disap-
proved the proposed reduction of postage as
because he was utterly opposed to this kind of
legislation upon an appropriation bill Nearly
all the difficulties encountered last session
had arisen from legislation in appropriation
bills, and he saw statements in the news
papers that tho navy appropriation bill
would come from the house encum-
bered in the same way. In the present
case the senate was compelled to vote upon an
important proposition, involving q loss of
about $9,000,000 of revenue, hurriedly, with
out the power Of amendment and without the
power to propose other changes which might
give the people more relief than that pro-
posed in the bill. He had got tired of this
method of legisating and he hoped that from
this time forward the senate would refuse to
agree to changes of law in appropriation bills
unless some special and strong reasons could
be given for them. AS TO the reduction Of
letter postage he would be glad to see it made
at the proper time. The argument in favor of
cheap postage derived from the history of
postage reductions in England was very
strong, but there were certain differences be-
tween this country and England in respect to
this question which ought to be kept in mind
A thrce-cent rate here was no more than n
two-cent rate in England, and the English
penny rate applied only to donsely popu-
lated territory no larger than Pennsylvania
and New York combined. Therefore a rate of
postage which was found satisfactory in Great
Britain might not be applicable to this coun-
try with its vast distances and its widely-dis-
tributed population. Everybody would be
glad to have reduction of letter postage IL it
could be wisely made, but he thought that
burdens might be reduced in other directions
which would give the people infinitely greater
relief without involving any larger loss of
revenue. If any reduction of postage was to
be made it ought not to be confined to letters
alone, but this important change should be
postponed until the matter should have been
more fully considered by the people, and until
1t could be presented to the senate in form
which would admit of careful considera-
tion of the whole subject. Until now the
postal service had been heavy burden upon
the treasury, and if it should yield surplus
for a year or two, that would go but
u small way in making up past deficits There
was no reason why tho Postoflice department
should not bo sei-sustaining except as to the
service performed directly for the govern
ment, and he did not believe that this pro-
posed change could be made without causing
u deficit.
He would rather consider the question
whether the time has not arrived when tho
government of the United States should un-
dertake to transmit intelligence by electricity; (;
not that it should assume control of existing
telegraph lines, but that it should construct
its own lines. The government could dupli-
cate the existing lines for from $20,000,000 to
S25OOO,OOO. Yet tax of $10,000,000 year
was now levied upon the people for telegraph
messages, SO that by an expenditure of not
more than $25,000,000 the government could
confer immense benefits upon the people, save
them large sum yearly, and at the same
time increase its own revenues.
Mr.. Anthony thought the insertion of gem
eral legislation in appropriation bills was not
the fault of any special person or committee,
but was due to what q Rhode Island indigo
had called "thc inevitable fux of concurrent
circumstances" which had resulted in put
ting nearly all matters coming before the sem
ate under the control Of one committee, the
committee on appropriations.
Mr.. Miller, of New York, criticised the
rules which prevented legislative amend
monts being entertained and asked Mr. Plumb
lin charge of tho bilD to waive theNtechnical
objection to two amendments that he wished
to offer; one (Ohered Friday by Mr.. Lapham)
making the postage on seeds half cent an
ounce, and the other making the postage on
drop letters one cent per half ounce, includ-
ing delivery in letter carrier Offices
Mr., Plumb, in view of his responsibility as
having charge of the bill, felt bound to insist
upon the point Of order against these amend
ments.
Mr. Miller supposed senators must submit
under the rules but he suggested that the
chairman of the committee on rules ought to
take the question into consideration, whether
II would not be wise to take the shaclSles off
the hands Of the senate.
Mr.. Edmunds said that the duty of the
committee on appropriations ought to be con-
fined to scanning estimates, examining exist
ing laws, and making the necessary provisions.
The senate could not prevent the insertion of
new legislation in appropriation bills by the
house Its redress was to strike out of those
bills every thing that could be justly charac-
terizcd as a substantial change of the law and
send them back to the house. If the house
insisted let the senate also insist, and the
house must recede, because Mother house
could stand upon the ground that it would
refuse TO appropriate money to carry on the
government, unless the other house would con-
sent TO some change Of law that it did not
approve. AS TO the postal service, what the
United States needed now more than any thing
else was the construction of the postal tele-
graph, at first between the great cities and in
termediate points, and extended gradually
until every pOstoilice in the country should
have, or be within immediate reach of, pos
tai telegraph This ought to bo done, and it
would be done within u very few years and
he hoped to move in the matter at the next
session OF congress If no one else did sooner.
But he begged the stock operators in New
York not to suppose that he, for one, was in
favor OF the United States buying out any
telegraph company. He wished the govern
ment to build its own postal telegraph, and
manage 1t in its own way, leaving those en-
gagged in the same business as q private pur-
suit to continue il as such, When the United
States provided for the carrying of merchan-
II .g 4,