St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-10
CONGRESSIONAL.
Senator Vest Makes a Telling
Speech ON the Naval APP
preparation Bill.
Secretary of the Navy Chandler Not
to be Trusted with Handling
Money.
The House of Representatives do More
Wrangling Than Work, and Only Two
Bills Recommended.
The Senate.

reported faVorably the original bill, to estab-
hsh postal telegraph system. Hill remarked
that the committee were unanimous as to the
first clauses of the bill, which relate to doing
the work by contracts with existing COM
panies. The provision relating to the la
bility OF the contracting company for failure
to correctly and promptly transmit messages
has been amended by limiting such liability
to 500 times the amount paid for transmits
sion. Two such failures have been added to
| the bill
First-Authorizing the contracting COM
pany to employ the postmaster as its agent
and operator, at any postal telegraph Office,
where the telepraphic receipts are insufficient
| to pay the salary of an operator, and to pay
him commission of not over so per cent. OF
the charges on the messages transmitted
| from the offices.
Second, it requires the postmaster general
to secure provisions in the contract which shall
protect postaltelegrams against discrimination
in the order of transmission in favor OF tele-
grams received at such of the company's
offices as are not operated under the pro-
visions of this bill. The contract system re-
mains the most prominent feature OF the
bill, and is not widely different from the
scheme of the Postal Telegraph company, ex-
cept it empowers the postmaster general to
receive bids from any telegraph company for
the contract. The provisions relating to the
establishment of a government system, pure
and simple, in the event that no satisfactory
contract with established companies is Sc
cured, are combination of the features of
the Hill and Edmunds bill.
The senate resumed consideration of the
naval appropriation bill, and Senator Vest
continued his remarks The popular i'm
preston, Vest said, was that the late civil war
was the beginning of the decline Of the Am
erican merchant marine, but this impression
was not correct. The decline had began six
years before the war. The loss of American
shipping from 1910 to 1882 was for the
period before the war, 16 40 per cent. dur
ing the war, 38 $40 per cent, and since the
war II 2-10 per cent
Referring to the shipping bill reported to
the senate by Senator Frye from the COM
mittee on commerce, Senator Vest said, it
was like empiricism, which mistook deep
seated disease for mere cutaneous eruption,
and treated the patient with cutacura and
moderate doses of sulphur. All this pretext
of protecting American labor, was 'leather
and prunella." The American ships were
obliged to pay foreign sailors the same wages
as they paid sailors engaged in the coast
trade.
Senator Bayard said he had been informed
that in case where the same stockholders
owned vessels built and registered in Eng
land, and also vessels built and registered
in the United States, on which they were
paying same wages, yet they had felt COM
PEELED to cease running the American yes
sells. Bayard had been wondering what was
the magic that made the difference, that
compelled such result.
Senator Vest read correspondence from
the president of the shipping company, to
show there was difference of 25 to 80 per
cent in the first cost of the ships, against the
American ship owner. He should be per-
mitted to buy ships wherever he might
choose to buy them.
Senator Bayard suggested that would be
left-handed privilege, if higher wages prohib-
lGcu Lut TuuuluS VI Iuc VESSEL
Senator Vest continued reading to show
that rehiring crews in America increase the
expenses of the American steamship by $15,-
900 year. 1t was no wonder the only
American line had deserted the flag of its
country. Free ships were not the only thing
necessary. He would reform the whole
protective system which had struck down
American merchant marine.
Sen atOr MCPHERSON in the course of some
remarks, said, while the government persist
ed in keeping the present secretary of the
navy it would not wonder at lack of conf
dence in the navy department
Senator Hale remarked that he did not
suppose the senator from New Jersey could
sit down without getting off some of his bile
against the secretary of the navy.
Senator Mcpherson replied, if the senator
would read the newspapers of the country,
he would see it was not the bile of the senator
from New Jersey that was responsible for
the opposition to the secretary of the navy.
Senator Hale defended the secretary of the
navy from the aspersion, and asked if any
man could put his finger on a single thing
the secretary had done in the administration
of his office that even suggested suspicion.
That officer had no voice on the floor of the
senate, and he had felt it due to him to say
thus much.
Senator Vest, while recognizing the great
ability of the secretary of the navy, said he
believed that the partisan bias of that officer
was such, as to lead him to do things in his
public capacity, that the interests of the
country would not warrant.
Senator Hale asked whether Vest meant
that the officer had in the administration of
his Office done anything of the character in
dicated.
Senator Vest said he could not put his fin
ger on any act of that officers admins
tration that would subject him to criticism
Vest arraigned the Republican party because
having had charge of the government since
1861, the country was still without a navy.
Senator Hale said during the last twelve
years the Democrats had been in power in
the house half the time, and in the senate
part of the time.
Senator Vest said they had little sporadic
control of the senate and house for about
three months.
Senator Edmunds, soto voice, (Which
they will probably never haye again"
Vest inquired what they could have done
in house.
Senator Hawley remarked that was what
the country was asking.
Senator Vest-The senate and president
had been Republican.
Senator Beck said if Hale were TO go into
the details of the naval expenditures for the
last twenty years. he, Beck, could by the Off
cial record prove rottenness and corruption
in the administration of the funds.
Senator Edmunds stated he had been much
interested in the accounts given in the
senate of the fourishing condition of the
navy before the war. He read letter from
James Buchanan, dated September, 1853, adj
dressed to the Hon. Henry Wise, Virginia, in
which he said 'sWe Americans boosted
much of our navy, but what was
it in comparison with the nayieS
of England or France? Suppose