Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-04-10
PORTY-EIGHVR CONGRESS,
First %essiOn.
sen ATE.
WAsHISGIoy. April

mai Oil to establish a postal telegraph sys-
TEN. de remarked that the committee was
unanimous as to the first ten sections of the
Dill, which relate to the doing OF the work BY
contracts with existing companies but that
the minority of the committee were opposed
to the section relating TO the construction or
purchase Of lines by the government The
provision relating to the liability of the con-
tracing company for failure TO correctly and
promptly transmit messages, has been amend
ed by limiting such liability TO 500 times
the amount paid for transmission.
Two new features have been added 10 the
Dill. First, it authorizes the contracting
company 20 employ postmaster as its agent
and the operator at any postal telegraph of
nee where telegraphic receipts are INSULT
clent to pay the salary of the operator, to pay
him commission not to exceed 80 per cent.
OF the charges on messages transmitted from
the ofhce. ! he second requires the post
master general TO secure provisions in the
contract which shall protect postal kilograms
against discrimination in the order of trans
mission in favor of kilograms received at such
OF the company's offices as are not operated
under the provisions of the bill
MIR. Hanson. from the committee on fin
ance, reported adversely bill to refund the
excessive duties caused by the extraordinary
VI tue AUSTRIAN lOIlU III $40 I.
calendar.
The bill promoting Capt. Thomas G Cor
bin (retired) to the rank of rear admiral on
the same list, was taken up, and after some
remarks was indefinitely postponed.
The Senate resumed consideration of the
naval bill and Mr.. Vest continued his re-
marks
The popular impression, Mr. Vest said,
was that the late war the beginning of
the decline of the American merchant marine,
but the impression was not correct; the de-
cline begun six years before the war. The
loss of American shipping from 1910 to 1882
was for period before the war l60 |. 10 per
cent, during the war SO LILO per cent and
since the war II LILO per cent.
Referring to the shipping bill reported by
Mr.. Frye from the committee on commerce,
Mr.. Vest said it like empiricism which
cutaneous eruption,
After reference to the increased cost of
running American vessels compared with
others, Mr.. Frye inquired how that could be
remedied by putting a vessel under the
American flag.
Mr.. Vest replied that it would repeal the
infamous navigation laws.
This gave rise to a running debate, in the
course of which Mr.. Frye said that if ships
could be purchased anywhere in the world
under the laws of the United States, no
American would dream of making the pur-
chases therefore free trade in ships would
amount to nothing. because they could not
be run in competition to wages.
Mr.. Vest said that free ships were not the
only thing necessary. He would reform the
the American marine.
Mr.. Frye -" by increasing American
wages
Mr.. Vest denied that the tariff gave Amer
lean workmen high wages, except as it paid
with one hand and robbed with the other,
taking it out of the cost of living.
Mr.. Hale suggested that there was nothing
in the naval appropriation bill that related to
the merchant marine.
Referring to Mr.. Vests statement that
S305, ,000. 900 had been expended on the navy
since the war, Mr.. Hale said that not dollar
of it had beer spent in new ships. What
we want is new ships.
Mr.. Mcpherson, in the course of his re-
marks, said that while the government per-
sisted in keeping the present secretary OF the
navy, it could not wonder at the lack of con-
fidence in the navy department.
Mr.. Hale, after referring to the efforts by
the secretary to increase the efficiency of the
navy, said that what kept England neutral
during the was the immense power
which America had shown in improvising the
navy.
Mr. Hale defended the secretary of the
navy from aspersion. and asked if any man
could put his finger on anything that the sec
retary had done in the administration of his
office that suggested suspicion.
Mr.. Bayard inquired if the steel cruisers
provision had been engrafted on the appro-
priation bill. the Senate having already
passed the bill making special provision
for them.
Mr. Hale replied that the bill had gone to
the House, and the House seemed disposed to
let it be. The committee on appropriations
had therefore, in accordance with repeated
precedent, concluded to put the provision
for the building of cruisers into the appro-
priation bill.
Mr. Bayard did not deem it proper for
either house to attempt to coerce the other.
Mr.. Vest, while recognizing the 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 that the in
terest of the country would not warrant
Mr.. Hale asked Mr.. Vest whether that Of
fcer had done ANYTHING of the character in
dicated.
Mr. Vest said tha. he could not put his
nnger on any one ACT OF tnAt OlHCeT thdi
would subject him TO criticism.
Mr. Edmunds stated that he had been in
terested in the accounts given in Senate of
the furnishing condition of the army before
the war He read letter from Jas. Buch-
anan, dated September, 1858, addressed to
Hon. Henry A. Wise. of Virginia, in which
he said: I'VE Americans boasted much on
our navy, but was it in comparison with the
navies of England or France? Suppose they
should determine to prevent US from inter
fering in Cuba. In case the time should ar
rive when we ought to interfere, they had no
navy to carry out the determination. We
should have navy enough to command our
own coast. Mr.. Buchanan further recon-
mended that part of the surplus in the
treasury should be expended in constructing
a navy.
Mr.. Edmunds said that was all the Senate
had to do.
The Senate then went into executive ses-
sion, and when the doors re-opened, ad-
journed.
HOUSE.
The bill amending the act regulating to the
removal of causes from state to federal
courfs was made \ continuing special order