National Republican., 1884-06-14
THE HOUSE.

IloUS
Mr.. Pryor resumed his speech ON the electoral
count bill in the house yesterday
He laid down and argued in support of the
proposition that the constitution in the matter OF
asceraning who had been elected president had
provided board clothed with jurisdiction ample
and sufficient 10 determine any question involved
IN the ISSUE That board was the senate and the
house in joint convention, not present in their
legislative capacity or as mere spectators to see
the president of the senate count the electoral
votes but convened as special board to explore
the whole question from center to circumference
and from top 10 bottom. The individual members
OF the board enjoyed equal powers, and were
charged with similar duties, and In the exercise
OF those powers and performance of those duties
all questions arising should be determined by u
per capita vote.
Mr.. Pryors speech attracted good deal of
attention, and when II closed he received the con-
gralulations oil many of his colleagues.
THE PosToFFIcE APPROPRIATIONS.
Mr.. Townshend submitted the conference report
on the pos;Otlicc appropriation bill
MI. lownshend explained the provisions Of thu
report. The senate, he said, had placed upon the
bill twenty-five amendments. After several meet
ings OF the conference committee the points of
disagreement had been narrowed down to five
The most Important items upon which there had
the salary uf tue chief pOstoice inspector at So 000
increasing by S500,0O0 the appropriation for com
peh5l1'1n TO postmasters. increasing by S125, 900
the appropriation for the payment OF clerks in
pOstufloes, and appropriRting $1,000 10 pay the ex-
penses of delegates TO the universal postal union
The senate conferees hnd made concessions to the
amount OF NIoOOO, while the house conierees had
yielded to amendments aggregatng sSl4,500 The
items on which no agreement had been reached
were; First, increasing the appropriation for the
pay OF letter carriers; second Increasing by
SlOO00OO the appropriation for mail transportation
ON railroad routes; third, striking out the clause
fourth, approprating sls5,OOO for special mail
facilities, and hnh, increasing by SSOO,OOO the ap-
preparation for railway postoiice clerks.
The two main points Of disagreement were upon
what We're known as the railroad provisions.
Unles these provisions were enacteu into law. no
legislation affecting the railroads of the country
would be had from this congress. Everybody
knew that the interstate commerce till was dead.
The land grant forfeiture bills, which were being
passed by the house, would tind grave in the
committee; rooms Of the senate. OF this no was
satisfied. 1t was true that bill had been passed
by the senate to forfeit the Iron Mountain land
grant but this was because the Iron Mountain
Railroad company had requested 1t in order that
1t might be relieved from the obligation of land
grant road. He argued that the compensation
paid TO the railroads Tor mail transportation was
entirely too high, asserting that It ranged from ~
cents to Sl,3l per ton per mile; while the price
paid for passenger transportation averaged only
between and 20 cents per ton per mile. The
railroads, he contended, ought to carry the mails
for smaller price than they carried any other
Kind OF freight.
The conference report was adopted, as far as the
Items are concerned, upon which an agreement
Mr. Horr moved that the house recede from It's
Enlargement TO the amendment increasing from
s3GOlOOO 70 s4OOOOOO the appropriation for the pay
ol letter carriers.
lie maintained that the requirements of the
service in the cities In which II was now in opera
!ion demanded that an increased appropriation
should be made and that the requests Of growing
cities to have the service extended 10 them should
be acceded to.
Mr., Potter said that tho city OF New York de-
mnnded not only that the service should be main
tanned ut It's present volume, but that II should
receive very considerable increase. He favored
the extension of tho letter carrier system 10 large
towns, not only AS matter of convenience 10 their
inhab!ants, but TO their correspondents in the
large cities.
Mr.. Cox, OF New York, hoped that the house
would concur ~ the senate amendment Us mat
ter of fairness, II for no other reason 10 New York
Philadelphia, and the other large cities which
paid surplus into the treasury. lie spoke
good word for the letter carriers who, he said
had no vacation TO come here lobbying, aud incl
dentally supported bill pending before the house
% grant that class OF government employees leave
Of absence
Messrs. Bingham, Of Pennsylvania, and o. Neill
OF Missouri, favored concurrence IN the amend
ment, the latter appealing 20 the young element
IN the house not to be governed by old fogy ideas
oi tetrenchment or this que ton.
MI sumner, of Colorado, supported the motion,