National Republican., 1884-04-19
MONEY FOR THE MAILS.
Consideration Of the POStOflco Appropriation
Bill by the Senate.
The Parsimony Of the House Being in
Some Degree Remedied
Representative White Gels on the Rampage in the
House and Is Called 10 Order
Bills ON the Private Calendar Con-
sidored at Both Sessions.
THE SENATE.

preaching completion OF the monument and ap-
1ropriate ceremonies for the celebration thereof
Mr.. Sherman, from the committee on the library,
reported adversely the newspaper copyright Dill.
1t was, however, placed on the calendar.
Also, from the same committee adversely. the
joint resolution providing for the erection of
bronze equestrian statue TO Simon Bolivar. II was
indefinitely postponed
On motion Of Mr.. Plumb, the senate. imme-
diately on the disposal Of morning business, lay
ing aside the calendar, took up the postofhce APP
propriation bill Tho postofice department, MIR.
Plumb said. had not furnished any but the most
general data relating to the result of the reduc-
lon ofletter postage. The increase IN the trans.
mission OF sealed letters would improve, as the
committee thought. 20 per cent for the year under
the reduction Of letter postage to cents, being 10
per cent. more than the usual annual increase
under the S.cont rate which .ad Of late been 10
per cent. per annum.
AS the bill left the house, Mr. Plumb said It had
appropriated $40 225,9O0; the senate commtte had
added sY,4995OO, making tho. appropriation at
present i9,72540O. As tho bill now stood after
the addition by the senate committee, Mr.. Plumb
said It was rather inside than outside the necess-
ties Of the situation. That committee desired to
give the public an efficient service, though the
committee had not made the appropriation as
large in all cases as the members thought was
entirely desirable and not as large as the estimates
%ss Was snsed 70 sood postal seVee he as
they paid for It, Most of the items increased were
SI %hnb soS So s wSu
eral legislation. The consideration of the bill
was proceeded with by sections On reaching
the section relating to compensation of railroad
companies for the transportation Of he mails some
The bill as II camo from the house required the
postmaster general to make a reduction of 5 per
cent In the compensation heretofore paid to all
railroads for carrying the mails, and that the
quired to carry the mails at rate SO per cent. less
than paid to other railroads for like service.
Mr. Plumb explained that the committee on
appropriations had not felt justified in retaining
these provisions. So far as concerned the per
cent. reduction the members OF that committee,
ltter some examination, were not entirely salts
ted that the amount now paid TO railroads was
treater than 1t should be. The commission that
uad been appointed to examine and that had
examined the subject OF the railway mail service,
had found the charges for that service less than
fer express service: The govSrnme5t required the the
less. for tho service than express companies
paid. Every person who had examined the
present rates paid to railroads were inequitabe,
and did not pay the several roads in proportion
ssot hoSd he opnop of
committee be dealt with by some comprehensive
measure, after careful examination and discus.
fbaiGP' bi' and not be disposed OF in an appropriation
Relating to the requirement that land.grant
ob% cHry nf mails GT oy Sen les
committee had not thought t4a provision one that
should be hastily adopted. Some of the roads had
larger grants. The Pacific roads were. under the
law. carrying the mails now for 20 per cent
Of h TO Sese OF oaas
before the courts and doubtless before another
congress should assemble the courts would render
decisions constituting the acts bearing on that rela-
tion. The Thurman bill being In process of en-
forcement, the committee on appropriations had
not felt like entering upon 80 broad subject and
dealing with 1t in the piecemeal fashion which
would be necessary 4 1t were 70 be dealt with In
With IePenoe of %ai ~
the government or with reference to the rates they
were charging, whether the government or indi :
thafg az ahnn hA traat lad dc tnN
portance deserves, not in an appropriation bill,
but by the proper committees of congress having
ali the elements in $50 so very intricate a problem
might be kept in view. For these reasons the SEN
ate committee on appropriations had agreed TO
strike from the bill the provisions referred to.
, Mr.. Salisbury regretted that the committee had
not seen fit to retain the clauses in question. Some
readjustment of the amount paid to railroad COM
panes would certainly be necessary, as the
amount of matter carried tevery year was increas-
ing. The principle Of compensation suggested by
the amendment submitted from the committee on
postothces ard postroads would have effected a
reduction of 100000 year, and even then Mr.
salisbury had no doubt we would be paying toe
Mr.. Plumb replied that as the mail increases in
bulk and weight the proportional compensation
became loss so that for example, the amount paid
for carrying 5000 pounds weight was only five
times as much as that for 200 pounds; Beside W.
were constantly demanding and receiving greater
facility and speed ofseryice.
Mr.. salisbury inquired whether the railroads
were not paid extra for speed.
gain of 81 hours effected between New York anc
San Francisco by increased speed without extri
cost.
Mr.. Allison, replying to Mr. Salisbury, said one
of the reasons urged before the senatejcommte,
for the adoption of the principle which the sen
ator from Delaware favored was that 1t would Tin
crease Instead Of diminish the compensation o
certain roads, The claim Of the great through
lines was that the compensation now allowed
them was insufficient Snd,that theplan referred,tC
would increase 1t. Inasmuch, however, as tn,
whole result Of the adoption Of that plan Soulc
N II G n ifxpna a1n 4,
ifthe great through lines received more than they
had been receiving the loss must fall on the small
and already impoverished railroads which travers,
the sparsely settled parts of the country wher,
railroad facilities were most urgently required
Mr.. Allison was opposed also to a horizontal re.
duction of5 per cent, because 1t would s.iik,
down the roads that could least bear the reduc
tion. The committee on appropriations, Mr.
Allison continued, had not undertaken to grappl,
with the question of the relations of the Pacific
roads to the government while that question wa
pending before the courts and before othel
committees OF the senate.
After further debate the amendment was agreet
to, striking out the house provisions, which woulC
reduce the compensation of railroads by pc
cent. and would reduce the compensation of In,
land grant roads to 80 per cent. Of the amour
paid to other roads.
The other amendments proposed by the com
mittee were agreed TO In their order, tho only de
parture being in the adoption of al amendmen
proposed by Mr., Plumb adding $3.50 to the ap
propriation for river mail service.
This amendment was authorized by the com
mittee on appropriations after hearing some re
pie along the line of the Alabama river wort
deprived of all mail facilities and had been ST
deprived for six years, although, for many year
before that time there had been a steamer ser
vice. He had sent to the nostoifice department
q petition signed by 800 citizens asking for tht
establishment Of mail route along that river
but he was satisfied that some subordinat,
of the department had taRen tue petition anC
never even uIrJlled II, He had been tryinI
for years 10 get such mail service established
but because some one in the postotcc department
had come TO cross purposes with some Steamboa
captain, thousands Of people had for years beer
deprived Of the reasonable mail facilities to which
made these remarks thus openly in the senate II
the hope that the circumstance wonld induce thu
postmaster general, or his assistants TO diver
their attention long enough from the manipula
tion of political affairs in Alabama ~ least to reaC
the petition which Mr.. Morgan had sent IN from
the people of that stale.
Mr.. Frye remarked that the second slstan
postmaster general (Mr Lyman, in whose charg
that service would be, was one of the last men IL
the world TO be suspected of manipulating poll
tics.
MIR. Salisbury said that he would move, in view
OF the statements made by the senator from Ala
bama, TINT OF the S25,000 Increase, $4,000 shoul'
be applied 10 the establishing and maintenance
OF mail service on the Alabama river,
The proposition was laughingy greeted will
cries Of "Oh no." and Mr.. Salisbury withdrew 1
with the understanding. as he remarked that tn
wants OF the people along the Alabama rive
should he seen TO.
The bill was then agreed to as a whole
The chair laid before the senate the unlniShe,
business, being the bankruptcy bill, but wlthou
entering on its further consideration, the senate
at clock on motion of Mr. Miller, Of California
went into executive session.
AT O'Clock the doors were reopened and ac