Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-24
4Sth Congress- Second Session.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %.

w ASHlNGION. L ep
SENATE.-The Senate concurred in the
recommendation of the Committee on -Ap-
preparations, and Notwithstanding the earnest
opposition of Messrs. German, Morgan and
Mcpherson, struck out from the postoffice
bill provision that at future lettings of con-
tracts for the manufacture of postage stamps,
stamped envelopes, postal cards, etc, the
Secretary of the Treasury be- required to sub
init bids on behalf of the bureau of engrav-
ing and printing, and that the Postmaster
General might reject all bids of private par
ties and award the contract to the Secretary
of the Treasury.
The next recommendation was to strike
out sections 3, 4, 5 and 6, which provided
for the issue of special ten-cent stamp
which should ensure the special immediate
delivery of letter within the carrier limit of
any free delivery Office within a mile of
any postoffice within the hours of a. m.
and midnight Mr. Maxey said these might
be good provisions, but they would entail a
large additional expense and no opportunity
had been given the Committee on Postofices
and Post Roads TO consider the question.
The sections were unanimously stricken
out.
Mr.. Maxey, from the Committee on Post
offices and Post Roads, moved an amend
ment to the bill that hereafter the Post
master General should be authorized to lease
buildings for third class offices as well as for
first and second class Offices
Mr. Plumb, from the Committee on APP
preparations, said this amendment would in
volve large expense and he was directed by
the committee to raise whatever point of or
der would lie against it.
Mr.. Hale remarked that the effect of the
amendment would be simply to increase the
paw of the third class postmasters. There
were 1888 of these offices last month and
they were constantly increasing. A very
small rental for each of these would amount
to million a year and in his opinion this
would be a wanton waste of money.
The point was raised that the amendment
proposed by Mr.. Maxey changed the existing
law and was therefore out of order under the
rules. The Senate sustained this view by a
vote of "A to 20, SO the amendment was
lost.
Mr.. FRYE moved to amend the bill by in
sorting the following: 'sFor transportation
of foreign mail including railroad transit
across; the Isth1nus of Panama, $500, 000
And the Postmaster General is hereby au-
thorized to enter into contracts for the trans
portation of any part of said foreign mails
after legal advertisements with the lowest
responsible bidder at rate not exceeding
fifty cents nautical mile on the trip each
way actually travelled between the terminal
points, provided that the mails so contracted
shall be carried on American steamers and
that the aggregate of such contracts shall
not exceed one-half of the sum hereby appro-
p1iated.
Mr.. Bayard raised the same point of order
with regard to the amendment, that it
changed existing laws.
Mr.. Frye asserted that the phrase ''chang-
ing existing laws belonged to the House
rules, not to the Senate rule. The Senate
rules simply prohibited general legislation
on an appropriation bill and he contended
that this amendment was not general legisla-
ton and that it had been SO ruled by the
presiding officer of another body whom he
was not permitted to name.
The Senate by vote of 33 to 20 decided
that Mr.. Frye's amendment was in order.
The amendment was subsequently adopted
| 30 to 10. All the ayes were Republicans ex-