Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-08-07
STRONGLY ENDORSED.

press throughout the country. In
der the heading, "The Subsidist:
again Baked" The Louisville Cour
Ter Journal says:
Postmaster General Villas is proving
as faithful to his duties in the interest
of the people as is Secretary Whitney
He is not to be bullied by the subsidy
grabbers any more than his fellow.
member of the Cabinet. His action
with reference to the 100000 subsidy
to American steamship lines is famil-
lar to newspaper readers, and the fact
that these lines, since his decision
thereon, have attempted to bulldoze
him into reversing it by threading to
refuse TO carry the mails after the LIST
of August, is also a matter of recent
news.
There are seven of these companies
and the Washington correspondent OF
the New York Sun gives the history of
their combined effort to bulldoze the
Postmaster General in fuller manner
than we have yet seen it.
Mr.. Villas, as is known, decided
against a system of mileage which
should involve the spending of the dis
cretionary 100000 appropriated by
congress, and resolved to adhere to the
contract system now in use under
terms which have been regarded by
both sides as satisfactory. AS all the
companies had a common interest In
the sharing of the subsidy, it was re-
garded as natural that they should
unite in making representation to the
Department. On being notified, how
eyer, that the subsidy was to lie I'M
touched until Congress should act
further in the matter. the seven com
panies. still acting as a unit, Informed
the Department that if the Govern
ment adhered to this policy they should
refuse to carry the mails after August
LIST, ana they asked to be Informed at
once as to the Governments policy, as
in case an unfavorable answer was re-
turned they wished to give public no.
tice by July II that their mail service
should cease.
TO this the Postmaster General sent
a prompt and plain reply. lie inform
ed the companies that while the mat
ter of a division of subsidy was under
consideration it was natural that they
should act together, and that when the
question was settled the companies ply
ing in very different waters under very
different conditions did not have Il
common interest, and had no cause for
combination against the Department.
| He said that the Department would
treat with each company with refer
cnce to the business of its line. and
that it awaited such correspondence,
which, of course, it would open i'll the
most friendly spirit. The department
| had not the slightest desire to antago-
nize any company or do anything to
hinder American commerce, nor did 1t
think that any of the companies would
desire to hamper the business interests
of this country. But, with reference
to the notification TO which the compa-
MES referred, the Postmaster General
explained that it was the function OF
| the Department to give such notices,
and that in the present case they would
not lie needed, us the department had
made complete arrangements for deiv-
ering the mails, and that there would
be no detention or embarrassment.
The 18th has passed and the notilica-
ion threatened 10y the companies has
not been given. Perhaps the Informal
ton that the Government has already
made arrangements for delivering the
mails i'll case they should decline to
continue that service has had the eff
fec of showing them that they can not
dictate the policy of the present Adj
minstration.
At all events it is pleasure to know
that we have at the head of the Post
Office Department Il man who is able
and brave enough t. conduct the bust
ness of the ';ov ernment independ emily
Of the demands Of private interest or
the condemnation of demagogy.
And the New York Sun, one of
the ablest and most independent
newspapers of the country, in its is
issue of Monday last, under the
heading Mr.. Villas is Right" says:
The Post Office Appropriation act of
last March authorized, but did not di
rect, the Postmaster-General to dis
tribute 100000 amCng the owners of
American steamships carrying the
mails to foreign ports. The eNpend-
itGre of the money thus appropriated
was left entirely to the discretion of
the Postmaster-General
Mr.. Villas has clearly stated his
reasons for deciding not to eXpend this
mouey. These reasons we have al
ready discussed They are conclusive.
The fact that certain OF the Ameri-
can steamship companies have apPar-
emily combined to embarraSS the de-
partmeHt. either in retaliation for Mr..
NilaS'S course or in the hope of forcing
him to reverse his decision, DOES not
alter the case. PostmaSterG General
Villas is still in The right.
As temporary arrangement, and for
the sake of avoiding trouble with the
companies and averung inconvenience
to the public, tine Postmaster-General
has offered to increase the former rate
of compensation for carrying these
mails hv about three hundred per cent.
The steamship owners have rejected
his terms He can afford to let the
matter stand as it is until Congress
meets.
There are some good arguments in
favor of a policy of subsidies for the
encouragement of American shipping
There are better arguments, as we
think, against such policy. But it is