The Wilmingtonian., 1885-02-28
Hon. Eli Salisbury VS.. John Roach.

Hon. Eli Salisbury VS.. John Roach.
On Tuesday last in the Senate SENATOR
Frye stated that the United States paid
for transportation of mails to Mexico, the
West Indies and Central American States
the sum of $4,000. Mexico paid $1,000
for her mail service in that environ. The
United States paid 1926, 900 last year for
the Garage of her foreign mail service all
over the world. Italy paid 50, 000,0 900 the
same year, France $4,000, 900, and England
$4,000, 900. The great overland mail for the
Australian colonies going over the Pacific
road, for which the United States receives
five-ceuts letter is landed on one of the
Pacific Mail steamships, carried to Austria
liza, and the United States pays two cents
letter. The Government makes net profit
of three cents a letter, which she puts into
her Treasury, and then boasts through her
Congressman about the Post-office being
nearly self sustaining. Last year the Gov
ernment made 81 ,2oO, 900 out of the foreign
mails-,out Of American steamships carrying
her foreign mails at two cents letter
In the above SENATOR FRYE was speak
ing in favor of this s4OO, 900 subsidy for car
rying foreign mails, the implication being
chat it would mure towards the building of
American ships. SENATOR BECK, Of Ken
lucky, claimed that the object of the appro-
priation of 100000 was for postal service
and should be distinctly understood as such.
In regard to England and France paying
more than we did, that fact was sufficiently
explained by the fact of their large and diff
fused colonial possessions where mail re-
quired lengthy ocean transit service.
The gst of the matter appears to be that
the objection to Mr.. FRYE's amendment
for the subsidy of $780, 900 mail pay to ships
flag is that there being but one competing
firm, the Pacific Mail, and the time for Civ.
ing out the foreign mail contract being too
short for the building of any other possible
competitors by Americans that the passing
| Of this amendment by the Senate would be
nothing less than a plain donation of that
sum, $400, 000 to the Pacific Mail, and that
it is nothing more oil less than subsidy
Every dollar of the sum would go into the
pockets of the stockholders of the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, for which no extra
exertion need or will be made, no additional
expense incurred, therefore there would be
no need of building single new ship.
In reply 10 the Hon. ELI SAuLsBURY's
statement that the name of the Pacific Mail
Company was identical with that of Mr.
John Roach, and that the only other Ameri'
can steamship in foreign trade was owned
and run by another gentleman who had beer
clamorous for subsidies ever since MIR
SALISBURY had been member of the Sen
ate. MR. FRYE indicated some Other
steamship lines under differ mt names thar
the Pacific Mail, which did foreign trade OIL
the Pacific coast His statements were
modified, however, by the Hon. CHAs. Van
WYcK, of Nebraska, who showed that those
lines were controlled by the same influences
that ruled the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pahy He added "Why make this sub
sidy to this steamship company which need
it not? For years they have beeu reaching
those ports; for years they have been amas
sing sufficient money in the carrying o
. commerce to declare liberal dividends. Tn
Senator from Maine says that the Orienta
and the Occidental lines run on the Pacific
Certainly; but the Oriental and the Dec
dental lines to-day are controlled by til
. same influences that control the Pacii
= Mail. All these great organizations are col
trolled by the same master spirits" Afte
further discussion, amply illustrating I'll
: monopoly phase of the transaction, MI
FRYE's amendment passed the Senate.