New-York tribune., 1886-02-13
B4cEJNG UP MIR. VILAS.

Our Washington dispatches have already
recorded the fulhlment of the prophecy made
in these columns on Monday that the House
cOmni tees, organized as they were by Speaker
Carlisle, w0uld endeavor To give party flavor
to the purely economic question OF foreign mall
tranSpor atinn. Mr.. BlOun's Committee on
Post Offices has introduced bill rr-enacting the
Compulsory clause" in the general statutes
which obiges American vessels To carry the
mails for two cents per letter. which Was re
pealed by the first Of that series of excellent
laws proposed by Mr.. Dinsley, of Maine, by
" hch the burdens that have swamped Ameri-
can shipping interests are to be lifted. Oi all
those burdens, the comp Isory clause imposed
the heaviest and most unreasonable. Under
it, during the year b fore its repeal went into
effect, the American ships carrying onr mails
sailed an aggregate Of over 1,15O,OOO miles for
the wretched pittance oi s10,o70 80, while
foreign vessels pc forming not 50 great dis
tance received S277, ,23i fl, and at the same
me the Post Ofiire revenue from foreign mails
exec, dcd eI,sOO,OOO. 1t cost our own vessels
tw CO as mucn 10 transport and handle the
mails as they were paid Tor the service.
This IL the outrageous law which MIR. Blount
seeks To re-enact. Mr.. Holman, whose prctence
of conden>e ed honesty and devotion To economy
Is becoming an unmtigalcd nuisance, proposed
the salne thing TO Congress last winter IA n
substitute for the law that was PASSED and
Sblch the POstmastrr-G General, who seems 10
be "A soap -bu Jble from uOlma IS pipe, has pre-
sumed 20 defy. PcrceIvInS that his motion
would be Ovcrwhelm ugly beaten, Mr.. HoIman
withdrew it. Now his chief ally Mr.. Blount,
renews it, and says to the Democratic majority:
You must pass 1t or take tbs consequences OF
defeating the wishes of the Adm ni>trition."
The mere intrO ,uctlOn of such a measure is
Illuminating confession for Villas. Where are
all his boasts that lie did hot need the Amerl-
can lines ANYHOW; that the mails were gong
lust is well a. Iney ever did and at no greater
exuense; that If they could be independent, 80
could he that he would ach chem that their
services were of no ace punt And wulle the
echo of these boasts Is stu, audible he brings In
"A bill cnercng tho lines To lo the very thlns
that he sald was being done to his every salts
faction by other mans. OF course there IS no
danger of the B.ount bill becoming a law.
Many Democrats in the House committed
against it, aud even though it should pass
there, the Sen ite woul promptly dispose of 1t.
But the friends of American prosperity, those
VINO believe III n tlIOnal pullcy "hICh Hcehh
To develop or resources, TO make oar name
great and respected among Dur neIghborN over
tn, seds vino wish tO see the millions of trade
that properly belongs to us come into our
manufactures and employ Onr labor, may be-
gratiled that this controversy will come up in
just the way laId down Dy Mr.. Blount. The
surest mean, of obtaining justice for the mail
carriers, competent service Tor Onr merchants
and that development of commerce winch never
flils to follow the flag. is by exposing an in
iqnltous, sptrful and un-Amcrlcan law like
the one Mr. Blount proposes as a means of
vindcatng" the law breaking member of the
Presldcnts Cabinet.