Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-07-07
THE FoRTY.NlNTH CONGRESS.
Sennte.

The conference report on he pension APP
propr alton bill was submitted TO the Senate
The House had Ie2cded from its disagree
ments and the report was agreed TO.
Mr.. Teller, of Col, introduced bill au-
thoriaing the President to appoint and retire
Alfred Pleasonton as major general; re-
ferrcd.
Mr.. Hoar of Mass, gave notice that he
would on Wednesday ask the Senate TO take
up the resolution for open executive session
that he might make remarks thereon.
Mr.. Edmunds called up the bill granting n
pension of 500 per month to Emily j. Stan
nard, widow of General Stannard, Of Ver-
mont The bill passed.
Mr.. Henderson of Neb. reported that the
House had rcccded from IS disagreements to
the bill top rmit leave of absence to employees
of the public printing Office, and the report
was aged to.
I, chair laid before the Senate the confer
ence report on the post-oillce appropriation
bill stating that the committee was unable
to agree on the subsidy question. Mr.. Pugh
of Ala spoke in favor Of the subsidy appro.
priation in the bill.
He quoted from the record Of the last Con-
grcsS, when he offered an amendment appro-
priatng 81 .0OO, 900 for the foreign mail SER
vice The difference, he said between that
proportion and the pending bill was that the
lpl ll'l NIIllOlll iultN FlINp'i'NN gnu 'bo"Vi
Americans to buy the steamers wherever
they could be procured. The perding amend
ment appropriated only 100000
and required the steam hips to
be not only owned in America, but
built in American ship-yards, He would
prefer thai there were no such limitation, but
that was no reason why he should not give
the amendment his support. The principle
on which he stood was that the foreign mail
service deserved just compensation as much
as the coaStwiSe, river or railroad mail SER
vice did. He showed that for the mail car
ried to San Francisco by the railroad
they received about IS cents mile.
Those parts Of that same mail witch
were sent from San Francisco to Alaska on
COaStwiSe steamers cost over 81 cents a mi Q
while on those parts which were sent to
Japan, China, the Sandwich Islands and
Australia only five cents mile was peid. So
with the Havana mails. The compensation
for the railroad mail service to Tampa was
So cents a mile, while that for steamship
service from Tampa to Havana
was five cents a mile. There was no
principle of policy on which that distinc-
ton could lie justified. The same rule of
compensation should lie applied to all mail
contractors Tho public mind was absorbed
to-day in the consideration Of remedies for
opening up trade with foreign countries. The
| European markets were al closed against
America, and prc-occupcd by England,
| France and Germany, and the only field that
| was in full view of this country was that of
| Central and South America. He was willing
in every way possible, to give encouragement
| to the enterprise that would be dir cted to
| the development Of American trade in these
! countries. Even though it might DO called
Subsidy he was willing 20 extend to that
! great purpose any amount of constitutional
aid that could be given in that direction. He
represented a state which had vital interest
| in the development of the trade with Central
and South America, and he read from reso-
| buttons adopt d by the Tuscaloosa convention
in favor OF developing this trade.
The matter was temporarily In d aside.
while con tcrcnce reports were submitted by
Mr.. Mcmillan of MINI on the bill for the es-
Establishment of life buoy and fog signal at
San Luis ObiSpO, Cal, and by Mr.. Malone
of Va. on the bill for a public building at
| WilIamSport, Pa
The House reccded from its disagreements
and the reports were concurred in.
House.
Mr. Gallinger of New Hampshire, under
the call of states, introduced a resolution re-
citing that, as it was u matter of current
uewspaper lumor that the officers of the
democratic campaign committee were solicit
ing contributions from democratic congress-
men and others in employ Of the government,
the committee on civil-Service reform be di-
rected to inve tigate the facts with view of
ascertaining whether section IL of the civil
service law has been violated
Mr. Randall of Pa. introduced his tariff
bill.
Mr.. King of La brought in a preamble
and resolutions setting forth that the French
government had assured the United States
that NJ. De Lessep's canal project was wholly
q private enterprise: that the extraordinary
expenditures of the Panama canal company
had led it to appeal to the French govern
ment for aid by authorizing a lottery Ian
of S12O, 100000, and that it had been
reported that the French government
had recommended the granting Of the
aid, thus identifying it with the enterprise;
therefore, resolved that the United States
will view with disfavor this contemplated
action of France opposed to the policy of the
American people as expressed by the chief
executive of the United States at the incep-
ton of this canal and that the secretary OF
state be requested to send to Congress with
out delay all in ormation bearing on sub
Ject of such vast importance and fraught
with such danger to the national interests,
A resolution was also introduced appro-
priatng 5000, GOO for the relief of the sufferers
IRON IpttllI NlOltlJ anu ht5'ulillS ot'i mo AZ
certain districts of northern Louisiana.
The House then went into committee Of the
whole on the srlndry civil appropriation bill.
Mr. Morrow of Cal. moved TO amend
the bill by increasing from 5000 to SlO,-
600 the appropriation 10 meet the ex-
penses incurred under the Chinese emigration
act and by adding a proviso requiring the
Secretary of the Treasury to prepare pre-
limfnary and return certificates ide tifying
Nore particularly than ut present, the Chin
te to whom they are granted He went on
A. point out the defects i'll the law, declaring
thatit was cvadcd in the most shameful
! manner. The certificates now used, instead
of presenting the introduction Of Chinese la
Dor were an aid to immigration. The defec
; in the law existed in the privi eyes accorded
10 certain classes Of Chinese iy treaty
10 come and 20 at pleasure Chinese Ia
borers were constantly coming TO the country
under the pretcnse Of belonging TO one OF
another of the classes The condition of th
Pacific coast, so far as the Chinese question
was concerned, was worse than ever before
) and if congress now the whole truth of tina
r question, the Buringame treaty would no
!. be in existence one hour lie presented
. pettion prepared under the auspices of In
: KNIGHTS of Labor OF the Pacific coast an,
. signed V 10000 persons, asking that som
r action should be taken.
Mr.. Rice of Mass XpreSsed is regret that tn
gentleman from California had rctl5Ctc lupol
the co mttee on foreign affairs which ha
\ unanimously reported bill calculated to re
move the defects Of which .de gentleman
y complained. This was no. n question OF re
stricling the immi grafton of Chinese labor
: ers. That had already been fully and care
y fully guarded again,t 10y prev onS legislation
n During the past three years, Chinese ohor o
, tbn Pacific coast had been rclur 1t to such n