The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-04-30
CONGRESSIONAL.
SENATE

| WASHINGTON, April 2S.-P1ke oo-
tanned unanimous consent to take up
the Fourth of July claims bill. which
was adopted as presented.
The postoffice bill was then taken up,
Beck having the floor. The provision
under discussion had nothing to do
with the postal service, but simply
looked to the building up of our COM
mercial relations. Appropriation bills
should not include new legislation. He
insisted that it was bad policy for the
Republicans to force on the administra-
ton provisions against which the
President. Postmaster-General and
House of Representatives all protested.
The Senator from Maine. (Mr. Fryel.
had sought TO make the foreign mail
provision a mandatory. one, but the
Postmaster-General had shown to the
committee that it would be detrimental
to the public service and that the ma
jority of the committee had not been
able to submit TO il. The amendment
proposed by the committee limited the
Postmaster General, however. to
American vessels, and he was TO make
contracts for five years. The Senators
on the other side, Beck said, had not
been slow TO endeayor to embarrass the
administration for political advantage.
but they were going too far in endeav-
oring to force on the President and
Postmaster-General. notwithstanding
their protest, a course that they had
shown was not for the good OF the pub
lie service and which would only result
in giving bounty or subsidy to a few
persons. He dwelt with emphasis on
the spectacle Of an active commercial
people permitting their mails to be in the
postoffice day after day, waiting
for slow subsidiary vessel, while there
was a swift vessel at the dock ready to
carry the mails at once. Under the
proposed arrangement, the Postmaster
General might know that q foreign
ship, which was ready to sail. would in
sure delivery of the mail five or even
ten days earlier than slow vessels. bat
he would be compelled to allow the
mails 10 wait for days until the slow
vessel was ready to sail. The matter
was rendered more extraordinary when
we remembered that swift vessel was
willing to take the mails for one-tenth
the compensation which would be paid
to the slow vessel. yet the Post
Office Department was required to
see that the mails were carried
with expedition. The object Of
this proposed amendment was to give a
bounty TO certain steamship lines in the
hope that trade could thus be built up.
That was matter notfor the Postoffice
Department, but for the Senate COM
mittee on commerce. The present bill
was the postoffice appropriation bill.
not bill 10 develop commerce. AS 10
quoted a variety of statistics TO show |
that subsidies have never increased our
foreign commerce. not excepting the |
Pacific Mail subsidy, which, he said, |
nobody was proud of, and of which |
nothing had come but corruption. A /
good administration of the Post
Office Department required that the |
mails should be carried in the |
swiftest vessels. Ninety one per cent. |
of our mails would in any case be car
ried independently of this proposed /
the amount required by this PROPOSE
ton to carry what would be covered by /
the amendment. Continuing. Beck |
said. the object of appropriating this
$500, 900 was not to benefit the mails,
but TO put money into the pockets of a
few men or corporations who own /
American vessels and had q monopoly /
of the coastwise trade. 1t was an at
tempt to increase the appropriations
beyond the amount which the Post
said he could well use. |
Ii was against the course recommended i
by the Postmaster General and the /
President. II was making the Post
Office Department an instrument to |
substitute. favored individuals. Re- /
ferring to the American commerce. |
Beck said no one would go farther than /
he would to extend il, but he wanted it 1
done in proper way. Men might fairly /
differ as to.the best mode of accomplish |
ing an object. A ship was but a wagon. |
so far as its uses were concerned. When /
a western man wanted TO get his corn /
or cattle to Liverpool. what he would |
want TO find out would be how much it |
would cost him TO get 1t there. That /
will decide his profits A ship costing !
than one costing $500 900. That was an /
important element. i
Plumb asked whether il would not be 1
an important element in the cost of /
transportation TO have the haul short
ened by having a man who made a l
wagon. ship or locomotive live nearer /
to the point where,the grain was raised ? /
That would give the farmer a market.
Mr.. Beck then entered upon an elab-
crate discussion of the tariff, in which |
he was frequently interrupted by other 1
Senators, drawing from him, in one in |
stance, the remark, Il would like 10 be /
permitted to finish sentence once in a /
while" He insisted that when man /
was compelled to sell in the cheapest /
market, he should be allowed 10 buy in |
the cheapest market. When the manu-
facturers had produced all that they /
could sell, they encouraged strikes.
Mr.. Beck occupied, though with con-
siderable interruption, three hours and |
a half.
Mr.. Hale then addressed the Senate
IN favor of the amendment which ap-
propriates $500, 900 to pay for the car
rying of United States Mails, to Central |
and South America, Australia and /
China. at the rate of 81 per mile for each
outward "trip. but before he concluded
his remarks the Senate went into |
executive session. and when the doors