The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-05-20

view Oh tue monroe ana
Dockery viii Fight Subsidy to the Last
Ditch-The President and the Tele-
phone-Logan's Arbitration Bill
day the following bills were reported to the
house OF representatives: Authorizing the
construction of a bridge across the Missis-
sippi at Dubuque, Iowa; senate bill forfeit
ing certain lands granted to the state OF
Iowa to aid in the constructions of railroads;
joint resolution proposing a constitutional
amendment creating and defining the office
OF second vice prerident of the United
States The house then went into commit
tee of the whole on the senate amendment to
the postoiiice appropriation bill
Phelps of New Jersey said that the amend
ment and the vote by which it was adopted
in the senate were an encouragement to the
friends OF American shipping.
Blount interrupted with the point that it
was not in order to refer to the action of
the senate.
Phelps suggested that the gentleman
should be proud and not ashamed that
eight Democratic senators had had the
courage to vote for the amendment He
had read from the public prints that eight
democratic senators had voted to
give new steamships to American
commerce, aud now ports to American
manufacturers lie thought the measure
was advantageous and ought to be passed,
"and,' said he, dit will be passed unless
members become frightened because some
gentlemen call it a subsidy"
Hiscock argued that the amendment was
not a subsidy, and maintained that the
question ought to be, and would be, decided
on its merits The United States he
said, was able in nearly all the lines of
goods which were sought by South Ameri
can countries to compete with Germany
France and England. The proposition be-
fore the house was to pay to American
steamships at best only meager compensa-
tion for carrying American mails The pol
icy which obtained favor on the other
side of the house and with gentlemen
on his side who scanned to he alarmed
lest some steamship line would get
some advantage from 1t, was this, that with
the English, German and French lines, pay
ing 30, 100 and POO PER cent more than the
United States proposes to pay, we should
let them carry our mails at the lowest pos
sible price-the effect of it being to drive
American shipping from the ocean
Peters of Kansas said that in the last
congress he had voted against a proposition
similar to the one now before the house.
Owing to prejudice against anything like a
subsidy, it was with difficulty that he had
brought himself to review the question in
anything like fair light But after a
tho-nuph examination ha was couvinoal +hot
the cry of subsidy was unjust and put for.
ward in the interest of English aristocracy
and English money 1t was to the interest
| of the farmers OF his district TO endorse and
| uphold the policy naugurated
| bv the senate amendment.
Whatever would increase the consuming
power would free tue products of our soil
| from the control OF the Liverpool monopo-
| list He was believer in the Monroe
| doctrine that gave TO the United States the
| American continent The time would come
| when Canada and Mexico would be under
| the American flag, and he believed that by
this kind OF legislation the time would come
when the nited States instead OF Great
| Britain would control the trade of South
America
Dockery of Missouri opposed the amend
| ment because it was coercive legislation; be-
| cause it assumed to aid commerce at the ex-
| pense of the foreign postal service, because
| it held out the persuasive idea of com
| petition, when, in fact there was no compe-
| tition, except on two lines; because it would
| operate as bindrance to the restoration oi
| American commerce because it was positive
| violation of the international treaty of
| Berne; because it was gift of the public
money to private corporations, the larger
| part of which would go to the Pacific Mail
| Steamship company, Differed, owned, and
| controlled by such men as jaw
Gould, Russell Sage, and Sidney Dillon.
| He called attention to the fact
that even England did not restrict the trans
| portation of her mails TO English vessels
| but placed many of them upon ships of the
| North German Lloyd company. He com
mented severely upon the action of tho sen.
ate in adopting the amendment in violation
of its own rules. Was not, he asked, the
amendment strong enough TO com
mend itself to congress and the
country without having behind
| it is the pressure and the power of an ap-
| preparation bill! This proposition came
here from the senate as lis smaller twin
DToLuer Hdu COME llOIn tue SENATE lh-U year.
Glad as he would be to 20 home to the free
| air Of grand old Missouri--not to loox after
| his fences they were in good
repair; strongly as he desired to
hail the hour that should witnes.
the close OF the session, he was willing tC
stay here until the SHOWS OF winter should
mantle the heights of Arlington before he
would be coerced into accepting legislation
of this kind Applause on the Democratic
| side
| The senate Wednesday proceeded to con
slider the Staten Island bridge bill McPher
son moved an amendment, providing for
tunnel instead of a bridge He spoke il
support of his amendment, maintaining
that tunnel and not bridge was the mos
feasible and proper thing for railway
transit at that point
At O'Clock, Mcpherson not having con
cluded his remarks the matter went over
and the pension bill was laid before the sen
ate, the pending question being the motion
made by Mcpherson to recommit the bill t.
the committee with instructions to report t.
the senate an estimate of the expenses tina
| would 10 incurred by its passage