The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-29
THE FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS-
The Senate Will Insist on Its Subsidy
Amendment to the PostOffice Bill.
A Proposed Protest Against the French Gov
srnment Identifying Itself with De Les
seps's Great Panama Canal Scheme.
THE SENATE.

dhe Body Decides to Insist on Its Subsidy
Amendment tn the Postoffice Bill.
WASHINGTON, June 28-The Chair laid be.
fore the Senate resolutions of the City Council
and Board of Trade of GAINESVILLE O.. asking Tor
che passage of the bill for public building in
GAINESVILLE, notwithstanding the Presidents veto;
also. several memorials in favor Of the bill tax
ing oleomargarine.
Mr.. Allison, from the committee on appropria-
tions, reported back the legislative appropria-
ton bill, with amendments, and gave notice that
he would move tomorrow to take it up.
Mr.. Wilson, of Iowa, from the judiciary COM
mittee reported bill providing for terms of
court in Colorado. Passed
Mr. Mcmillan, from the committee on COM
merce, reported back the river and harbor bill
with amendments, and said he would move, on
Wednesday, to take it up and pass it
Mr. Allison lin the absence of Mr.. Logan sub
mitted the conference report on the pension APP
propriation BILL the House recedlng from its dis
agreements. The report was agreed to-
Mr.. Teller introduced a bill authorizing the
President to appoint and retire Alfred Pleas
nnton rs major-general Referred.
Mr.. H0ar gave notice that he would on
Wednesday next, ask the Senate to take up the
resolution for open executive sessions, 80 that
he might make remarks thereupon.
Mr.. Edmunds called up the bill granting o
pension of 800 per month to Emily D. Stanard,
widow Of General Stanard, of Vermont The
bill was passed.
The Chair laid before the Senate the confer
snce report on the postoffce appropriation bill.
and stated that the committee unable to
sgree, the question being on the subsidy pro-
vision.
Mr.. Pugh addressed the Senate in favor of the
subsidy appropriation in the bill The principle
hpon which he stood was that the foreign mail
service deserved just compensation as much as
the coastwise mail service the river mail
service, or the railroad mail service
In illustration of this point, he
showed that for the mail carried to San Francis
co by the railroads they received about 55 cents
per mile. Those parts of that same mail which
we're sent from San Francisco to Alaska, on
eoastwise steamers, cost over 81 cents mile,
while on those parts which were sent to Japan,
China, the Sandwich Islands and Australia only
cents mile was paid. So with the Havana
mails the compensation for the railroad mail
service to Tampa was 90 cents mile, while that
for steamship service from Tampa to Havana
was cents q mile There was no principle or
policy on which that distinction could be iusti-
He'd The same rule Of compensation should be
applied to ak mail contractors The public
mind was absorbed to day in consideration of
che remedies to be resorted to for tine purpose of
opening mp trade with foreign countries The
European markets were all closed against Amer
lea, being preoccupied 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 encour-
ngement to the enterprise that would be directed
20 the development of American trade in these
countries. Even though it might be called Sub.
sidy" he was willing to extend to that great pur-
pose any amount of constitutional aid that could
be given In trade directions.
Mr. Plumb moved that the Senate insist on its
amendment 1.-THE subsidy appropriation, and
&sk a further conference.
Mr. Beck. one of the conferees, opposed the
motion. The House, he said, had sent to the
Senate a clean postofice appropriation BILL and
that bill would have been q law more than a
month ago but for this steamship subsidy, which
was not in the interest Of the postal service but
was for the purpose of aiding American COM
merce No Senator would believe that there was
any chance of the House agreeing to this amend
ment Therefore, the Senate was driven to the
alternative of either rejecting the appropriation
for the Postoffice Department for the next fiscal
year, or OF endeavoring to c0erce the House to
accept an amendment against which it had ex-
pressed itself in the most positive and unequivo-
Cal manner
Mr.. Plumb (who has charge of the bill in
quired whether Mr. Beck was not making his
gtatement too broad. Did not the Senate amend
House bills every session. and insist upon it's
amendments again and again, with a view of
sailing the attention of the House to them, and
giving it an opportunity to rectify it's mistakes2
Mr. Beck-The House has disagreed to this
amendment in the most emphatic manner Its
9onferees have assured us in the most positive
and unequivocal terms that the House will not
agree ON it. He hardly thought that any one
will assume, In the face of the protest Of the
President and postmaster general against the
need of this legislation, that the House would be
coerced into adopting it Would the Senate, he
asked, refuse to pass fair clean, Just bill
which met the approval Of the House and pro-
vided for the postal service for the next fiscal
yearf He hardly thought that majority of the
Senate would propose to stop the mail service for
year merely because the House disagreed with
the Senate on question of this sort
Mr.. Hale agreed with the Senator from Ken
sucky, that where there was deadlock between
the two houses one would have 10 give vyay
The house which proposed to put a definite, sig
nificant amendment on an appropriation bill, or
any other Diil, had the burden on il of showing
the intrinsic strength of the proposition in order
TO convince the other house. 1t might be that
on this proposition, the other branch might ad-
bare to its position, and that the Senate would
In the end, have to give it up. for the time be-
ing. But it would only be for tho time being.
This policy of the United STATES government in
terposing tas every other civilized government
did, to encourage, and stimulate, and increase
foreign trade nd commerce would prevail The
House of Representatives might throw itself
across the path of this movement and might be
able to divert H. but it would not end with this
session or with this Congress, The
American people had become an over
producing people, and If it had fair
field and fair opportunity. it could obtain tine
trade of Central and South America and could
furnish products as cheaply as Great Britain,
France Germany. One thing was necessary
10 II. and that was regular, continuous cheap
transportation. This is not question tina / is
going to be put down either by an admin istra
zion which is hostile to il, by either branch OF
Congress which is hostile to it. If the defeated
here. it will rise again. Great Britain. has an
eye keenly alive to the subject The Senate
listened. the other day. to the Senator from
Oregon describing the efforts that are being
made by Great Britain to drive American steam
chips from the Asiatic trade in connection with
the Canadian Pacific railway, by substituting,
without stint. steamships at each end of that
line No statesman in the House of Commons
even ventnred to propose, on the plea OF econo
my, reyisal OF this generous course adopted by