The Portland daily press., 1886-05-21
The bankruptcy bill was then laid before
the Senate, and at 6.10 p. N. the Senate adj
HOUSE,

Mr.. Holman of Indiana, from the commit
tee on appropriations reported the executive,
legislative ana judicial appropriation bill,
and it was referred to the committee OF the
whole.
Mr.. Breckenridge of Arkansas, from the
committee on ways and means, called up the
bill providing that for period of five years
no mackerel other than that known as Span
ish mackerel caught between the 1st OF
March and 1stof June shall be imported or
landed in the United States. He made
brief explanation of the bill.
Mr.. Hewitt of New York, stated his inten-
ton of speaking against the bill and it was
postponed until tomorrow, and the House
went into committee of the whole on the
Senate amendments to the poStoffice appro-
priation bill. The amendment setting apart
$4,000 of the appropriation for the free de-
livery system in cities where it is not now
established was concurred in. The amend
ment was non concurred in which author
ICES the postmaster general to contract for
inland and foreign steamboat service when
it can be combined in one route; also the
amendment increasing by $4,000 the appro-
priation for the railway post0ffice car service.
The amendment was concurred IN increasing
from $251, ,725 to 1921, 600 the appropriation
the trunk lines. The foreign mail service
amendment having been reached, Mr.. Blount
moved non concurrence In 1t.
Mr.. Burrows moved concurrence In the
amendment, with the following amendment
thereto:
Provided that not exceeding 100000 of the
amount herein appropriated shall be expended in
payment of existing American steamship lines for
the transportation Of ioreign mails aeeorolng @ 70
of the balance as may be required shall be ex-
pended in increasing the frequency of the postal
Service of such steamship lines and in the sStab-
lishment of postal service by American built and
registered steamships between the United States
and such ports of the foreign countries herein
fad dtxitb ha nj
by American steamship lines as the postmas-
ter general may elect including Buenos Ayres
and Monteyideo.
Mr.. Burrows answered the objections made
by the Senate amendment which he said SIM
ply gave the postmaster general the same
discretion in regard to the foreign service as
he now possessed in regard to the coastwise
and star route service. All the talk about
paying $50, 900 to the Pacific Mail Company
was made to alarm the members. How any
gentleman could twist this provision into
subsidy he could not understand. The star
route service could as well be called a subsi-
dy..
Mr.. Mcmillan of Tennessee. thought the
appropriation was subsidy in the broadest
and boldest sense and the question for the
House to determine was whether 1t was
ready to enter upon a policy OF giving
gratuities to steamship companies. When
reduced to the last analysis this amendment
was an entering wedge to a system which
If it paid better to work on the ocean than
on the land the people of the United States
with their enterprise, energy and intelligence
would navigate the ocean.
Mr.. Hewitt of New York, moved to strike
out the appropriation for 100000 and insert
one of $400, ZOO, and to add to the Senate
amendment the following:
"And the postmaster general shall SO far as
possible the mails of the United States to be
carried to and from said places respectively in
American built and registered steamships, pro-
vided the same can be carried for a reasonable
compensation to be by him determined, but not
exceeding rate of 80 cents per nautical mile for
the distance usually travelled in the most direct
and feasible course between the terminal points
hereinbefore specified"
Mr.. Burrows amendment was rejected sc
to 142, and Mr.. Hewitt's was rejected 50 to
1885, The Senate amendment was non con-
Cured in without division, and the COM
mittee then rose and reported its action to
the House. The recommendations of the
committee were all agreed to without divis-
ion with the exception of the foreign mail
service amendment which was non con-
cured in by vote of yeas 17S, nays so.
The result was received with a round of
cheers on the Democratic side. The repre-
sentatives from Maine, New Hampshire and
Vermont all voted with the minority. The
bill and amendments will now be sent to the
Senate and then go to conference commit
tee The House at p. m. adjourned.