The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-05-14
CONGRESSIONAL
Senate.

APRIL Ex-senator Mitchell addressed
the senate today in reply to q memorial of
the New York methodist episcopal church
praying for the protection of the Chinese in
the United States. He denied the state
ment made in the memorial that the lives
and property of Chinese subjects had been
destroyed in Oregon, also that the new
Chinese minister had been inSulted in San
Francisco, There was an idea in the east,
he said, that the people of the Pacific coast
were not well disposed to the Chinese gov
ernment. This was Misrepresentation. lie
criticised the foreign committee for not
having yet reported his immigration pro-
hibitory bill, and warned senators on both
sides OF the chamber that he would press
that bill ana that they would have to come
squarey up to the mark and could not es-
cape the question:.
The senate to-day adopted resolution
calling on the president for any informa-
ton or correspondence in the possession of
the government touching the arrival and
landing at San Francisco of the new Chi
neSe embassy.
APRIL Ex-senator Beck spoke for three
hours and q half in the Senate to-day III OPP
office appropriation bill lie objected TO it
because IL was new legislation, and insisted
that it was bad policy for the republicans
to force OH the administration against
which the PRESIDENT acknowledgement
and the house of representatives all pro-
tested, and on which the postmaster-gener-
al had shown would be so detrimental to
the public service. He dwelt with empha-
els on the spectacle OF an active commercial
people permitting their mails to lie in the
poStofiice day after day waiting for slow,
subsidized vessel to sail, while there was q
swift vessel at the dock ready to carry the
mails at once. The matter was rendered
more extraordinary when we remembered
that the swift vessel was willing to take the
mails for one-tenth the compensation which
wOulu he maid In the slow vessel
Senator Beck quoted q variety of statis-
tics to show that subsidies had never in
creased onr foreign commencement except
ing the Pacific mail subsidy, of which, he
said, nobody was proud, and of which moth
ing had come but corruption. The object
of appropriating this SS00,000 was not to
benefit the mails, but to put the money into
the pockets of few men or corporations
who own American vessels and had a
monopoly of the cOastwse trade.
Senator Hale (Ale addressed the senate
in favor OF the subsidy amendment, but be-
fore lie concluded his remarks the senate
went into executive session.
APRIL 30.-The Senate resumed consider
alton of the pOstotfice appropriation bill
and Senator Hale supported the subsidy
amendment. In support OF the statement
that foreign ships do not always furnish
speedy transit the speaker said that GER
tain British steamer intruSted with the
United States mail for Brazil, finding that
1t could proftably discharge It's cargo at
Pernambuco, hundreds OF miles from Rio
Janeiro, dumped the United States mails
on the wharf and steamed away for Eng
land An American steamer finding the
mails at Pernambuc0 periodically carried
them. without reward, to their destination,
where the captain of the steamer was fined
because the mail Was late. the Brazilian
government refusing TO believe that the
American government had committed its
mail to an outside ship where there wds an
Americas ship that could take It.
Senator Brown favored the subsidy
clause.
Senator Harris made the point of order
that the amendment was general legislation
and therefore obnoxious to u rule of the
senate. The chair overruled the point of
order.
1t was agreed to close the general debate
at p. III. on Monday.
MAY 3.-in the senate, to-day, Mr.. Hoar,
from the committee OH privileges and cleo.
tons, reported favorably Senator ingalls,
joint resolution proposing an amendment
TO the constitution providing that the 30th
of April shall hereafter be substituted for
the 4th of March as the commencement of
the official term of the PRESIDENT vice pre-
sident, and the congress. Calendar.
Mr.. Dolph reported from the committee
OH public lands an original bill to repeal all
laws providing for the pre-emptlon of pub
lie lands, laws allowing entries for timber
was designed to be offered as u substitute
for the bill on the same subject already re-
ported from the committee, and he gave
notice that he would at an early day ask
the senate to take up and consider the
measure.
Mr.. Vest introduced bill, which he
asked to be referred to the committee on
public lands, for collecting in suitable re-
servors for the benefit of invalids all the
water flowing from the Hot Springs of Ar
kansas not now being used by lighthouses,
and which Is running to waste.
Mr.. Dolph offered an amendment to the
Notifications appropriation bill, appropriate
ing $4,000, 900 for the construction OF for
tifications and other works of coast defense
in accordance with the recommendations of
the board of Notifications or other defen-
ses, TO be expended under the direction of
the secretary of war.
MAY AT 9 o'clock this afternoon the
PostOfiice appropriation bill was laid before
the Senate Mr.. Call favored the PROPOSE
ton to appropriate SS0O,0O0 for carrying
United States mail to Central and South
America, China and Japan. Mr.. salisbury
opposed the proposition. Mr.. Plumb ex-
planned that the proposed arrangement for
the foreign mail was not made upon the
theory that it was subsidy. 1t was simp--
~ meant, Mr.. Plumb said, that we should
apply to our foreign mails the principle
that had for many years been applied To
the transportation of the inland mails OF
the United States.
The debate then closed and voting began.
a number or amendments were offered 70
the proposition OF the COMMITTEES ana
agreed to. The committees provision for
the foreign mails, as finally amended by the
Senate and agreed to, reads as follows:
For the transportation OF foreign mails
by American built and registered steam