Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-04-30
WRTY-NINTH CONGRESS-.
First Session,
SENATE.

"ii' inealis protested with emphasis against
.ne M omission OF anything. The Senate passed
-o oliis 'he other day, he said, without read
ns one OF them Senators were throwing
INV" al 'he barriers that had been set up
against laxity Of legislation favorable
report OF the committee was coming to he
taken as ali that was necessary for the pass
age of bill
lhsre being no objection the reading Of SO
out OF 81 pages was emitted.
ooJec'lon was made by Messrs. Ingalls, and
iump 10 the Item recommended t. reimburse
tne estate OF A. 7. Merrill of Mlssissppi for
oo''oou Tor supplies to the United States
army curing the war, but it was finally
agreed to and the bill passed.
Inc post Office appropriation bill was then
taken up on which Mr. Beck had the floor
Mr.. Beck said that it had been intimate
'hat he endeavOred to introduce here, in
season ara out OF season, questions bearing
on taxes, commerce, etc. He hoped the
senate would bear witness that he had not
none IL now. He had always insisted that
appropriation bills should not include new
legislation, and as the House of Representa-
yves was endeavOrinp to enforce such a rule
ne mad deemed it nest not 20 have on this bill
provision having to do with the postal ser
vice, but looking solely to the building up of
pesed to stand by the rule of tfe Senate and
House. II we were going to launch into a
he" sea OF legislation on appropriation bills
we would have endless appropriation bills.
lie insisted that 1t was bad policy for tine re-
puDlicans to force on the administration pro-
visions against which the president, post
master general and House of Representatives
all protested. The senator from Maine
(frye) had sought to make the foreign mail
provision mandatory one, but the post
master general had shown to the committee
that II would be SO detrimental to public ser
vice that the majority of the committee has
been able to submit to it. The amendment
proposed that the committee limited the
postmaster general. however, to American
vessels and he was to make contracts for five
years. Mr.. Beck read clause of the pres
ident's message relating to the foreign mail
service of last year in which the president
said that it had been found inexpi dent for
the postmaster general to carry ont the pro-
visions of last years appropriation relating to
this subject, that the amount appropriated
would not have proved sufficient to carry out
the purpose, nor could the contracts have
been made under the law at rate adequate to
bring the aggregate within the amount of the
Appropriation. The senators on the other
side, Mr.. Beck SAID, had not been slow to en-
deavor to embarrass the administ tration for
political advantage, but they were going too
far in endeavoring to force on the president
and postmaster general notwithstanding their
protest. a cause they had shown not for
the good of public service and which would
only result in giving bounty or subsidy to a
few persons,
Mr.. Hale asked whether any practical diff
Guilty would arise in properly distributing G
nm
this policy, if aiding in securing foreign
trade.
Mr. Beck denied he would get any sdd-
tiona foreign trade by means of this policy.
He occupied the floor some three hours and
a half, though with considerable interruption.
MIR. Hale then addressed the Senate on the
amendment and which appropriates $500, 900
to pay for the carrying OF United States
mails to Central and South America, Aus
tralia, China and Japan at the rate of ST. a
mile for each outward trip. He didn't care,
Mr.. Hale said, whether il was called sub
sldv or compensation for carrying mails or
aid to securing large foreign commerce. 1t
undoubtedly was an attempt to facilitate
commerce. The history of what was termed
"subsidy" was the history of every nation
that sought to extend its commere. Great
Britain began giving subsidies in lS4S, had
kept it up steadily and in the past 36 years
had paid out in just such appropriations Sl64,
600. 600 No English statesman had dared
to complain of it, no English political party
in all the conflicts that had arisen had ever
questioned the wisdom of the policy or op
pos,d il as the senator from Kentucky de-
clared the present administration in the
United States to be opposed TO this appro-
priation If we should appropriated $780,
| 900 a year for SO years in aid of the extern
tension of our commerce the aggregate would
ony be little over 0,O00, 900 against
Sl64 900, 900 which England had expended.
France also had paid subsidies and Germany
had adopted the system and was becoming
a powerful rival of England and France in
the commerce of the several countries.
Meanwhile. Mr.. Hale said, the American
peope had been otherwise engaged. They
| had long failed to realize the great advan-
tages of trade with Central and South Amer
lea Ten years ago a distinguished American
with prophetic vision said that the period OF
danger TO our republic would be found when
it should be too largely over productive and
that the complications with labor might be
such AZ might well make the foundation OF
the r, public tremble. No man might deny
TODAY that we were now confronted with just
that condition of over production. Goods
that were made in our cotton and wooden mills
were piled up in the market. He then in
onired whether it was the part of wisdom for
| the people of the United States in refusing to
take advantage of so favorable opportunity
for extending their business in a direction in
which it must constantly grow larger from
wear to year.
At5 o'clock, Mr.. Hale still having the
floor. the Senate went into executive session
and when the doors reopened an hour later
adjourned.
| Ryayote of l29 yeas and 81 nays the
House ordered that the clerkshp of the coul-
mttee on public buildings and grounds should
be an annual office.
Mr.. Lanham of Texas, from the committee
on coinage, reported bill for the retirement
and re ecoinage of trade dollars.
In the morning hour Mr.. Dawes of Massa.
chusetts, on behalf of the committee on COM
merce, called up the bill providing for the
anno;ntmept of commission of three per
snns to investigate the truth of the alleged
discovery of the specific cause of yellow
| fever and Of preventing that disease by inoc-
ulation and obtain all the information posi-
HE az to the cause and prevention of tina,
disease. =,
The House then went into committee OF
whole while Mr.. Davis explained the pur.
nose and provisions of the bill.
Mr. Caldwell, who was one of the op'
moments of the bill while before the com
mittee on commerce, presented his obJectlons
! =, tho anpointmept of q commission.