The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-01
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS
The Senate Devotes the Day to Talking
About the Inefficient Postal Service,
And Various Causes Are Assigned as Being
Responsible for Delay in Delivery OF Mail
Routine Business in the House.


Among the bills introduced and referred
were the following.
Bv Mr.. Stewart: To establish o United States
land court and to provide for the settlements of
private land claims Also, to enforce restric-
hon on Chinese immigration.
By Mr. MITCHELL To permit miners and min
ing companies to prospect and develop mining
portions on any Indian reservation on Certain
terms and conditions.
Mr. Dawes offered a resolution. which was
adopted, calling on the Secretary of the Interior
for information as to the sale OF the lands Of the
Omaha reservation.
Mr.. Riddleberger offered a resolution that the
treaty between this government and that OF
Great Britain, now before the Senate in execu-
tive session. be considered in open session, and
asked for its immediate consideration.
Mr.. Edmunds objected. and it was laid over
under the rule.
Mr.. Mitchell offered a resolution, which was
adopted, instructing the committee on commerce
TO consider the adyisability Of inserting a pro-
vision in the river and harbor bill requiring all
work to be done by contract
The resolutions offered yesterday by Mr..
Plumb, instructing the postoffice committee to
make thorough inquiry into the cause of in
yficient mail service. especially in the West and
Mr.. Henderson said that he felt sense of
personal gratitude to the Senator from Kansas
who introduced the resolution. and he hoped
that the investigation would be thorough. Those
who lived in the advancing States of the West
had suffered very greatly from inefficient postal
arrangements for the last couple g: years.
Mr.. Stewart said that similar complaints as to
Ineficisncy in the postal service were made in
Nevada. The mail service there had been
cut down and expenses reduced that the
service was wholly inadeq uate He had re-
raiw al n mn m nf lett On guh
Mr.. Salisbury said that he did not know any
thing about the postal ARRANGEMENTS in the
Western States, or whether the complaints from
there were wellfounded or not He had no OBJ
lection TO the proposed Investigation; but he
thought it unfair to executive officers to have
placed on the records of the Senate newspaper
scraps and private letters rejecting them.
He was pleased, yesterday, to hear the Senator
from Kansas charge the Postofice Department
with being too economical. because he recol-
lected the grave charges of ''Star Route" frauds
and other defalcations preferred against that
department under q former administration. He
was pleased that no charge OF that kind had
been made against the present postofice ad-
ministration.
Mr.. Morgan expressed his satisfaction that
the resolution had been offered. because he
thought that the postoffice committee needed
the administration of stimulant.
Mr.. Teller expressed the opinion that the
complaints OF inefficient mail service grew
largely out Of causes beyond the power of the
officials of the government. The fault was
largely in the inadequacy of the appropriations
made for the Postoffice Department, although
some reason for it might be found in the numer-
GUS removals Of skilled and competent men and
the substitution of new and unskilled men.
Mr.. Beck said that the matter was not so sim
pie as Senators seemed to think. 1t Involved
classification and other things. Railroads were
being built with such rapdity, dispacing star
route lines, and so much time had to elapse be-
fore contracts could be made. that great embar-
rassment was caused. He wished the postofice
committee to consider, also, whether some
raneement might not be made by which postal
clerks would serve on the great mail steamships
coming to New York, SO that there would be
Buch delay there was at present in forward
Ing letters to their destination He admitted
that Congress had not done its duty in furnish
Ing the Postofhces Department. with the neces-
sary approximations.
Mr. Chace Ia member of the postofhce COM
mitteel suggested that the discussion seemed "a
little previous" The difficulty complained of,
he thought, arose from two sources. One land
probably the greatest) cause was she fact that
the department had attempted to change the
clerical force too rapidly. In the short space of
two and one-half years, ninety per cent. OF the
whole force of the postoffice department. of the
country had been changed. He admitted that
there had been less changes among the railway
postal clerks than in any other branch of the
service but it also true that in other
branch had there been 80 little difficulty He
comm en- ted the very defective postal service
in PHILADELPHIA, and said that the clerical force
of that postofice had been entirely changed, the
new men being selected, not with reference to
their qualifications, but with reference to their
presence in Harris burg of postofice officials
.heslers and strikers to control the State COM
rnittee in the interest of the administration.
Mr.. Reagan favored the resolution. If there
were any ineficiency in the postal service
which was inexcusable, that fact should be de-
veioped; and if not, the action of the Postofice
Department should be indicated. AS to the
charge of numerous changes in the personnel of
the Department his understanding that
there had been fewer changes under this admin
than there had been under any pre-
there N
change of party.
The resolution went over till tomorrow with
out action, and the Blair bill was laid aside in
formally TO permit motions to be made to take
bills from the calendar and pass them. The
following bills were taken up and passed:
To authorize Dales City to construct bridge
across the Colum ola river in Washington and
Oregon to grant the right of way through the
public lands for irrigation purposes to punish
robbery. burglary and larceny in the Indian
Territory; to relinquish the interest of the
United States In certain lands in Kansas for the
purchase of q site and erection of public build
ing at Omaha, Neb., the maximum limit being
81 200, 00o; joint resolution proposing
amendment to the Constitution. 1t provides
that the term of Office of the President and of
the Fiftieth Congress shall continue until the
Both day of April, 1889, at noon that the Soma
tors whose existing terms would otherwise ex-
pire on the 4th day of March, 1889, land there
after shall continue in Office until April 80
ceedinI such eXpiration; that the Both of April,
It noon, shall thereafter be substituted for the
Eth OF March as the commencement and termi-
nation of the official term of President, Vice.
president, Senators and Representatives In Con-
yress. and that the Twelfth Article Of the
amendments to the Constitution shall be amend
I'd by striking out the words Fourth day of
March, and substituting the words ''Thrteth
lay OF April. at noon
Mr.. Kenna gave notice that he would. next
submit observations the Presi-
lant's message and on Mr.. Sherman's reply
hereto.
The Senate then took up the Blair educational
ill, aud was addressed by Mr.. Eyarts in it's
avor The people of this country. he said. had
made MP their minds that there should be no
where it was in the power of the state,
md within proper limits of the United States to
revent. If education was not to dissipate the
ark clouds OF ignorance that existed in the
outh the clouds would grow darker and lower.
2 ignorance could not be lifted from the low |
svel where it now rested il would not stay there,
ut would go lower and lower, and would be- |
ONE brutal, savage and hostile.
Mr.. PuRh took the floor and said he would |
withhold his remarks on the bill till tomorrow.
After executive session the Senate ad-