The Portland daily press., 1888-07-04
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Mr.. Dickinson Doesn't Want the
Railway Service Classified.

WASHINGTON, July 3.-The Postmaster
General has written letter to the President,
formally protesting against the proposition
made by the Civil Service Commission to ex-
tend the classified service so as to include
the railway postal service.
The Day In the house.
Mr.. Blount, chairman of the committee on
post offices and post roads, submitted the
post Office appropriation bill with Senate
amendments. Among the amendments in
which non-concurrence is recommended is
that appropriating $4,000 to enable the
postmaster general to provide more eff
cent mail service between the United States
and South and Central America and the
West Indies, also that fixing the rate of
postage on seeds and bulbs at two cents per
pound. The recommendations were agreed
to and committee OF conference ordered.
The House then went into committee of
the whole on the tariff bill.
Mr.. Mckinley moved to increase from Sc
to $6.72 per ton, the duty on pig iron. He
said the proposed reduction would have a
very injurious effect upon the pig iron indus
try. The motion was lost
Mr.. Mckinley moved to restore the pres
ent real duty on iron railway bars weighing
more than twenty-five pounds to the yard
This motion was lost.
Mr.. McMillen moved to strike out the
clause imposing duty of $11 ton on slabs
and billets of steel and restore the present
rate of 40 per cent. This was agreed to.
Mr.. Moffit of Pennsylvania, moved to in
crease from $40 to $22 per ton.. the duty on
charcoal bloom iron. He spoke of the ex-
isting depression in the iron industries of
the Lake Champlain district and the danger
of the utter destruction of those industries
should the proposed. reduction of duty
be agreed to. The motion was lost
Mr. Mckinley moved to restore the ex-
isting rates on bar iron, and the motion was
advocated by Mr.. Burrows. Mr.. Bayne, of
Pennsylvania, in supporting the motion,
mode a political speech opposing the reduc-
tion of the tariff, fayoring the repeal of the
tobacco tax and the tax on alcohol used In
the arts.
Mr. Scott, of Pennsylvania, charged the
Republican party with having deserted its
platform of 1884 for revision of the tariff and
with going before the country in 1888 on a
principal 1t never before advocated. Under
the cry of the American market for America
and protection for American industries and
labor the Republican party proposed to car
ry on tariff system which would protect
100000 wage workers as against 100000
wage workers.
his absence from duty in the House. and in
formed him that those questions had all been
discussed and the House was perfectly ac-
quainted with them.
Mr. Scott criticized Mr.. Reed for having
pursued his usual method of turning a
serious question into a joke. Mr.. Scott said
that 100000 laborers had been thrown out of
work the past week in protected industries
which the Republicans stood mp to defend.
These laborers had been driven out because
their employers attempted to make a ten per
cent reduction In their wages. Why should
the manufacturers of Pennsylvania demand
that their men submit to this reduction
Was not there a Republican Senate having
power to pigeonhole the tariff bill, or keep
1t in committee for all time?
After debate had run on for some time,
Mr.. Bland. OF Missouri, appealed, in behalf
of nne-tenths of the members of the House,
vino wanted to proceed with their business.
to get through with this bill before the dog
days. They were tired of hearing these
political discussions begun three months ago,
repeated day in and day out, until there was
nothing new under the sun to say about it,
1t would be the middle of next week before
the bill would come up again.
Mr.. Bayne of Pennsylvania, attempted to
interrupt Mr.. Bland, who declined to pause
with the remark, "Pittsburg Is notorious fol
coal gas and natural gas
Mr.. BANDS appeal proved Intellectual, and
for an hour the old threadbare discussion
ran on as to the respective position of the
two parties on the tariff question and as tG
| the question whether or not protective tar
| iff was benefit to the farming community
| Finally Mr.. McKinley's motion was voted
down, 56 to 20.
Mr. Sowden of Pennsylvania, moved to f1
| the duty on iron or steel rails, weighing moi
| over 25 pounds to the yard, at $1.93 per ton
| and on iron or steel fiat rails punched. al
| $20.16, The motion was lost.
On motion of Mr.. Breckenridge, of Arkan.
| sas, duty of four-tenths of cent per pound
was imposed on iron or steel, fiat with longi.
| tudinal ribs for the manufacturing of fenc
| ing.
| Mr. Dockery, of Missouri, said that when
| Congress assembled in December it was con.
fronted by a surplus of $79, ,466,O 900. To-day
Notwithstanding the purchase of $26,000,0 ,00(
| in bonds by the treasury, the surplu:
amounted to $129, 1000, and yet the House
occupied 2S days in general debate upor
| the tariff bill. The same rate of progress
| would require, to complete the bill, SO days
| Fair play to the business interests of the
country required that the bill be speedil,
| passed and sent to the Senate.
| Having completed the consideration O.
fou pages of the bill, the committee rose
and conference was ordered on the river
and harbor appropriation bill. The House
adjourned until Thursday.
The Pension List.
Pensions have been awarded the follow
ing Maine people:
Ephraim Hinkley. Rangely.
William Verrill, Jr. North Raymond.
Patrick f. Gethings, National Military Home.
Theo. b. Morgan, Portland.
Sabn p. Higgins, Golden Ridge navy.
Benjamin W. Tapley, deceased, Oldtown.
| V. Cutter, Pennington
| Davis ii. McAlley, Lubec.
| Ira b. Bryant. Benedicta:
Reuben K Dckey, East Orrington, special act
Miles s. Scribner, Springfield.
| REISSUE.
| John Coffron, Calais.
REISSUE AND INCREASE
Benjamin f. Owen, Presque Isle.
ORIGINAL, WIDOWS, ETC
John father of william j. Davis, Naples.
| Heman, father of Sanford Foss. OF Brighton.
| Theodate, widow of John G. Cummins, Bdd;
| ford. IN, ~,
Notes.
Congressman Dingley. who Is very clos