Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1888-05-25
The House.

granting right of way through the Lac de
Flambeau Indian reservation in Wisconsin
to the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and West
ern railroad company.
The house went into committee of the
whole on the postoffice appropriation bill.
MIR. Blount of Georgia explained that the
bill carried an appropriation of $60O95,84O
against an appropriation of S55.694,65 for
the current fiscal year. The appropriation
for the compensation of postmasters for
1888 was $11,7O0,OO0. The sixth auditor
stated that the expenditures for this item
in 1887 amounted to $11,929,4 ,4S1, or $22,481
more than the appropriation for 1883. At
the same time it appeared that while in
1886 the gross revenue increased at the
rate of 1926 per cent, in 1887 the increase
was 14.08 per cent. The same large in.
crease of receipts was expected to take
place in 1885, In the appropriation bill
for 1883 there was no appropriation for
rent, light and fuel at third class offices.
Iu the proposed bill there was inserted for
this purpose the sum of $65O.6O7. Mr..
Lind of Minnesota spoke in behalf of the
offices of the fourth class and forced the
proposed amendment providing that
fourth-class postmasters shall receive 500
a year in addition to the fees they now re-
ceive. Mr.. Montgomery of Kentucky
thought that too little attention had been
given to the people who had to ride four or
five miles to the country post
Office to get their mail and too
much to people who lay in bed, if they
choose, to read the letters handed in the
door by letter carriers. In response to a
sarcastic remark dropped by Mr. Belden of
New York that the trouble with the post
office department lay in the civil service
reform policy of the present administra-
ton, Mr.. Dockery proclaimed himself in
favor of the doctrine that the party in
power should be responsible to the people.
Mr.. Bingham suggested that the utterance
of the gentleman was in perfect accord
with the presidents policy, for every first
second and third-class postmaster with
the exception of less than 2OO) had been
changed by the present administration ana
out of the $1,000 fourth class postmasters,
over $4,000 had been changed.
4AAAs 4/VOnOAy"4AO ACAV1C1I1hu WILL uuu
before November comes that all the wings
of the democratic party will be Hopping
together and we will re-elect Grover Cleve-
land Notwithstanding that some of us may
not agree with him in regard to civil ser
vice reform,
Mr.. Kerr-Will you elect him on the civil
service platform?
Mr.. Dockery-Oh, suppose so. There
is no trouble about that. We will elect
him. [Laughter.l
The bill was read by sections for amend
ment Mr.. Kerr moved to strike out the
appropriation for rent, light and fuel for
third class offices. Lost. Mr.. McRae offered
an amendment providing that fourth class
postmasters shall receive compensation
of $40 per year in addition to the compen-
sation allowed under the existing law.
Ruled out. Mr.. Adams of Illinois moved
to increase from $6,OOO.0OO to $780, 600 the
appropriation for free delivery service.
Rejected. Mr.. McRae of Arkansas moved
to increase from $5,4O0,OOO to 100000 the
appropriation for Star route service. The
motion was advocated by Messrs. McRae,
Symos and Perkins, but was rejected.
Pending final disposition of the bill the
house adjourned.