The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-12
MONEY FOR THE MAILS.
THE SENATE STICKS TO ITS SUB
SIDY AMENDMENT.

Mr.. Plumb Denies That the Postal Ser
vice in the South and to South Amer
lea is Satisfactory-Mr. Beck Fights
the Subsidy Proposition.
WASHINGTON, July lin the senate
this morning the conference report on the
post-ofElce appropriation bill was presented
The item for post-office clerks for unusual
business is fixed at $4,000 instead of
$4,000.
The item as to rent, light and fuel in
third class post-offices is retained, with a
promise that no contract for rent for such
post-oitices shall be for moro than year.
The item as to postage on seeds is fixed so
as to make postage / cent for every two
ounces.
On the amendment known as the subsidy
clause the conference committee has been
unable to agree. After an explanation by
Mr. Plumb the report was agreed to, and
Mr. Plumb moved that the senate insist on
the subsidy amendment and ask for further
conference
As to the postmaster generals statement
that the existing postal service to the South
and Central America was satisfactory, Mr..
Plumb said that with great respect to that
Official, he did not believe word of it, 1t
might be satisfactory to the posto1fice de-
partment, but it was not satisfactory to the
business public.
THE MAIL TO CUBA.
Mr.. Vest said the entire foreign mail
service of the country now yielded profit
Of between S600,000 aud 100000. If the
$4,000 in the amendment were appro-
priated and were all expended by the Post
(yaDaral rho fOralCrTn mail QarNyina
would still not result in deficiency. The
department now paid 80 cents mile for
Cuban mails between New York and Tampa
and paid more for steamer transportation
between Tampa and Havana than was paid
for all the South American and
Central American countries. Under
this policy with Cuba the system of assim-
ilation was going on in that island, and
some of these days the United States would
have Cuba by natural process and without
war and tile United States would take
possession in the same way of all those
southern countries if it only would apply
to them the same rule of postal facilities
thatit applied at home.
MR. BECK's OPPOSITION.
Mr.. Beck, one of the senate conferees,
said that he had no idea that the house
would agree to the amendment, and did not
believe that it ought to do so. 1t was sub
sidy pure and simple, not wanted by the
postoffice department and not forming part
of its system. As the postmaster had said
the money might just as well be given to a
few men as a bonus, leaving HIM uuembar-
raised by difficulties. He read with favor
able comments communication. from the
Postmaster General, and declared that this
communication demonstrated that during
the time when subsidiZing was begun in this
A country with the Garrison subsidy, the
Roach subsidy, the Pacific mail subsidy, no
trade had been built up and no trade was
intended to be built up.
INTENDED AS AN INJURY
1t was intended to injure existing postal
4 regulations by giving subsidy to a few men
/ at the public expense to the detriment Of
the public service and the injury of every
4 taxpayer. The discussion drifted into a
tariff debate which was carried on at con-
siderable length by Messrs. Reagan, Platt,
MCPHERSON, Salisbury, Hawley, Stewart
| and Call
The motion to insist on the amendment
was agreed to by vote of 2S yeas to 16
nays, as follows:
YEAs-Messrs, ALLISON, Blair, Bowen, Call
Cameron, Chace Cullom. Davis, Dolph, Ed
munlS, Farwell, Frye, German, Hale, Hoar,
ingalls, MCPHERSON, Manderson, Mitchell, Payne.
lIatt, Plumb, Pugh, Sawyer, Spooner, Stewart,
Stockbridge and Teller-2S
NAYs-Nlessrs. Bate, Beck. Berry, Blodgett,
GockreI Colqutt Faulkner George, Hampton,
Hearst Jones of Arkansas, Reagan, Salisbury,
Iurple, Vest and Walthall-l6