Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-06-24

dar.
THE PROPOSED woMAN's UNIVERSITY.
Mr.. Blair stated that the bill introduced by
him yesterday for the establishment of
womans university had been prepared by him
at the request of the Woman's National League,
and that Mrs. Charlotte Smith had been par
ticularly active in securing the names of incor-
porators
AND IF so, WHY?
Mr.. Blair offered resolution (Which was
| agreed to) calling on the Secretary Of the
Treasury for information as to claims
and accounts adjusted and due to SOL
aiers and sailors and other creditors Of the
United States, of which there is reason to be-
lleve the creditors are ignorant, and
whether or not knowledge thereof is withheld
from such creditors by the practice Of his de-
partment; and, if so, why?
Mr.. Call gave notice that he would tomorrow
call up the adverse report from the committee
on foreign relations on the resolution intro
duced by him relating TO the independence of
Cuba for the purpose of submitting some re-
marks to the Senate.
THE NAVAL APPROPRIATION BILL.
The conference report on the naval appro-
priation bill was presented and agreed to-
THE POST OFFICE APPROPRIATION BILL.
The Senate then proceeded to the considera-
tion of the post Office appropriation bill The
following are the amendments recommended
by the committee on appropriations: Increas-
ing the item for mail depredations. post office
inspectors fees and expenses from $3.50 900 to
S3OO.OOO; increasing the items for clerks in
post offices from -, 200, 900 to $3.50, 900: re-
dIclng the item for mail locks and KEYS from
S50,0u0 to $4,000
In giving the item for transportation of for
elgn mails from S664 900 to S7l2, 600 and adding
| to the Item these words And from this appro-
priatlOn the Postmaster General is hereby
authorized to expend the sum of S4S. 900, or so
much thereof as may be necessary, to cover one
half OF the cost of transportation. compensation
and expense of clerks to be employed in assort-
ing and pouching mails in transit on steamships
between the United States and other postal ad-
mlnlstratlons In the international postal union.
cRIFICIsING THE POSTMASTER GENERAL.
In relation to the first amendment Mr.
Gowan spoke in condemnation of the Post
master Generals plan for having additional
detectives to inquire into small matters as
whether the patrons Of a post Office are salts
fed that the business Of the Office is reason
ably well performed; whether the post
master employs members of his own
family; whether intoxicating liquors are
cold IN the post office building and
other small matters. He thought that there
was something rather ridiculous about all this
Under the Postmaster Generals theory all the
post offices of the country were under his SUPER
vision, everything was centered in Washing
ton and the policy Of hundred
years COT relying on the people Of
each locality to ascertain whether
postmaster was discharging his duty at the lit
tie crossroads post oflices) WAS to be departed
from. The existing system had worked well in
the past. There was no reason why the Post
master General should now enter on the work
OF ascertalning how much whisky was drunk in
post office building, or whether the postmas-
ter had his wife or daughter attending the post
office.
WHAT MR. GoRMAN OBJECTS TO.
Ample provision was made for the employ
ment Of special agents to inquire into mail
depredations and such things, but what he OBJ
lected to was the proposition of the
Postmaster General to enter upon a system
such as he had suggested in a state
ment made by him before the House
post office committco-divlding the county
into twenty six distri t with chief detective
Tor each district and with corps of detectives
to be used for visiting localities and getting .in
touch with the people"
The Postmaster General had nothing
to do with the people except to
obey their WILL He (Mr. Gorman) did not
want any Postmaster General to have a force
under him whose avowed duty it might be to
go around among the people and get ''in touch
with them" The time might come when the
Postmaster General would be more of a poll
tician than the present one, and might want to
otherwise.
Mr.. PLUMB's COMMENTS
MIR. Plumb. in charge of the bill. expressed
his concurrence in most of Mr. Gorman's re-
marks. but said the increase recommended was
simply to increase the efficiency of the existing
force OF post office inspectors. He knew the
American people better than the Postmaster
General did, and knew that if there was any
lack on the part of postmaster, il there was
dafacf m OH Al
people would complain OF it. The Postmaster
General he thought, entirely msconceiyed
his relations to postmasters and their relations
to him. The system proposed by him would
set IN motion every element of scandal and
back kbiting.
1t would be an unwarrantable intrusion
something which found no parallel in private
business and which ought not to be for a single
instant tolerated in the public service.
In reply to question Mr.. Plumb stated that
the aggregate appropriations in the bill were
S72, ,464 19S, being S7,O47, 1861 more than the es-
timated revenue.
THE AMENDMENT AGREED TO.
The amendment was agreed to-
INTERNATIONAL SEA POST OFFICES,
In connection with the last amendment Mr..
Plumb sent to the clerks desk and had read
communication from Mr.. VIM. Potter, who had
been deputed by the department.
to arrange with the British French,
and German governments for international sea
post offices on transatlantic mail steamship
analogous to railway post Offices The English
government MIR. Potter says) had submitted
proposition, but had made a condition that the
United States adopt the parcel post "a question
which he had no power to consider as it
affected tariff arrangements. The French Off
cials declined the proposition. alleging their
short tenure of Office. But the Ger
man officials had accepted the PROPOSE
tions and the amendment was to carry
out the arrangement on the two lines of Ger
man transatlantic steamers, the United States
defraying one-half the cost
Mr.. German opposed the amendment and
Mr.. Blackburn argued in favor of it.
The amendment was advocated by Messrs.
Plumb, Hawley and Frye-the discussion drift
ing into the question Of subsidy for carrying
ocean mails.
THE BILL PASSED.
The amendment was agreed to, and the bill
was passed.
The Senate then proceeded to the considera-
sion of the diplomatic and consular appropria-
ton bill
HOUSE.
After the journal had been read Mr., Springer
GIL called attention to the fact that it showed
that the legislative appropriation bill as
| amended by the Senate had been re-
ferred to the appropriations committee With
out reference to the House. He said that