The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-07-14
WILL FLY THE STARS AND STRIPES.
Arranging for Carrying American
Mails in Yankee Ships.
Transit Sealing Regulations to Re-
main as Now In force.
Uncle Sans Cash Counted and
Found To Be All There.

WASHINGTON, July 13.-The conferences
which the Postmaster General has been
holding since the passage of the postal aid
bill have attracted little attention, but they
will prove before the results are entirely
worked ont of vast Importance to the whole
country. Under the postal aid act the Post.
master General is empowered to make con-
tracts with American lines for the transpor-
tation of United States mails to foreign
countries. and incidentally, as far as possi-
BILE by these means, to encourage American
commerce and the building of American
ships.
The scope of the bill falls far short of the
intention of the shipping bill which was
first advocated In the two branches of Con-
gress by Senator Frye and Congressman Far
suhar, but the Postmaster General and those
who have been familiar with his purposes
with reference to the limited measure which
became law. and have been familiar, too,
with the patriotic spirit already shown by
the managers of the steamship lines. pre-
dict that the subsidy experiment will be
tried, not only fairly ,sbut successfully. Dur
ing n1ss tne past % two or OF three months the Post
men as Il. K. Thurber, General Ripley and
William M. WINS, directors of the Brazilian
Mail Steamship Company, which runs
steamers between New York city and the
way out; with James Buchanan Houston,
familiarly known as Buck Houston, general
manager of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany's line: with Commodore William H. f.
hughes, of the Ward line, which runs
steamers between New York and the Cuban
and Central American ports; with Clement
A. Griscom, president of the International
Navigation Company. which principally OPP
crates the Inman line of ocean steamers;
with William P. Clyde, president of the
Clyde line. running between New York and
the West Indies; with representatives of the
business organizations of Richmond, Nor
folk. Mobile, New Orleans, Galveston and
other Southern cities, as well as with vari-
GUS persons familiar with the general postal
ana business interests of the United States,
and with the shipping interests of the
world. These conferences were continued
on the 4th of July at the Presidents Cape
May cottage. the summer White House.
Only President Harrison and Postmaster
GENERAL Wanamaker were present, and they
neld another, and probably final conference
there on Saturday
The result of alllthese meetings and these
talks, In which the steamship people have
tne desires and purposes of the Postmaster
General, and In which he has freely made
known his ideas with regard to the new ma
tio1al policy, is the advertisement for bids
AeSA WIZ AOW idWS Is dUUuk To appear
In the papers of 13 of the large cities, all
coast cities. on the two oceans, in which is
set forth what mail service is desired to be
performed by the post office department, and
which call for offers on the part of the diff
ierent steamship companies of the work of
transporting the mails to foreign countries
which they are willing tn perform.
In this way the postal aid bill concerns the
postal service. In another way, and in
way which Is expected to be more important,
though 1t is only incidental, 1t is likely to
stimulate American commerce, for with the
completion Of the reciprocity treaties with
the countries to the south, and with the ad-
0itionaI means of transportation, to say
nothing OF better facilities for mali commu.
nicaiion, it could hardly be possible trat the
manufacturing and agricultural products of
tne whole United States could fail to be en-
largt d and made more profitable The ad-
yertisement will be printed in the 13 cities
Tor three months. Then the bids will be
opened, and then still further and still hard
er labor will devolve upon Mr.. Wanamaker
In the examination of these propositions and
IN the actual drafting and awarding of the
contracts = -