The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-28
THE TONNAGE BILL WAS DEFEATED.
But the Postal Subsidy Bill went
Through All Right.
Senator blair Will Co Among the ce-
iestIaIs of the East.
The Senate PegsIng Away on APpro-
priation Bills and Pensions.


Especial to the PreS5.l
WASHINGTON, February 27.-The debate
on the shipping bill was finished and the vot-
Ing began. The proceedings beginning with
the voting were extraordinary throughout.
The House has had before 1t two bills that
passed the Senate last session ia tonnage bill
to give subsidies to sailing and steam vessels
In the foreign trade, in order to put them on
an equality with the vessels of foreign ma
tions. and postal subsidy bill to pay steam
ers for carrying the United States mails to
foreign countries. The two bills were put
into one in the House largely through the in
fuence of the Maine members, in order to
give the tonnage plan, in which Maine is
most interested, all the strength it could get
from association with the mail subsidy plan.
The voting today disclosed that together
these two plans wese- strong enough 10 COM
mand a majority. The combination bill was
brought into the House under the order clos
ing debate at o'clock this afternoon, and
the voting began at that hour. On ordering
the bill to third reading the yeas and nays
were taken, and the bill was defeated-I47
to 143 1t had been expected that dozen
Democrats would vote for the bill, but only
three came co time, Messrs. Cummings
and Spinola of New York and Biggs
of California. A considerable number Of Re-
pubicans ON the other hand broke from
their party and voted against the bill. Among
them were BuEterworth of Ohio, Bayne Of
Pennsylvania, C0nnell of Nebraska, Lehl-
back of New jersey, McCOmas of Maryland,
LaFollette Of Michigan. and several other
western men, to the number of over doZ-
en-. Upon the announcement of the vote
Mr.. Dingley was promptly upon his feet with
motion to reconsider. The opponents of
the bill tried to table this motion, but as
some absent Republicans had arrived they
failed by vote Of 149 to 146 Then Mr.:
Dlngley pressed his vote to reconsider and
carried it 14S to 143. There was great excite-
ment and confusion in the hall at this time
and every effort was made to bring in absent
members. General Henderson Of Illinois,
was brought to the house in spite of the or
conversation in the hall made it difficult to
preserve order, as the closeness of the
contest provoked conversation between in
diyidual members to great extent.
The vote for third reading being taken
again 1t was carried IA to 145. Mr.. Dingley
so far had made well out of his reconsidera-
tlon, although the majority was small. But
Mr.. Cannon of Illinois, has long been known
as Republican leader from the West who Is
hostile to the feature giving subsidies to mer-
chant vessels not carrying mails. SO far he
has voted with Mr.. Dingley, but now, when
the question comes to the final passage, Mr..
Cannon comes forward with a motion To re-
commit the bill with instructions to report
"
the features Of the subsidies for mail steam
ers. Upon rising vote this is carried 165 to
Co. On the yeas and nays there Is great div
isi0n of parties at first. The Maine men ON
the floor, Dingley, BOutelle and Milliken
who have gathered together in the front row
on the Republican side vote at first against
the recOmmittal, because II would mean a
blow at the tonnage feature in which Maine
is principally Interested. But 1t is very
difficult position for them. If they vote
against recommittal and thereby defeat it.
Mr.. Cannon and his coterie will turn around
and vote against the bill thereby defeating 1t
probably beyond hope. So while many
changes are going on. especially among the
Democrats, who have 0ncluded that they
can do most to defeat the bill by voting
against Tecommittal the Maine men changed
their votes to affirmative. Their three votes
turn out to be sufficient to turn the scale aud
the Dill is recommitted by the close vote of
l43 to 142. The Maine men have voted as
they did because they thought it best to get
even postal subsidy bill passed and then
trust to the chances of the conference COM
mlttee TO get such advantage as tney may be
able. 1t is forlorn hope for them at best.
The House having recommtted the bill with
instructions to the committee
on merchant marine and fish
cries to report forthwith the postal
subsidy bill. Mr.. Far0uhar. chairman of the
committee, at once rose and reported the pos
tai bill, saying that he does it with reluc-
tance, but at the order of the House. The
DILL Wnlcn ne reported gives no subsidies to
steam or sailing merchant vessels, but en-
powers the Postmaster General to make such
contracts with American citizens as will Sc
cure the carrying Of mails to foreign nations
in American built steamers. The OBJECT be-
ing TO promote the postal commercial inter
ests of the United States
The bill is very nearly the same as the pos
tai subsidy bill passed by the Senate las. ses-
sion, but has been changed in certain par
ticulars which will necessitate conference
committee with the Senate if 1t passes the
douse. The Democrats raised a point of
order TO prevent the immediate considera-
tion Of the substitute bill, but these were
overriden by the Speaker who made such
clear and convincing statements of parlia-
mentary law that the Democrats acquiesced.
Then the Democrats made motion to lay
the substitution bill on the table, which will
be equivalent to defeating it should it be
carried, but the motion is defeated 146 to
129. Then the next yea and nay vote is tax
en- on the passage of the bill, which Is car
ried, 140 to 100. The postal subsidy plan has
succeeded; but the tonnage plan has been
put aside.
The tonnage feature would have been safe
with ten Democratic votes, which 1t should
have had. 1t should be noticed also that
free ship amendment introduced in the
course of the contest received but one Re-
publican vote, but the whole Democratic
vote.