The record-union., 1896-03-04

class which is not in its form or nature
liable TO destroy, deface or otherwise
damage the contents of the mail bag.
or harm the person CT anyone engaged
in the postal service, and is not above
the weight provided by law, which is
hereby declared to be not exceeding
four pounds for each package thereof,
except in case of single books weighing
in excess of that amount, and except
for books and documents published or
circulated by order of Congress, or writ
ten or printed official matter emanating
from any of the departments of the
Government or from the Smithsonian
Institution, or which is not declared
non-mailable under the provisions of
Section 2S93 of the Revised Statutes as
amended by the Act Of July II, 1876 or
matter appertaining to lotteries, gift
concerns or fraudulent schemes or de-
vices
After short executive session the
Senate, at 5:15, adjourned until to-
morrow
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
WASHINGTON, March 3.-The
House in Committee of the Whole re-
newed consideration of the fee and sal
ary amendment to the legislative, exec
utive and judicial appropriation bill.
Updegraff Rep) of Iowa, who re-
ported the amendment as an independ-
ent measure, further explained it's pro-
visions and the. reasons actuating the
committee on the judiciary in coming
to the conclusion expressed in the bill.
The bill, he said, had no partisanship
in it, and had received the earnest sup
port of Attorney Harmon and
the Department of Justice.
The amendment was further advo-
Gated by Swanson (Dem) of Virginia,
McRae Dem) of Arkansas, Brown
(Rep) of Tennessee and Burton (Rep)
of Missouri
The discussion was interrupted by
Hit CRep) of Illinois, Chairman Of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, who
asked the adoption of a resolution ask
ing the Senate to return the Cuban res
olutions agreed to yesterday. They were
reported to the Senate as House con-
current resolutions, instead of sub
stitute for the Senate resolutions, and
they were brought back to be corrected
in the manner indicated. The resolution
was agreed to.
The debate upon the fee and salary
amendment was resumed. Most of the
speakers expressed regret that the bill
did not go further and put United States
Commissioners in the list of salaried
officers, believing that that step would
do more to discourage and prevent
frivolous and unwarranted prosecution
than any other, but they were willing to
take the amendment as the best thing
that could be obtained at present.
Hartman (Rep.) of Montana, while
giving his approval to the purpose and
principle of the amendment, attacked
the inequalities of salaries conferred in
the. measure. These inequalities, he
asserted, affected the officials in Mon
tana most seriously. OF fourteen States
Montana returned the largest net
amount of fees to the treasury but the
salaries provided in the bill for the
United States Attorney and Marshal
for that State were lower than those
of all the other thirteen save two. He
gave notice that he would move a Sc
ries of amendments intended to correct
these faults.
While Gardner was speaking the
Cuban resolutions were returned to the
House from the Senate in response to
the request made some time previously
General debate on the amendment
was closed by Connolly (Rep) of Illi-
nois, who advocated its adoption. He
would welcome, he said, the day when
the entire system would be wiped off
the statute books.