Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1896-12-12
'rsgE HOUSE PASSED TMo BILLS.
ssei:..eH to PostsiEicc Ea#tferS-I1r.


Related to E'ostefFicc Ei:itfeYS-Nr.
Grew Revenue.
Washington. Dec. S.-Thc attendance nf
members was large in the house today.
but the galleries We're almost deserted.
After the Journal had been read there
was ii hurried consultation Of MI. Ding
lev and other republican leaders, rs q
result of which it was decided 10 pro
ceed with the regular order, he call ri
committees.
Mr.. Loud Of California. from the com
mittee on pCstofiiccs and post roads call
Cd up the bill to authorize the use Of pli-
vate mailing cards of the same weigh
and form as postal cards. when l-cent
stamp is affixed. The bill. he said, h1I
been approved by the poStohce depart
ment, as it would tend to popularize
postal cards. besides effecting 4 saving
to the government Of the difference be
tween the cost Of the cards and The
stamps. This scheme had been success
fully put in operation in England. where
in six mont hs the number Of such cards
mailed had increased from 2lSo0o, GOO to
:334, 600 00o.
The bill was passed. 1t takes effect
July /, 1897.
Mr.. Loud also called up the bill to pro
vide a limited indemnity for loss of regis
tered mail matter 1t provides that the
indemnity shall not exceed $40 for any
one registered letter but not to exceed
the actual value of the letter. This bill
was also approved by the postotfice de
partment. Mr.. Loud said that on the
basis Of last years statistics the govern
ment could have q revenue of 100000
with liability Of $4,000 There was criti
cism of the bill OH the ground that it
trespassed on the rights of express com
panies. but it passed, 16 to y.
Mr. Loud then called up the bill Of Mr.
Sperry of Connecticut to authorize the
collection and delivery of mail in towns
and villages where no letter carrier serV-
ice exists by employment. under mutual
agreement between citizens, of any per
son to perform the service at a cost not
exceeding / cent for each letter or pack
age at the expense of the beneticiaries.
The Sperry bill passed, 101 to -.
The house then took up the pension
appropriation bill.
Mr. Stone of Pennsylvania briefly eX-
planned that the bill carried $14l .263. $50.
about $75 600 less than the bill for the cur
rent year. The committee he said, did
not feel warranted in making a reduction
Of the estimates for pensions, but did
reduce the amount for attending sur
geons $4,000, and the amount for clerk
hire al the various agencies, 5000 The
latter reduction was made possible by
the system of payment by check inau-
surated this year. There was. he said,
no attempt al legislation in the bill
Nr. Grow Revenue.
Mr.. Grow republican. of Pennsylvania,
ex-speaker of the house. took advantage
of the latitude allowed in debate on an
appropriation bill to attack that portion
Of MIR. ClevelandS S message relating TO
the effects from revenue standpoint
of the enactment of the present law. 1he
deficit for the first years life of the la"
SO. Geo: for the second. $43.00o0uO,
and for the first five months of this year
$40,00o000. Yet. he said. the president had
not seen fit. with these large deficits to
recommend any measure for revenue IN
crease. The necessity for revenue. he
argued. could not be denied in the face
of the figures submitted by the president
himself. 1t was, he declared. purely d
business question He showed that i'm
portations We're increasing and the rev.
enues decreasing.
1t indicated. he said. Il lack of business
capacity in the imposition of duties
Mr.. Grow received a round of applause
from the republican side when he con-
cluded. When the bill was taken up un-
der the tive-minute rule Mr Connolly,
republican, of Illinois. offered an amend
ment to the provision requiring examiil-
ing physicians to state specifically the
rating the applicant for pension is en-
titled to. in their Judgment so as to
make the rating fixed by the examining