Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-09
COMPULSORY P|LOTAGE
Ably Defended in the House by
Amos Cummings.
Mr.. PAYNE OPPOSED IT
Pilots S,oud Not Be Paid for Services Never
Rendered.
THE SENATE WAS AMUSED BY Mr.. TGRflE
For an Hour and a Half He Ridiculed Sher-
man and Lodge for the Stand They
Took on the Cuban
Question.
THE SENATE WAS AMUSED BY Mr.. IURfIE

Washington, April S.-The house spent
two hours today in roll calls upon ques-
tions relating to the bill to make the
metric system of weights and measures
the legal system of the United States
after January l, 1901 and finally it was
recommitted to the committee on coin
age, weights and measures. The first
vote was on the motion to order the bill
to third reading That was agreed to-
yeas 119, nays III, not voting lis. A mo-
tion made to reconsider and to lay
that motion on the table, the ordinary
parliamentary device to clinch action
upon measure followed, and the house
refused--132 to 111-to lay the motion TO
reconsider on the table. The motion to
reconsider was then agreed to-142 to go
whereupon the bill was sent back to the
committee.
The bill to repeal the compulsory pilot
age system, still in force in nine SOUTH
ern states, so far as 1t affects sailing
vessels in the ceastwise trade, was then
taken up ard its consideration begun
under an agreement to take vote at
o'clock tomorrow The bill was advocat-
ed by Messrs. Payne, republican, of New
York, and Simpkins, republican, of Mas
sachusetts. and opposed by Messrs Mi
ner, republican, of Wisconsin, and Cum
mings, democrat, of New York.
The conference report on the agricul-
tural appropriation bill was presented
and agreed to.
At $50 O'Clock the house adjourned un-
til tomorrow.
When the bill to abolish compulsory
pilotage was taken up Mr.. Payne ex-
planned the intent and scope of the bill.
The original law relating to pilots, he
said had been passed in 1879. There had
been no change in this law so far as
coastwise sailing vessels were concern
ed, though several states had done away
with this unjust discrimination against
sailing vessels. He read from q table
giving the estimated pilotage receipts
from tonnage of vessels engaged in the
foreign trade at eighteen ports in the
nine states which would be affected by
the bill, showing that in the year ended
June &c. 1896, they were $655, 1893. He paid
a tribute to the courage and endurance
of the pilots, but said it was not superior
to that of the men "who go down to the
sea in Ships" who could not run into
port always when the wind and storm
bore down too hard and who received
comparatively a trifie for their services
before the mast 1t had been asserted
that If this bill were passed many of the
pilots would be compelled to retire. That
might be true; but If it were true, he
asked, was it the duty of congress to
impose tax upon commerce. In order
to maintain certain individuals in idle
ness-to pay for services never rendered?
"It is contended that many of the
southern ports are rendered dangerous
by the shifting channels and by the
changing conditions of the sand bars
and that 81 man must be upon the ground
every day in order to know the danger
GUS places. 1t is hard to believe that this
is true in the ports of Virginia, Geor-
gia, South Carolina, Alabama or Texas
as the legislatures of those states have
declared that their ports are safe, with
out the service of a pilot, If the owner
paid a tax, annual or otherwise. There
is not the slightest danger that the SER
vice will go down, or will even be Sc
riously crippled by the proposed change.
When pilots are necessary and can rem
der real service they will be employed.
When they are not necessary and their
services are not used they should not
be permitted to become a charge upon
interstate commerce.
1.-The principal complaint made to the
committee came from the pilots of Pen
sacola, Fla, and yet 1t appears there
that foreign vessels paid pilots fees
amounting to $49,221 1t also appears
that during the last year and half.
Notwithstanding the fact that any Amer
lean steam vessel may go into any port
free of pilotage, yet every American
steam vessel employed pilot every time
il entered the port of Pensacola. The
simple plain facts remain that where
port is easy of access the pilotage sys-
tenn will depend upon foreign tonnage
for its maintenance; that in every port
difficult or dangerous of access the mas
ter will still employ the pilot and the
service will thus be maintained"
Mr. Miner. republican, of Wisconsin,
who had joined with the minority, ex-
planned that his opposition to the bill
was based upon the belief that II would
not and could not be made practical;
x1af hf,o nd f.f al 90 Qr,aI,n fncr af<xe
were not qualified that they had not
the time to do the work. Mr.. Miner as
serted also that the cost of pilotage was
added to the schedule of freight rates.
so that ultimately the shipper paid for
pilotage and not the ship owner. He ad-
vocated no change in the present law
leaving the states to regulate the matter
of pilotage in their several ports.
Mr. Simpkins of Massachusetts, ar
gued that the existence of the law in
the nine states where the compulsory
piIotage system still obtains is viola
ton Of the constitutional inhibition of
class legislation He said that the vessel
owners had no objection to paying for
pilot service rendered. but they did OBJ
ject to being compelled to pay pilots
for services not rendered.
He quoted figures to show that pilots,
charges in the southern states absorbed
from one-quarter to one-half of the net
profits of trips made to those ports by
vessels from New England.
Mr. Cummings, democrat, of New York,
opposing the bill, said 1t had appeared in
every congress in which he had been a
member and was defeated in
the Fifty-f1rst congress on
question of consideration. 1t was
a bill, he said, in favor of the yes
selowners and against the pilots Was not
the ship owner already sufficiently pro-
teeted? he asked. The coastwise trade
was in the control OF the New England
ship owners. who paid no tonnage dues.
not even clearance and entrance fees,
q gratuity of 81. 100000 or $4,000 900 year
from this government. Mr.. Cummings
called attention to the fact that the ex-
emption OF steamers in the coastwise