The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-03-25

IuftEer hOVdpce the Digu stADuaI0
that has been reached by the Rail-
way Mail Service train schedules
that now prevail.
Nov, / call special attention to
this closing seetence. Postmaster
General Wanamaker says:
In dwelling so fully upon the sub
ject Of allowances for spec;sl facil-
ties, / do not wish to be understood
as criticising the occasion which
first led to the granting of them.
That is the Postma ster Generals
report for 1890.
This is from Postmaster General
Wanamaker's report for 1891. /
ask the Secretary to read the two
paragraphs beginning with "No
recommendation"
The VICE PRESIDENT. The Sec
retary will read as Indicated.
The Secretary read as follows:
No recommendation has been
made for the customary Specialize
cility allowance for the next fiscal
year, because | do not believe there
exists occasion for perpetuating the
preferential method whereby a linz
tied number Of railroads would be
paid both ordinary and special trans
portation and full car compensation,
while other railroads, performing
precisely the same character Of SER
vice, can be allowed nothing more
than the compensation which we are
by statute permitted to pay for Or
dinarv transnOrf ation
The continuance of the special
facility allowance has for some
years past been the source Of much
annoyance to the Department, and
has hampered the best interests of
the mail service, because, railroads
operating in contiguous territory,
and to some extent paralleling the
roads which received the extra pay,
object to rendering equally good or
quicker schedule mail service except
they be paid corresponding rates.
They ask that all be treated alike.
When the special-facility payments
were first started, it was we'll under
stood that they were but temporary,
so as to bridge over a period until
the natural growth of the mails
would yield sufficient compensation
to do away with occasion for addi-
tional allowances. This was as ia,
back as 1879, since which time the
aggregate yearly compensation tc
the railroad drawing the special ia
cillty allowances for ordinary mai
and car transportation, independent
of the special service has more thar
doubled. so that ordinary compen
sation, even after the reduction O
this year, will be greatly in excess
of ordinary and special compensa
tion added together ten years ago
and as most of the special facillt.
routes will have their compensation
readjusted, commencing with July l
1892, when their pay, it is estimated
will be increased still further, a
, least 20 per cent. this Office has no
felt satisfied in recommending tn
continuance, after June 80, 1892, o
any portion of the present special
facility allowance.
/ Mr.. BUTLER. Mr.. President, tn
Postmaster, g eneral not only refuse
. to recommend an appropriation, bu
he states that this special subsid
. business is an annoyance and
IS hindrance to the Post Office D.
partment. He states 1t is upjus
u He does not say that men come hel
d and lobby Congress for the speci'
subsidies, but he calls attention
) how unjust Congress is to fix raj
b and then to pick out certain lines
+ railroads and pay them a subsid
which is not necessary to get the ia
> mail facilities, that is an annoyan'
: to the Department in managing tt
postal system.
L. Mr.. President, was there ever
le case before, besides the special ms
l. facilities, where Congress delibe
T. ately and persistently continued
'r appropriate large sums of mon'
when the Department recommend
h against it7 Who can give any go'
a reason for i,G Who has shown tn
30 the Department did not know what
to was talking aboutq Who has ev
ar answered the statements of t
al Postmaster G General and shown ht
is this would help the fast mail faci
ties when he says it will not, and
OF not neededP
k Postmasters General have So
wear after year that it was throwi
of the money away. They have
. peatedly stated they had rather +
to have il; that it was an annoyan
n that it was unfair; that it was d
ot eliminating, and that they could
n, all the fast mail facilities they me-
he ed under the discretion given tn
by the statutory law that has be
as read today-section 1902 of the
ar vised Statutes.
&C. l want to know why; what I'M
ire ence, what pressure, it is that p
err through this subsidy year after y
ed and no reason given for it. 1t d
en- not add one hour, one minute, as
,ut Postmas General states, to
on- mail facilities; it does not make
lch time quicker; it does not impr
,Ds the service, and yet here we '
md away this money as free gift.
ro- think it would be just as well
.er- move that this money be approp
ont ted direct to the Sound Money c
to in New. York. Why not do tha'9
ant we are going to throw it away, If
not are going to give it to railr
ose corporations that contribute la
of amounts of money to the gold-tl
campaign fund, let us send it di
hat to the Sound Money Club OF
eral York-this William street perfe
tart ance, this Wllham street reform
ak that has been fl ,oding this coul
ack with gold literature and mono
Literature, while 1t was charging
ON silver men with disturbing bust
,uld by talking for financial reform.
CO. that stuff has been going out as
the ularly as clockwork, and this
, as railroad here asking q subsidy
punt been CHEF k by jowl with this
avor corn. with tie gold trust OF