The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-05-07
Postoffice Officials Under the Influ-
ence of the Railroads.
SHARP TALK IN SENATE
REDUCTION IN COST
OF CARRYING MAILS.
Pettigrew Demanded That the Com
pensation Be Scaled Down 20 Per
Cent and Declared That the Second
Assistant Postmaster General Was
the Creature of the Railroads.

Washington, May Elm the senate a
bill granting the Santa Fe and Grand
Canyon Railroad company right of way
through the Grand canyon forest res
ervation in northern Arizona was
passed.
| In requesting a conference upon a
pension bill Mr.. Gallinger. On. H,
chairman of the pension committee,
said that the house had tacitly adopted
a rule that in cases where the widow
of a general officer had no pensionable
status in the pension department, no
! pension exceeding $50 a month would
| be granted. but in such cases where a
pension was already being received, the
pension might be increased to $50 a
month. Mr.. Gallinger made the state
ment, he said. in order that the senate
might realize the futility of pressing
| for pensions of SIS or 800 a month.
The consideration of the postoffice
appropriation bill was resumed, the
pending question being upon the
amendment offered yesterday by Mr..
Pettigrew Is. d. providing for reduc-
ton of 20 per cent in the amount paid
to railroads for transportation of the
mails.
Mr.. Quay pointed out that the amount
pdl1 LII lIlc Il dilSpOl VI IllCill was
much less in proportion than that paid
for the transportation of freight or eX-
press matter. Mr.. Quay then read
some of the statements made on the
subject before the senate committee,
in order, as he said, sarcastically, ito
prepare for the political diatribes
which are to follow my remarks"
After the reading of the statements
by the clerk, Mr.. Quay said the adOp-
ton of Mr.. Pettigrew's amendment
would result in reducing the compensa-
ton of the railroads $6.000000 without
any evidence as to the righteousness
of the action. He maintained that in
vestigation ought to be made before
any action was taken.
Mr.. Pettigrew supported his amend
ment. He said that the statements
presented by Mr. Quay were purely ex-
parte in their nature.
CREATURE OF THE RAILROADS.
The railroad officials presented their
own statements of fact and drew their
own conclusions from them. He did
not regard this as evidence. He charged
that ex-Second Assistant Postmaster
General Nelson was only a creature of
the railroads and that he had worked
in the interest of the railroads. The
present second assistant postmaster
general, Mr.. Shallenberger Mr.. Petit
grew declared. had been captured by
the clerks beneath him-clerks who
were put into the department when
railroad officials were at the head of it.
This. he said. was the reason why Mr..
Shallenberger, in his report, had stated
that the rates for carrying mail during
the past Is years had declined 40 per
cent. The only way to ascertain
whether the government was now pay
ing less for mail than it had Is years
l. =
then, what is paid now and the weights
of the mail for the two periods This
he had figured out and was prepared
to say that the postoffice officials state
ments were utterly inaccurate and val
uelesS.
Mr.. Pettigrew maintained that the
government paid ten times as much for
transportation Of the mails as the eX-
press companies paid for the transpor-
tation of their matter. He illustrated
what he termed the "fallacy. folly and
falsehood'' of the statements of Mr.
Shallenberger before the committee by
presenting express and mail transpOr-
tation figures.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Pettigrew's
speech, Mr.. Quay had the pending bill
temporarily laid aside in order that a ]
bill for the establishment of postoffices
in the military posts or camps might
be considered Immediately.
Upon the objection of Mr. Pasco, /
Florida, the bill went over Considera-
ton of the postoffice appropriation bill
was then resumed.
OPPOSES REDUCTION. I
Mr.. Faulkner CIV. Va. presented a
strong argument against the Pettigrew
He declared that it would
destroy many Of the railroads in his (
own state, fully one-third of those in
the southern states and many through /
out the country. He presented an
elaborate analysis of the evidence adj
duced upon the subject by the post
offices and post roads committee, of
which he is a member, to show that
both the statements of railroad officials
and officials of the postoffice depart