Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-07
Senate the Only Branch of
Congress in Session.
One War Measure Passed, Increasing
the Number Of Surgeons.
Post Office Bill Again Discussed pos,,t
Changes and Pensions.

! II Vas biii 10 increase to u the mum.
Der Of surgeons in the United statee
army and to authorize the secretary nj
war to employ as many contract sur
geons as he might deem necessary
Consideration for a bill authorizing tbe
postmaster general to- establish no.t
offices in military posts and camps waa
sought, but under objection il went
over till Monday.
Almost the entire session was CON
sumcd by discussion Of an amend
ment to the post office appropriatio,
bill offered by Pettigrew, S. D., provid-
ing for a reduction Of 90 per cent. in the
compensation of railroads for the
transportation Of mails. The amend
ment' was still pending when the SEN
ate adjourned until Monday.
Rev DR.. Teunis Hamlin pastor Of the
| Church of the Covenant, this city. de-
livered the invocation a the opening of
the Senate, today.
IN requesting a conference upon a
pension bill. Gallinger, n. H., chairman
Of the pension committee, said that the
House had tacitly adopted rule tha.
| in case where the widow Of general
/ officer had no pensiona bic status in the
| pension department, no pension exceed
! ing $50 a month would be granted. but
in such cases where a pension was al
ready being received the pension might
| be increased TO $50 a month
! Gallinger made the statement ne
| said in order that the Senate might
realize the futility Of pressing for pen
sions of $75 or 800 a month. Unob-
jected bills on the pension calendar
were passed.
The consideration of the post Office
appropriation bill was resumed, the
pending question being upon the
amendment offered, yesterday, by Pet
tigrew, s. D. providing for a reduction
of 20 per cent in the amount paid to
railroads for the transportation off the
mails.
Concerning the amendment Quay
pointed out that section of the pend
ing bill provided for a joint commission,
consisting of three members of the
Senate and three of the House. to make
a thorough investigation of the entire
subject touched upon by the amend
ment offered.
He added that a partial investigation
of the matter had been made. This in
yestigation had shown that the amount
paid for the transportation of mail
was much less in proportion than that
paid for the transportation of freight
or express matter.
20 ba ojh of Dat
amendment would result in reducing
the compensation of the railroads &c.,
100000 without any results or as to the
right as to the action.
Pettigrew supported his amendment.
He charged that Ex-Second Assistant
Postmaster General Nelson was only a
creature of the railroads and that ne
had worked in the interest of the rail-
roads.
The committee devoted its forenoon
session to the consideration of a large
number of amendments suggested by
the Republican members to the sched-
ule devoted to stamp taxes. The Dem
ocrats presented their amendment for
tax on corporations. but it was not
taken up for consideration. This
amendment includes tax on insurance
and gas companies.
The present second assistant post
master general, Mr.. Shallenberger.
Pettigrew declared, had been captured
by the clerks beneath hm-clerks who
were put into the department when
railroad officials were at the head of it.
This, hessaid, was the reason why Mr..
Shallenberger in his report had stated
that the rates for carrying the mail
during the past IS years had declined 49
per cent. The only way to ascertain
whether the government was now pay
ing less fcrmail than it paid 10 years
ago. was to figure from what was paid
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 post officials statement
We're utterly inaccurate and valueiess
Pettigrew maintained in the course
of analysis of mail and express statis-
tics that the government paid 10 times
as much for the transportation of mails
as the express companies paid for the
transportation of this matter. He IL
Illustrated what he termed ''the fallacy,
folly and falsehood" of the statements
of Shallenberger before the committee
by presenting express and mail trans
portation figures.
Shallenberger was an honest man ne
believed but he had been imposed upon
by subordinates in the department VINO
had obtained their places through rail-
road influence in the last two admin
istrations. No better results could De
obtained until every one of these fel-
lows was turned out and new crop
put in"
At the conclusion of PettigreWs
speech Quay had the pending bill tenn
porarily laid aside in order that Dill
for the establishment of post offices III
military posts or camps might be CON
sidered Immediately. A communication
from Postmaster General Smith was
read. 1t requested that the proposed
measure be made an amendment TO the
post office BILL but Quay expressed the
belief that it would be better to pass
the bill as a separate measure.
The bin was re-submitted by Chano-
Ter of the post office committee. 1t pro-
vides that during hostiities the post
master general may establish tenn
porary post Office at any military post