The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-19
STAR ROUTE RING DENOUNCED
EVILS OF PRESENT SYSTEM MAY
BE ABOLISHED.
Senate Provides That Contractors
Must Reside On the Route Where
the Service Is Performed. =

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1S.-The senate
spent most of the day on the postoffice
appropriation bill but failed to COM
plete it. After an animated discussion
/ of the pneumatic tube system. Mr..
! Cullom's amendment increasing the ap-
propriation for the purpose and design
| ed to extend the system to Chicago was
! tabled. An echo of the old star route
| developments was heard when several
| senators criticised the method by which
/ a combination of spectators secured
the star route contracts. A number OF
/ hills of minor Importance were passed
early in the day. At o'clock tributes
to the memory of the late Representa-
! tive Sinpkins of Massachusetts We're
pronounced.
A bin was passed amending section
1896 of the revised statutes, so that
when an applicant for a patent becomes
insane. pending the granting of pat
ent. the guardian, conserVator or rep
resentative of the inventor shall pro-
coed and obtain the patent and hold 1t
in trust for his estate.
Consideration of the postoffice appro-
priation bill was then resumed.
MIR. Cullom of Illinois offered an
amendment appropriating $4,000 in
stead of S225, 600, as provided by the bill,
for the extension of the pneumatic TUBE
mail service, either by purchase or
otherwise. He presented long petit
ton from business men of Chicago,
urging that the city be given the bene-
fit of the pneumatic tube service and
tbe idea. of his amendment was that 1t
should be extended to Chicago.
Mr.. Quay, in charge of the bill, Ia
vored the use of pneumatic mail tubes,
but was inclined not to admit the pro-
amendment
the bill.
MIR. Wolcott (Colo.), chairman of the
postal commission appointed by con-
gress in opposing the amendment, de-
clared that it would cost $25,G00,000
year to properly maintain a pneumatic
tube service in the principal cities OF
the countries. Mr. WolcOtt said the
pneumatic tube service hau come 70
stav. but there should be a well-con-
sidered plan devised by the government
for. the introduction of the service. lest
If become involved in serious difficult
ties. Mr.. Pettigrew vigorously OPP
posed the adoption of the service I'M
less il could he operated under govern
ment ownership. Mr.. Mason and MI
Cullom advocated the amendment.
The amendment was tabled, 20 to %.
The bill was amended by extending
the ranking privilege to the Hawaiian
islands.
A spirited controversy arose over the
senate amendment that star route bid
ders shall reside on the route where the
service is to be performed.
Mir. Stewart upheld the amendment.
declaring that at present the country
was divided up by combination of
star route speculative bidders, who
sub-let the contracts to local bidders.
The amendment was allowed to stand
with a suggestion from Mr. Jones of
Arkansas that the conferees provide
against sub-letting of star route bids.
The bill was not completed when at
4 n m. the senate TODD up the special
order of euIogies on the lats Represen-
tative John Simpkins of Massachusetts,.
At 1850 p. m. the senate adjourned.