Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-25
House Eliminates Provision for Pneu-
matte Tube Service.
Mr.. MOODY CAUSES 4 SENSATION
Senate Adopts Conference Report
on Hawaii.
THE SCOTT ELECTION CASE

At the opening of the session of the
House today William H. King, who served
in the Fifty-fifth Congress from the state
OF Utah, was sworn in as a representative
from that state to succeed Brigham H.
Roberts. who was denied a seat.
Without preliminary business the House
resumed consideration of the post office
appropriation bill. The item appropriating
sI25 $50 for pneumatic tube service, an in
crease of s5OO.CoO over the appropriation
for the current year. was the subject of
two hours debate under the arrangement
previously made.
Mr.. Little (Ark.) opposed the pneumatic
tube service. which, he held. was unneces-
Sary and of no material benefit in expedit-
ing the mails. The charges for the service
in New York, he said, were outrageously
sxorbitant. The government was paying
S31 500 a mile rental for six-inch iron pipe
besides the cost Of operating the machines.
Opposes Pneumatic Tube Service.
Mr.. Moody (Mass.) also opposed the ex-
tension of the tube service. If it was en-
tered upon, he said. it would add in the
near future millions to the already swollen
expenditures of the Post Office Department.
Using this item as a text Mr.. Moody made
an urgent plea for retrenchment in public
expenditures. Every branch of the public
service he said, was asking for its share OF
the enormous revenues Wn1Cn were DeluS
collected.
The tube service ne said, had been con-
structed by contractors who took their pay
in stock and bonds. The only asset of the
company was its contract with the gov
eminent.
Il regret to say" continued Mr.. Moody,
deliberately, that one of the principal
holders of these stocks and bonds was a
member of this House and a member Of
the committee on appropriations
Give his name" shouted Mr.. Livings-
ton CGaD.
Il will not" replied Mr. Moody Then
he added another sensational statement, TO
the effect that large block of the stock
of the concern had been sent to near rela-
tive of a prominent member of the House
as a New Year gift.
But I am proud to say said Mr.. Moody,
that the return mail carried back that
dishonoring and dishonorable gift
When the applause that greeted this
statement had died out Mr.. Moody ap-
pealed to the House not to indorse this
sort of a transaction"
Mr.. Moody disclaimed any intention of
rejecting upon the post Office committee.
which he highly commended. He was es-
pecially glowing in his praise of Mr.. Loud,
the chairman of the committee. Mr.. Moody
said he had been appealed to by CONNER
cial bodies of Boston to aid in the extern
sion of this service but he refused to close
his eyes to his duty in this matter. He
charged that companies in all the large
cities of the country were preparing to raid
Congress in behalf of further extension of
the tube service.
Mr.. Bingham Pa) thought in view of the
disclosures of Mr.. Moody that the testi-
nony which sustained them should be
printed in the Record and with Mr. Mood IS
assent it was agreed to place the testi-
nony in the Record.
Mr.. Bingham said that Congress was not
concerned with the question of morals in
Volved In an ex-assistant postmaster gen
erai taking service with corporation, but
with the question whether the tube serv-
ice was valuable in expediting the mails
| He earnestly favored the extension of the
service. The Postmaster General, he said
| had said that the service could be ex-
tended to twenty-seven cities for 2.5U0, 900
He had said the benefits of such an ex-
tension would be without limit and the
compensation less than the word "rea-
sonab1e' implied The proposed appropria-
| ton would extend the service to Chicago
and extend the service in Philadelphia
| New York and Boston.
The Paragraph Struck Out.
Mr.. Moon (Tenn) moved to reduce the
appropriation carried by 1t to the amount
| carried by the present law. s225. 1000. He
subsequently modified his amendment to
| provide for the entire elimination Of the
| paragraph.
II was adopted, 81 to 80