The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-20
STAR ROUTES DISCUSSED
Consideration of the Postal Code
Bill in the House.
Omnibus Mail Contractors De-
nounced by Mr.. Norton of Ohio
Charges That They Employ Fraud
and Perjury in subIetfing Agree
ments - Mr.. Gaines ON the Trusts,

Consideration of the bill to revise and
codify the laws relating TO the Postofiice
Department and postal service was con-
tnued by the House of Representatives
in Committee of the Whole yesterday. The
reading of the bill was resumed at 1910
o'clock at section 208, and when the cCm-
mittee rose at 4:05 o'clock section $50 had
been disposed of. Twenty-three pages
were considered, making a total Of ia
disposed of during the two days in which
the measure has been under discussion,
and leaving 1O7 pages yet to be acted en-.
tie length of the bill being 221 pages.
The House. directly after having re-
solved itself into Committee of the Whole,
with Mr.. Lawrence in the chair. took up
the Code bill. On motion of Mr.. Swan
son, the provision directing that extra
payment be made TO letter carriers en-
ployed more than forty-eight hours week
was stricken out for the reason that it
might be construed to mean that letter
carriers could be employed more than
forty-eight hours a week.
AT amendment TO the section direct
ing the Postmaster General to prescribe
regulations for the performance Of the
special delivery service was proposed by
Mr.. Lentz prohibiting Postmasters from
contracting with corporations or partner
ships for the delivery of letters in this
service or in any way delivering them eX-
cept by person or persons in the direct
employ of the Postofice Department. Ex-
planning the proposition, MIR. Lentz said
that the postmaster at Columbus, Ohio.
had contracted with the Mutual District
Telegraph Company to deliver special de-
livery letters and the company made
handsome profit off the business. II would
be as proper, in his opinion, to contract
with corporation for the delivery of the
entire mail in any city as for part.
Mr.. Loud had no knowledge of such
practice in the postal service as alleged
by Mr.. LentZ, and the section GID was
passed over without prejudice.
The discussion of subletting the deliy-
cry of letters brought Mr.. Gaines TO his
feet with the question: Mr.. Chairman,
/ would like to ask the chairman of the
committee who reports this bill if there
is any provision made in the bill for the
exclusion of commercial trusts from the
use Of the mails in the transaction of
their business?"
Mr. Loud do not think so. l will
say there is no law at present on the
incorporate. whatever our views may have
been, any new legislation in the bill that
might be such legislation as might pro-
woke considerable discussion on the floor.
What We have incorporated in here Is
what we term existing law.
Mr.. Gaines-It is really old law, and
no new law?
Mr. Loud-That is II.
Mr.. Gaines said: Il want to call the |
attention of the House to the fact that |
under this section we are invoking, and |
in very drastic way, the power of the |
Government over our postal system in a /
manner that would go very far II en- |
ployed against the trusts, whether found |
guilty or not under State or national laws, 1
to crush trusts out of existence. We have /
done so in the case of lotteries. We have |
gone SO far that, although the Supreme /
Court of Louisiana and the Supreme Court |
Of the United States held the Louisiana
Company was a chartered concern, and I
had a right to exist under the Louisiana
laws. under the plenary power of the
postal system that concern was crushed /
absolutely, not only out of louisiana but
driven out Of the United States. And we
went still further and stopped il sending
any business through the mails from
foreign country TO this country.
"Mr. Chairman, I introduced and had
referred to the committee reporting this
bill, bill 10 exclude trusts from the use
of the mails. That bill has not been re-
ported, and no action taken upon It. This
plan of my bill was taken up and incor-
porsted in the Littlefield bill, but the Lit
tlefeld bill did not go so far as mine
goes That bill undertook to confne the
operation Of the law in 80 far as il goes
TO bar from the use of the mails only such
trusts as have been found guilty unoer
the interstate commerce provision OF the
Constitution, whereas my bill proposes
TO exclude them from the mails II they are
found guilty of violating any State law.
Il desire TO challenge the committees
attention 10 the fact that We have power
here and now 10 exclude from the use of
the mails every trust found guilty of being
q trust and obnoxious to State or Federal