The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-18

The House of Representatives, in Com
mittee of the Whole, entered yesterday
upon consideration of the bill to revise
and codify the laws relating to the Post
Office Department and the postal service.
The reading for amendment of ninety-one
of the 221 pages of the bill had been com
pleted at the time of adjournment.
When the House met at noon there were
only ffty-seven members in the chamber,
the small attendance being accounted for
by the fact that large number of Repre-
| sentatiyes were in the Senate to witness
| the administration of the oath to Matthew
S. Quay as Senator from Pennsylvania.
The special order in the House was the
! Postal Code bill. but at the suggestion of
| Mr.. Bingham, of the Committee on Appro-
priations, and by unanimous consent, this
| order was so modified as to become a con-
| tinuing order, that the bill might not in
terfere with general appropriation bills,
conference reports, and private bills on
J Friday. The House. without preliminary
! business, resolved itself into the Commit
! tee OF the Whole, on the consideration OF
| the bill, with Mr.. Lawrence Of Massachu-
| SettS IN the chair.
| The first reading was dispensed with,
| and Mr. Loud, Chairman Of the Committee
| on Postoffices and Post Roads, was rec
| ognized, that he might explain the pro-
visions of the pending measure. He said
that the last revision of the postal laws
both civil and criminal, was made by the
act of June 8, 1872, which revision with
slight changes, was incorporated in the
Revised Statutes as Title XLVI The
rptp IN ha
ment are comprised in Title TX of the
Revised Statutes, and other sections re-
latins TO the Postcfiice Department, the
Postal Service, and the office of the Audi
tor of the Postofice Department, which
are CLASSIFIED under various titles Of the
Revised Statutes, are included in the
pending bill. Numerous amendments to
these laws and many additional provis-
ions have been enacted by Congress
These amendments and subsequent stat
utes have been Incorporated in this re-
vision, and alterations have been made
to reconcile apparent differences.
Changes have also been made in the
phraseology of existing laws for the sake
of clearness or uniformity, and in several
instances different statutes relating to
the same subject have been consolidated
The laws relating TO offences against
the postal service were revised by the
revise and codify the criminal and penal
laws of the United States, which revi-
sion was reported to Congress by the
Attorney General under date of February
"A, 1888, and is incorporated in the bill
NO changes of consequence have been
made in the criminal laws as revised by
the commission, except that in all cases
where a minimum punishment is pre-
scribed this provision has been omitted
1t being the opinion of the committee
that the question of punishment, within
the maximum fixed by law, should be left
to the discretion of the courts
Several new criminal provisions which
were not called to the attention of the
commission by the Postoffice Department
at the time the criminal revision was
prepared are included in the bill
At 1880 the reading of the bill by para
graphs was begun. When section was
reached, which provides that there shall
be in the Postoffice Department four as
sistant postmasters general, who shall be
appointed by the President by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate.p
Mr.. Hepburn moved to amend by striking
out the words by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate" There was
no constitutional requirement, he said. TO
that effect, and il was an unwise and I'M |
necessary extension of the power of the |
Senate at the expense of the President |
II would enable the Senate TO hold up the !
President and compel such appointments
as We're satisfactory to them. The !
amendment was rejected, 10 to 81.
When section 81 of the bill was reached !
Mr.. Bartlett offered to amend by striking |
it out. The section follows:
That whenever, in the judgment of the /
Postmaster General the revenue of any |
postCffice of the fourth-class is being ma !
terially reduced by the despatch of mail |
matter originating within the delivery of |
such office through other mediums than |
the regularly established postofice, for |
the purpose of affecting the compensation |
of the postmaster, he may allow to such |
postmaster. during the period of such |
condition, an annual compensation at the |
rates provided in section So OF this act, |
based upon the returns of such office for |
the four quarters preceding such effort to !
reduce the revenue of the Office by the /
means herein referred to.
Mr.. Loud explained that this section is |
new, and authorizes the Postmaster Cen |
eral to fix the compensation of postmas- |
tiers Of the fourth class in cases where eff |
forts are made by the patrons of such Of |
noes to affect such compensation by de- |
posting mail in railway postofices or send
ing 1t TO other offices. A boycott of a |
postoffiee is aimed at the income of the
postmaster, and whenever this object Is
removed by authorizing the Postmaster
General TO allow the postmaster the same
compensation that he would have been en-
titled to under normal conditions, it was
believed that the unjust = and annoying
practice would stop The best citizens of a
community frequently join in a boycott |
of the postoffice out OF personal or political |
feeling against the postmaster. and It
might be unwise. he said, to make these |
practices criminal
The motion was carried and section 81 |
was stricken out
Mr.. Loud moved that the following sec
tion, So, be stricken out, and the motion |
prevailed. This provides that 1.-The sal |
aries or commissions allowed to postmas- |
tiers as provided by this act shall he |
deemed and taken to be full compensation !
for the responsibility and risk incurred |
and for the personal services rendered by |
them as custodians of the postal money |
order. and other funds of the Postoffice |
During consideration of section 6s a |
lengthy controversy arose regarding the |
adequacy of the salaries paid to postal
employees of certain classes The section
relates to the classification of clerks in
postoffices Of the first class The only
changes are that stamp agents are omit
ted, no provision being now made in cur
rent appropriations for such positions
and superintondents and assistant super
intendents OF registry are for the sake of |
uniformity. put upon the same basis as
superintendent and assistant superin- /
tendents Of money order; and instead of |
providing specific salaries for certain su-
perintendents of stations in excess of the
as is now done in several cases |
where the salaries are fixed a 81 500 the |