The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-24

the situation ridiculous United States mail bags. he said, were being made Tn New Jersey state prisons. Al the same time those prisons contained United States prisoners. who under the law are forbidden to work on government sup plies. Side by side with these federal pris- oners were state prisoners, and these we're making mall bays for the government. He believed the amendment to prohibit this should go In the bill.
 Mr. Overstreet explained that the mall bags were being made under single con tract which would expire during the next fiscal year. and that should the amend ment prevail the contractor should eiaim damages on the contract.
 By unanimous consent the section of the bill and the amendment temporarily were passed over.
 Baker Lectures Republicans.
 Mr. Baker of New York read lecture to the republican side of the house Tor being lavish when it came to making ap- propriations for railroads or corporations, but crying economy when 1t came to appropriating for the workngmah. lie obiected to the S30000000 appropriations To the railroads for carrying the mails and also to the refusal to increase salaries or rural free delivery carriers.
 To the prpision in the bill appropnauhg $5. .000 for railway postal ear serVlce' 1 Mr Tawney of Minnesota offered al amendment providing that no part oi 1 the sum shall be expended Tor the use u cars in the railway mail service that nave been used in said service for period ot more than fifteen years
 l The age of a ear, Mr Gardner or New Jersey contended, was no measure ol Us i strength, but he said he would iaNof any proposition looking to the ascertalnmeht of the safety of car.
 MT Tawnev insisted that experience had shown the natural life of ear 10 De fifteen years. This statement MT. Slpley of Iowa challenged. Mir. Oversfreet said that the postmaster general demanded inspections and eNamin- ations of cars and compelled such changes in them as were advisable. ,,,t4 1 Mir Tawney asserted that cars pullt twenty or thirty years ago did not meet the present conditions. The ahlehuiiiene was agreed to- 6l to 59.
 Moved to Reduce Amount. Samuel w. Smith of Michigan moved 10 reduee the amount provided in the plll for railway postal cars to $4.4Os00O.
 Mir. Cowherd of Missouri called atten- tion to tbe report of the postal commits sion. which he said had expressed the oninion that the rates paid the railroads for carrying mails should not be reduced and he made an extended argument Ill support of this view
 He was interrupted by MT. Baker of New York who, with some passion, ln- ouired If the gentleman maintains that men who have railroad passes in their poekets are not prejudiced in favor of thu railroads?"
 MT. Cowherd replied. amid applause that he would leave it to the house wheth- or he had been so influenced.
 Mr. Baker exctedly declared that there were some members who have been in huenced which called for rehuke from the chair which said that MT. Baker again had transgressed the rules of or derly procedure in the house
 MT. Cowherd said it was a matter to be considered whether or not if the pay for railway mail service is reduced the roads would not get back at the people by making up the defciti in some other branch of the service. He declared that 1t was not the cars that the government paid for, but the expedition in the de- livery of the mail.
 The Smith amanedment was lost 43 to T.
 Wanted to Limit Rental.
 MT. Williams insisted that 30 per cent of the cost of constructing a postal car would pay for keeping 1t in repair and at the same time pay a profit of 20 per cent per annum on the investment. He offered an amendment limiting the rental to 90 per cent of the cost of the car.
 The amendment was rejected, 59 to so.
 MT. Hughes then withdrew his former amendment regarding the making or re-