Year: 1859

We have looked through several Journals in
the interest OF the Slave Democracy, to see if
one of them-just one-woud give an honest
and correct account of the failure of the post
office appropriation bill, whereby the most ex-
tensive and pervading department of the Fed
eral service is threatened with temporary bank.
ruptcy if not absolute interruption, and which
may possibly impel an extra session of Con-
gress. Should the public service suffer detri-
ment, or an extra session become necessary,
the cause will be the failure of the post Office
appropriation bill. How came that bill to fail!
a dozen times we have met this assertion that
this failure was caused by araia Of time. There
is no truth in this. There was time enough;
but Senators Toombs and Mason objected and
their objection was fatal. Hear another story,
put forth through the Washington correspon-
dence of the Presidents more especial organ
here, the Herald:


'The misery which contractors will be subjected
to, by the failure the part of the Government TO
meet its engagements is lncaculabe, and the dam
ages which they will be entitled to will amount to
millions All this be charged to Mr. Crows
movement i'll the House, Friday night. in sending
an insulting message to the Senate, and, doubtless
with view to forcing an extra session. Grow is a
prominent Republican candidate for Speaker"


Let us make the truth, i'll opposition to this
statement so plain thai no one, hereafter, can
honestly repeat the ABOVE, or any other story
which implies that the fault was with the
House, with the Republicans, or with Mr.
Grow. The following are the material facts
in the order OF their occurrence:


l. The Senate, Feb 26, passed the Post
Office Appropriation bill.


2. The Senate, at nearly the same time
passed what is called the post-route bill, pro-
| viding for new Mail Routes. On this bill the
pro-slavery majority outvoting the Repubi
cans, engrafted provision raising the rates of
Postage some seventy per cent. on letters, and
to a far greater extent on newspapers.
3. The House also passed the Post Office
Appropriation bill, with certain unobjectiona
bic amendments, which sent the bill back to
the Senate for concurrence.


4. The pro-savery majority of the Senate,
intent on coercing the House into agreeing to
raise the rates of postage-notoriously bitter
pill to majority OF the more popular branch
now proceeded to engratt the postage raising
provision on the Appropriation as well the
Post Route bill, calculating that though the
House might be willing to let the Post Route
bill fail, it would not venture to defeat the Ap-
preparation bill The vote of the Senate by
which this screw was applied was barely 20 to
2o-every Republican among the nays, Of
course.


5. The bill was now returned to the House
with this new rider, which was in effect a no.
tice from the barest majority of the Senate,
"Raise the rates of postage or we will defeat
the Post Office Appropriation bill" The
House, thus challenged met the issue with
becoming spirit. The Federal Constitution,
art. l, sec. 7, says:


"All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the
House Of Representatives. but the Senate may propose
or concur with amendments as in other bills.n
On the Temperance of this bill, Mr. Grow
| of Pennsylvania at once raised the point that
! the Senate had eXceeeed its constitutional pre-
rogative by thus Transforming into bill to raise
revenue one which originally had no such pur-
pose or character. If this may be legally done,
the constitutional inhibition above quoted be-
comes sheer nullity. He moved that the
bill be returned to the Senate with a respectful
message setting forth the objections of the
House to entertain it in its present form. The
| Speaker ruled this proposition in order, and
the House sustained it by the heavy majority
Of III to 76 So the bill was returned to the
| Senate which resolved to adhere to its amend
ment, though it defeated the bill.


| 8. To avert the loss of the Post Office Ap-
| preparation bill, a conference was proposed and
agreed to. The Conference Committee accor-
dinghy met, and decided to report new bill
which~was the original Appropriation bill as it
| first passed the Senate. The House, on motion
of Mr.. Letcher, suspended its rules and passed
this bill without opposition. Undoubtedly,
majority of the Senate would have followed
! the lead of its conferees and done the same
thing. But Toombs of Georgia, Bayard of
Delaware, and Mason of Virginia-all Slave
Democrats-objected, and thus brought the


bill to dead halt. They considered the ac-
ton of their conferees derogatory to the dignity
ofthe Senate. The rules otthe Senate were IA
| tai. On motion Of Mr.. Mason, the Senate no.
titled the House that it had finished its bust
| ness, and was ready to adjourn, leaving the
Post Office Appropriation bill, twice passed by
the House, dead on its table


Such is, substantially, the history of the
case. Let us entreat all who love truth to
take care that the people are not misled with
regard to it, but that the responsibility be
placed where it belongs.-N. Y Tribune.