Year: 1871

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A bill was reported from the PostOffice
Committee consolidating the postal laws.


The House went into Committee of the
Whole on the Presidents message. The
usual resolutions distributing the portions
Of the message among the appropriate
committees were offered by Mr.. Davis and
adopted.


Are There Any InsurrectIOnary States?


Before the vote was taken Wood inquired
whether there was any such committee as
the Committee on msurrectionaTy States?


Dawes replied that there was a commit
tee which went by that name, and which
was raised last session for the purpose of
considering the subject which it was now
proposed to refer to it, the Ku-KluX OGt-
RACES.


Wood said this committee was brought
into existence for the purpose of visiting the
Southern States to do certain things. When
that committee had reported TO the House,
it had no further functions. He was there
fore opposed to reviving it for the whole
Congress in this surreptitious manner.


Mr.. Dawes stated in reply to Mr.. Wood
that the terms by which the Committee was
constituted provided it should continue
Jllc plSSCllb NOLSlOoSy buG ON0u ii Ii
were not so, there had been yesterday re-
ferred to that Committee some measure
which would have revived had it not ex-
pired.


Mr.. Wood protested against the contin
uance of committee which was only
useless but promotive of disorder and dis
traction throughout the country.


Postal Telegraph.


Mr.. Randall thought the question of union
oftelegraph and postal service and all ques-
tions of subsidies should 90 to the CON-
mittee on Commerce or Postofice Commit
tee instead of to select committees. he
had seen the evil Of creating select commit
tees to consider special subjects; he remems
bered that when the first Pacific Railroad
Committee was established the Speaker of
the House made it up in the interest of the
roads and that the committee was prepared
to give away all the land Of the nation.


Mr.. FarnswOrth moved that the subject
be referred to the Postoffice committee as
the only one having proper jurisdiction.


Mr.. Dawes said this was great subject
worthy the consideration of the country,
and which was being forced on its consid-
Grafton by the events and tendencies of the
age. If anything required special COM
mittee which would have time to consider
it fully, it was this subject.


Mr.. Niblack suggested that the project
wouldentail an immense patronage on the
Administration which would have the ap-
poiutment ofat least 5000 employees to take
charge of the telegraph business, which fact
made the proposition an appalling one to
him and would control his vote against it.


MIR Farnsworth understood it was pro-
posed to incorporate with every consider
able poStoffice in the country a telegraph
office and make every postmaster tele-
graph operator, or appoint an expert to
operate the telegraph. The Government
would thus have Cognizance of all the pri-
vate, confidential and financial business of
the people. Every member of Congress
would be impOrtuned by his consti-
tuents to make their postOfice
station. The postOffice Commit
tee had been appointed without refer
ence to this subject, and might therefore be
presumed as fair as one appointed specially.
He was willing to admit that he had gone
over the whole subject, and was against the
whole scheme The success of the system
in England or any thickly settled old coun-
try, where no new pOstoffice had been es-
tablished for fifty years, formed no criterion
for this country. The whole thing was
mOnstrOus in any way it could be regarded.


Mr.. Banks remarked that the question of
ocean cables was in the jurisdiction of the
Foreign Committee, and moved that that
point be stricken from the pending resOlu-
tiOn.


Mr.. Dawes assented and the resolution
was so modified.


Mr.. Banks thought it best for the interest
of the country to avoid a special committee
where there was permanent standing
committee to whom a subject could be re-
ferred.


Mr.. Beck a member of the special COM
mittee of last Congress, said the cost and
effect of the project had been understated
wrong. There were 5000 stations in the
country with 1900 miles of line and 1000
employees. Under the government plan
there would be at least 10000 telegraph
offices, 10000 miles of line and $4,000 en-
ployees. He believed the proper committee
to be that of Appropriations who would be
very careful in recommending anything
that would take from the people net $780,
100000 but nearly S70,000,000. He did
not believe the committee would ever sane
ton such scheme or even consider it for
moment,


Randall wished to stop this scheme of
plunder at the threshold. He was informed
that originally the whole of the telegraph
lines did not cost over two or three millions,
and now the company had the effrontery to
ask Congress to take its property at the
present appreciated value. He would OP-
pose the scheme because it would place the
whole private and business transactions of
the people under the scrutiny of the Govern
ment officials. He hoped the House would
squelch the thing a. once.


Mr.. Dawes did not understand that any
project recommended the statement by Mr..
Randall that the Telegraph Company asked
Congress to purchase its property at an
enormous rate. He showed that the gen
tleman Didn't understand the relations of
the matter more than many. The West
ern Union Company WAS trying itself with
all its power and influence against any such
proposition.


Mr.. Beck remarked that while tie West
ern Union Company opposed the project in
the last Congress, he understood it had
changed position and now is anxious for it.


Mr.. Dawes said that fact did not COM
mend the matter to his approval, but this
was not the time to enter on the merits Of
the whole subject.


After further discussion by Mr.. Palmer
and Mr.. Garfield in favor, and Mr.. Colmar
and Mr.. King against special committee,
the subject was referred by 1O5 to 9S to the
Committee on Appropriation,


The resignation of Washburn, of Massa-
chusetts, lately elected Goyernorl was pre-
sented.


Labor Bureau.


A resolution was adopted for an inquiry
into the expediency of the establishment of
a Labor Bureau in connection with the
Department of Agriculture, with view of
the compilation of statistics, and a more
complete recognition Of the rights of the
laboring classes.


Adjourned.


To Clean a Carpet.