The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and Proceedings of the Second Session Forty-First Congress; Together with an Appendix, Embracing the Laws Passed at that Session Page: 2,864
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2S64
THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE.
April 21,
of the subject. The chairman of the Committee
on Commerce manifests a-willingness to accept
of the subject. Why not let it go there ?
The VICE PRESIDENT. Does the Sen-
ator from California insist on his motion to
reconsider?
Mr. COLE. My object -in moving a recon-
sideration was for the purpose of obtaining the
sense of the Senate, and that more because
one member of the Committee on Commerce,
when the matter of reference was first brought
up here, opposed the reference of the bill to
the Committee on Commerce; and farther, I
desired that the matter might be kept before
the Senate, might not be referred to a commit-
tee and rest there, as it would necessarily, for
investigation some considerable length of time.
A farther consideration was that such measures
had uniformly been considered, not only in our
own country but in other countries, England
and France, by the postal department of the
Government.
I further considered the fact iti this light:
that although the great advantage from the
establishment of this line was to be commer-
cial, yet that depended absolutely upon mail
communication, upon mail or postal facilities
between our own country and Australia; and
mail communication increases commerce as
well as does commerce increase mail communi-
cation. They operate with each other. The
very term " commerce " indicates that. It is
communication, business relations: and the one
is facilitated by the other—postal service by
commerce, and trice versa.
I am not tenacious at all as to what commit-
tee this bill shall go to. If it is the sense of
the Senate that it shall go to the Committee on
Commerce I am perfectly willing that that
course Bhall be taken. But Beveral members
of the body manifested a disposition to have it
retained in the hands of the Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads, were perhaps
more tenacious about it than myself. I need
not refer to them individually. Being a mem-
ber of the Committee on Post Offices and Post
Roads, and they wishing to get rid of the busi-
ness or turn it over to the Committee on Com-
merce, I of course was willing that that should
be done, if such was the sense of the Senate;
to acquiesce even m the wish of the committee
upon that head if there was no special opposi-
tion. Now that the chairman ot the Commit-
tee on Commerce, with whom this subject has
received some consideration, is willing to take
charge of it, and speaks of course for his com-
mittee, if they are willing to take charge of it
I am willing to withdraw my motion to recon-
sider and let it go to that committee, all the
while, though, entertaining a strong hope that
this great subject may receive favorable con-
sideration from that committee and from this
body and from Congress. •
The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator
from California withdraws his motion.
Mr. CAS8ERLY. Before that motion is
withdrawn I should like to say a word.
Mr. COLE. I do not withdraw the motion
at present.
Mr. C ASSERLY. This is a measure which
concerns California directly, although it con-
cerns ultimately the interests of the whole
United States. I cannot allow the' matter to
be disposed of as it is about to be disposed
of, by a reference of the bill to the Committee
on Commerce, without troubling the Senate
with some remarks npon what seems to me
the inexplicable action of the Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads, and I shall speak
of but a single feature of that action.
That committee had before it three bills—I
speak of no more than three; there may be
others, but I speak of three. One was a bill
for increasing the subsidy to the Pacific Mail
Steamship Company, for the purpose of an
increased intercourse between China and Cali-
fornia. Another bill was for a subsidy in aid
of the extension of the present mail service
between California and the Sandwich Islands,
so as to extend that service as far as Australia.
The third was the bill for a subsidy in aid of
intercourse between California and Australia.
There being no difference in principle or in
substance between these three bills, the com-
mittee reports one of them back" favorably,
that for the China line, retains the Sandwich
Island bill for further consideration, and singles
out the Australia bill—not the least important
of the three, I may be allowed to observe, and
in its promise of immediate results as desirable
as any; singles out that measure—and reports
that back, and asks to be discharged from it.
There may be a reason for that action ; but I
can conceive of none. I have listened atten-
tively to all the remarks that have been made
by the members of the committee, and by Sen-
ators who have taken their view, and 1 have
heard no reason for that discrimination. I
trust that when the bill shall reach the Com-
mittee on Commerce that committee will con-
sider it in the enlarged and liberal spirit which
I think is due to such a measure.
I was greatly struck, allow me to observe in
closing, with the suggestion of the chairman
of that committee that if he were to have one
of these bills in his committee there seemed to
him no good reason why he should not have
all of them. There is no good reason, and there
is an abundance of unanswerable reasons why
he should have all in order that some proper
distribution of the public aid may be made as
between the more meritorious of these enter-
prises. That is all I desire to say. I have no
objection now to the disposition of the matter.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. President
Mr. ANTHONY. Is this motion withdrawn?
The VICE PRESIDENT. Not yet. The
Senator from Oregon has risen.
Mr. ANTHONY. If the Senator from Ore-
gon does not wish to speak on the motion I
will move to lay it on the table. It has taken
the morning hour every day for several days..
I thought we had disposed of it once.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Does the Sen-
ator from California withdraw the motion?
Mr. COLE. Not if the Senator from Ore-
gon desires to speak.
Mr. WILLIAMS. Only a word or two. I
have taken some interest in one of these bills,
the bill that is now before the Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads, and I am quite
indifferent as to which committee considers
the question; but I wish to have it understood
that one committee of the body is to take
charge of this subject so that all the bills, the
bill in which I take an interest as well as this
particular bill, shall go before the Committee
on Commerce if this bill goes to that commit-
tee, so that they can consider all the bills in
their connection with each other. If the Sen-
ate Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads
propose to take that course I shall be satis-
fied.
Mr. COLE. Now I withdraw the motion
to reconsider.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The motion to
reconsider is withdrawn and the bill is referred
to the Committee on Commerce. The Secre-
tary will report the next resolution on the
Calendar, which is one offered by the Senator
from Nevada, [Mr. Stewart.]
Mr. KELLOGG. I desire to make an in-
quiry of the chairman of the Committee on
Post Offices and Post Roads.
The VICE PRESIDENT. Does the Sen-
ator from Nevada yield for that purpose?
Mr. STEWART. No, sir; I want this res-
olution to come up.
Mr. KELLOGG. I simply wish to make an
inquiry in regard to the matter just voted upon.
Mr. STEWART. Very well.
Mr. KELLOGG. I desire to inquire if the
other bills of a like nature before the Com-
mittee on Post Offices and Po3t Road are to
be retained by that committee, or if it is pro-
posed that they shall take the same direction
as the Australia bill, and go to the Committee
on Commerce?
Mr. RAMSEY. That is the general par-
pose of the Post Office Committee, I believe.
Mr. KELLOGG. This action of the Sen-
ate, however, has reference only to one bill.
Mr. RAMSEY. We shall follow the action
of the Senate in this matter upon the other
bills.
Mr. POMEROY. Only on those which
! relate to commerce.
| _ Mr. RAMSEY. Certainly; where commerce
is the chief item.
Mr. KELLOGG. Is it proposed by the chair-
i man of the Committee on Post Offices and
Post Roads to report the other bills?
Mr. RAMSEY. Yes ; to report them back
: and ask that they be referred to the Commit-
; tee on Commerce.
I Mr. KELLOGG. That is all I desire to
know.
business op committee on commerce.
Mr. CHANDLER. I ask my friend from
Nevada to allow me a moment. I desire to
ask unanimous consent to pass a resolution I
offered yesterday providing for taking a recess
and having an evening session to consider bills
reported by the Committee on Commerce to
which no objection is made.
The VICE PRESIDENT. That is the third
resolution on the Calendar.
Mr. STE WART. I prefer to have this come
up first.
Mr. CHANDLER. That will lead to no
debate.
i Mr. STE WART. I do not know about that.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator
from Michigan can ask unanimous consent to
take up his resolution out of its order.
Mr. CHANDLER. I do so.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator
from Michigan asks unanimous consent that
the Senate proceed to the consideration of the
order offered by him yesterday, that the Senate
take a recess from live o'clock to half past
seven o'clock to consider at the evening ses-
sion bills reported by the Committee on Com-
merce to which objection shall not be made.
Mr. BAYARD. I object.
Mr. CHANDLER. I suppose that objec-
tion simply lasts until we strike the resolu-
tion.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The resolution
remains on the Calendar of resolutions laid
over, and has to wait until it shall be reached
in its order.
Mr. HARLAN. Mr. President
Mr. STEWART. I cannot yield further.
bids fob mail contracts.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The Secretary
will report the resolution of the Senator from
Nevada, which is now reached in its regular
order.
The Secretary read the following resolution,
submitted by Mr. Stewart on the 15th instant:
liaolwtd. That the joint resolution (S. R. No. 159
authorizing the Postmaster General to prescribe an
earlier time for the execution of contracts by accepted
bidders, and for other purposes, be placed upon the
Calendar of special orders.
Mr. STEWART. Is that resolution before
the Senate?
The VICE PRESIDENT. It is.
Mr. STEWART. Then I now ask unani-
mous consent to take up the joint resolution
itself and have it passed. I propose to amend
it so that it shall be entirely satisfactory.
Mr. POMEROY. If the Senator proposes
to amend it according to the suggestions which
have been made to him I have no objection.
The VICE PRESIDENT. The resolution
being before the Senate, the Senator from
Nevada asks unanimous consent to proceed
to the consideration of the joint resolution to
which it relates.
Mr. SUMNER. I am very loth to make
objection, but I do it in the interests of the
public business. We all have bills on the Cal-
endar that we are anxious to get up. I have
a great many, and I might make the same
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United States. Congress. The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates and Proceedings of the Second Session Forty-First Congress; Together with an Appendix, Embracing the Laws Passed at that Session, book, 1870; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc30886/m1/36/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.