Mr. BLAINE. Mr. Speaker, althoughI do not desire to make any opposition to the course of the Gentfrom Illinois on this bill, I de sire to say a word respecting the operation and effect of the amendment which he urges as the condition of his supporting the measure. The bill as it comes from the Senate, proposes to send all the Government dispute es free in time of war; or indeed to give the Government practicul control of the line in time of war. My friendfrom Illinois insists that all the Government business shall be done free in time of peace also. Now, so far as the Government business in time of peace is concerned, let me say that it would be very inconsiderable, and to send it without charge would not be much of a bur den on the telegraph company and not much of a boon to the Government. A few hundred dollars per annum would probabl cover the whole oPit. But the prejudicial effect of such an amendment will be ound in the fact that whatever conditions our Government lays upon the telegraph company the same will be exacted by the Spanish Government. This being the case there is a strong possibility, amounting indeed to a probability, that this condition from the Spanish Government might prove very onerous and oppressive. The probability of such a result is precisely in proportion to the probability of the Atlantic telegraph being success fully laid. In that eVent a vast amount of correspondence between Madrid and Havana would be carried on by telegraph, and it would impose an unreasonable burden on this company to compel them to send all the messages of the Spanish Government without charge. Now, the inevitable effect of the amendment proposed by the Gentfrom Illinois will be to in cumber the telegraph company with precisely this heavy load. I our own Government were to gain any corresponding gratuity to the immense one that would thus accrue to the Span ish Government, I would not object to the amendment, but the Gentfrom Illinois cannot fail to see that his amendment will impose a severe penalty on certain enterprising American citizens simply for the benefit of the Spanish Government, and this being the plain and palpable effect I hope he will consent to with raw it. Objection has been made against granting a monopoly of this kind to any company for 14 years. such grants are, I admit, in General very objectionable; but in this instance I think it entirely justifiable. Indeed, it is simply a question as to whether an American company or a Spanish company shall have a mo nopoly, or rather whether a Spanish company shall have it solely or share it fairly with an American company. This bill will simply place the American company in a position to enforce its rights against the S anis company. The company ask no subsidy from our Government, and in this respect its claims are very modest when compared with the Pacific Tele graph Company, which asked and obtained a rant of $40,000 a year for ten years from the federal Treasury, and is now in receipt of that splendid endowment annually. It strikes me as a little strange that gentlemen who assisted in procurin that extravagant nt from congress should now oppose this hi i on the ground of its bein a monopoly. I trust, Mr. Speaker, that my friendfrom Illinois will not press his amendment, and that the bill will be allowed to pass just as it came from Senate.