Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1859-03-31

1 w
Of this and of the failure of The post office
appropriation bill. should be Glad to learn
what course of admnistra ion is proposed
by the Department for the relief of its
creditors, and especially if any provision
Is made for extingushtng its liabilities
which have already matured and are now
payable.
have the honor to be. very respectful
", your obedient servant,
GEO. MArrINGLY,
Sup't Potomac Steamboat Co.
! Hon Jos. Holt, Postmaster General
p. o. DEPARTMENT, March 81, 1859.
SrR-In answer to the inquiries con-
tanned In your note, just received. | beg
to submit the following statement:
Congress, for the first time since the or
yanza'ion of the government, has expired
without having made any appropriations
for n. sei icA of the Post Office Depart
m"nt du'in. ~ neIl fiscal wear, which
Will commence o. The Is Of July Had
the mem'es IF the mex Congress been
elec.rd from all he SAFES, the President
nigh on he IA of March have called an
extra session. and this omission of the
late Congress might have been thus sup
piled. This was, however, impossible.
without DISTINGUISHING the people of near
y hall the 5 ales IF the Union. which had
not elected members. At that date there
were fifteen S'aes wi hou Representatives
NJ" Hampshire has since elected, Rhode
Island Conncc ;clt will elect in the BEGIN.
n'ng of April; Oregon in the beginning Of
June; Virginia ON the fourth Thursday in
Nav, Kentucky. Alabama, North Carolina
and Texas in the beginning of August;
California early in September; Georgia,
Mississippi and Minnesota in the beginning
of October: and Louisiana and MARYLAND
not until the first Monday and Wednesday
in November. This is most unfortunate
There ought to be no interval when a full
Congress could not be convened, and it is
to be hoped there never will be one here.
after
Had the appropriation bill which failed
made provision only for the fiscal year
commencing On the lst of July next. there
would obviously have been no necessity
for an extra session. The first quarterly
service of contractors for that year will
not have been performed, SO as to entitls
them to pay, until the first of October;
and by the terms of their Contracts
those for railroad routes only excepted
sixty days more mus elap>e before their
accounts can be finally settled. which
would postpone the day of payment till
tine first of December. within less than a
week from the regular meeting of Con.
gress. If il should be deemed advisable
Congress mi ght be convened for he mid
die of November, in ample time To provide
for the payment Of what will be due con
tractors for the first quarters service at
the next fiscal year. before viii be- in e..
payable. Ills saiement makes mani
fes, therefore. thar In thc arpr"pr ia.ions
proposed in the bill which Eilcd been in
tended TO meet the liabilities of the nexr
fiscal year. there would have been no suf-
ficienl reason for calling Congress together
before the regular period offs assembling.
Such, however, is not the case The
bill also provided that the sum of So. 1888.
1913 be and the same is hereby appropria-
ted, out of any money in the trea sury not
otherwise appropriated, to supply defcien-
cies in the Post Office Department for the
year ending 3Oth of June. 1889 Upon a
careful examination and investigation it has
been ascertained that the dehcieacy will
amount to the about the sum Of 1885,
281 .95. 1t ought however to be observed
that. after tho 3Oth Of June next, the sum
Of 800 granted To the apartment BY the
acts of March 81, l849, and March 81,
1854 Tor The transportation and delivery of
free mail matter for Congress and the Elk.
ecu i've Departments, may be applied in
part % he ex inguishment Of this deficien-
cy This will leave The balance to be pro-
vijel for $685.. 28l.65 OF this sum of
S4.385. 28I IS, The deficiency which exist
ell III the quarter ending on the 31st Of
December amounted to. ..S749. 84I SO
Thai for the quarter ending the
3lsl OF March, to........l.9 1864. 1856 &c
That for the quarter ending
3Jlh of June to.........1,6 7l, 1851
1896. 28l 95
The S749. 84l 60 being the unpaid
balance Of the quarters liabilities closing
3Ist December. and payable 28th Febru
AIRY can and will be paid by the Depart
ment within sixty days from this date
The yayment Of The principal part of it
will be made within thirty days. The eff.
feet of this will be To divide the entire de-
felt of 1895 28l 95 between the quar-
ters ending 2lst March and 3Oth June.
aud payable 3lst May and 3Ist August;
SO that the suspension Of payment on no
part of this indebtedness will exceed, be-
yond a few days, six months before the
regular meeting of Congress: on nearly
one half of it the suspension will be but
for a few days more than three months.
1t % a grievous misfortune to the con.
tractors that the Department has been left
without the means Of discharging this
debt at its maturity. Under existing cir
=, L.