Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-09-20
To lie Senate Of Tie United .Stotcs!

4 U Mc tceHute " Gc CnHtu ''t"to'
return, with my objections, to the Senate, for
their reconsideration, the bill entitled AN act for
the relief of Arthur Edwards and his Associates"
presented to me ON the 10Th instant.
This bin directs the Postmaster General "to
audit and settle the accounts Of Arthur Edwards
and his associates Tor transporting the United States
through mail on their steamers during the years
lSi9 and 1853, and intervening years." between
Cleveland and Detroit, between Sandusky and De-
troit and between Toledo and Detroit. and 'to
allow and pay them not less than SOS go for each
and every passage Of said steamers between said
places, du,ng the aforementioned time, when the
mails we're on board"
have caused statement to be made at the
Post Ulhcc Department Of the least sum which
can be paid 10 Mr.. Edwards and his associates,
under the bill, should it be come IA law; ana from
this it appears the amount will be Ss0,l05 %.
Mr.. Edwards and his associates, in 1854, q short
time after the alleged services had been rendered,
presented claim to the Postmaster General for
S25, / 30 as compensation for these services. This
claim consisted nine items, setting forth, speci.
Gcnlly, all the services embraced by the present
bill It is fair to presume that the parties best
knew the value of their own services, and that
they would not, by an underestimate do them
selves injustice. The whole claim Of S25 50 was
rejected by the Postmaster General for reason:
which it is no part ofmy present purpose to discuss
! Tie claimants next presented petition TO tha
Court Of Claims, IN Juno. 1853, "ior reasonable
compensation for those services, and "pray th'
Judgment Of your honorable Court for the actua
value Of the services rendered by thcm and re
ceiyed by the United States, which amounts to ia
sum of $50, ,O00." Thus the estimate which the
placed upon their services had nearly doubled
tween 1854 and l855-had risen from S?5, {
to $780, ,0OG On the 26th February, 1858, after
full hearing, the Court decided against the claim
and delivered an opinion in support of this de
cision which cannot, think, be contested on leg
principles But they state in the conclusion &
| the opinion, that "for any compensation for the
services beyond what they have received, the
must depend upon the discretion of Congress-"
. This decision of the Court of Claims was repor
ed to Congress on the lst of April, 1883, and fro
| il the present bill originated, The amount gran
ed by it is more, by upwards of S55,000, than II
parties themselves demanded from the Postmast
General in 1854, and is more by upwards of $50
600 than they demanded when before the Court
e Claims. The enormous difference in their fay,
between their own original demand and the amour
granted by the present bill constitutes my chi,
: objection 1T. in presenting this objection, {
/, not propose to enter into the question whether II
IL claimants are entitled, in equity, to any compe
sation for their service beyond that which it is
lodged they have already received, or If so, VIII
u would he II "rcasonable and fair compensation
It NV sole purpose is to afford Congress an Oppo
tunitv Of reconsidering this case, on account of
IL peculiar circumstances
l. | transmit to the Senate the reports of IIora
King, Acting Postmaster General and of A.
Zevelv, Third Assistant Postmaster General, DO
dated on the l4tn Of April, 1860, on the subjc
Of this claim.