The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-30

4 that the Union Pacific railway COMPANY.
accustomed to duns from tie government.
viii not be surprised to receive the letter
sent recently By Secretary Teller to Sid
ney Dillon. Esq, president, making an
| urgent demand for the immediate payment
of the uncontested sum of 81 .036, 1874 s.
No part of this debt is disputed, not even
the IS cents; neither is any part Of it paid or
| rendered for payment; but it is now hoped
that President Sidney Dillon will either
renew the old excuse or put up better
| one. A discouraged claimant once said
the plan of the goyernmeut was to as
sumo that every bill it is asked topay is
fraudulent. and then wear out the claim
ant in making him prove it a few times
in the departments and before congress
| sional committees. This statemsnt came,
| of course. from the inflamed Imagination
of an enraged claimant, and it is only of
use IN passing as suggesting that. if it
were true, it may be said that the govern
ment has match in this railway, so long
and so wide. Ii is the only corporation
in the world with more assurance than
the Washington gaslight company,
while owing millions to the GOV
eminent as though, it held surplus
.invested in gas stock. Mr.. Secretary
Teller reminds Mr. President Sidney
Dillon that by the act of 1878 he.is en-
Joined from paying, making or voting
any dividends to stockholders of the com
pany until, the five per centum of net |
earnings and other money due the gov
erament has been paid; and after calling
attention TO this law the secretary of the /
interior says to the road in effect that it
will do well to pay what is incontestibly
1ue, and go into the law of the disputed
parts of the debrafterward, the payment
OF the requirement for the year ending
December, 1882, not to pre- udice any
sums in dispute, If Mr.. President |
Dillon takes the free and easy stand in
the matter maintained by him toward the
government directors of the road, he will
probably put the letter away in the pigeon
hole with the other government duns, and
tell his secretary to wake him up when it
comes time for another dividend 1t will
be interesting to watch the case and learn
by the issue which is the greater, the
Cover nment or subsidized railway run<
ming through the middle of its territory.
Chalmers, of Mississippi, came on here
to make himself solid in the matter of ,
patronage, to secure absolute control of Z
in his state, after the man
ler OF Malone IN Virginia, and went I
nome with his tail feathers considerably I
SuI1cu. MS business was chiefly with |
he post office department, and the. new :
postmaster general had views of his own |
ouching the matter. So Chalmers got {
eft. 1t is even limited that if Judge |
Gresham has his own way, without inter t
erence from higher authority, Mr. Ma 1
lone won't be as potent in that depart
nent hereafter as he has been heretofore c
Ihe fact is, the new cabinet officer is dis
posed to administer his department on r
BUSINESS principles He has stopped the
Practice of allowing applicants for clerk b
hips from states whose quotas are fun to a
redit themselves to other -states. me
.ther. day hungry officer seeker applied c
or certain place onthe groundsthat the n
.ss. -. sH6d The
postmaster general told him it would take !
him five or six month"; to decide that |
question, and advised the applicant mean {
while TO look out for some other employ s
nent. Apparently everything is lovely |
between the newshead of the post office /
department. and his subordnates, and if 3
he fulfills the policy he has shadowepI
orth of requiring nothing of the people q
lnder him, whether high or low, but to Il
ttend faithfully to their business it is $
kelly that things will go on very har- e
Promo.