Daily Kennebec journal., 1885-09-29
WASHINGTON. Sent. ,,

authoress and advocate OF Indian rights,
which was written by her days before her
death, Aug. 18th. 1885.
To Grover Cleveland, President of the United
States.
Dear Sir-From nv death bed send YOU
a message of heartfelt thanks for what you
have already done for the Indians. l ask
YOU to read my century of dishenor." |
am dying happier for the belief have that is
is your hand that destined to strike the first
steady blow towards lifting this burden of
intamv from our country and rightng the
wrongs of the Indian race.
With respect and gratitude.
(Signed) HELEN JACKSON.
| The postmaster general has just rendered
an interesting decision touching the right OF
creditors to attach the salaries of their debtors
who may be postal employees. The post
master at New York recently informed the
department that attempts had been made to
gurnishee the salaries of employees in his
sffice and asking for instructions in the mat
ter. The postmaster general has decided that
the salaries of postal employees cannot be
attached for debt and will tomorrow send out
instructions to the postmasters to disregard
the attachments issued by state courts but to
appear individually in court and state that he
Is possessed of no property belonging to the
debtor. The salaries are to be regarded as
United States funds until they pass from the
hands of the postmaster into those of the en-
ployees.
Agent Gassman has telegraphed Commits
sioner Atkins he has notified every settler in
Crow Creek reservation to quit in accordance
with the Presidents proclamation and he ex-
presses the belief that they will obey the
notice. The commissioner declares that the
settlers must leave the reservation even if it
requires the whole military force to accom-
pllsh their removal.
| A letter has been sent bv the secretary of
the navy for information and guidance of the
naval board recently appointed to appraise
the work and material of the uncompleted
cruisers. The secretary says: ''ln view of
the many authorized and erroneous statements
which have been made in reference to the
contracts on the Boston, Atlanta and Chicago
and for the purpose of guarding against any
confusion in the minds of any member a. to
what specific provision you are called upon
to perform, make this communication to
your board.
First-The contract is your only reference
for you authority and only under your ap-
pointment. The validity of the contracts
have never been, as tar as | know, by any
person assailed, AMI know of no ground
on which they can be. There is no specific
requirements as to the speed of these three
ships to be found in the legislation author
izing them and hence the ground on which
the Dolphin contract criticised by the at
torney general, does not exist in these cases
Your are to assume, therefore, that the terms
of the contracts and plans and specifications
which are part of them embOdy the record to
which you will make reference in the per
formance of your duty.
Second-Other mistatements have been
widely circulated that this department has
questioned the character of the work upon
these ships and deems the contract not prop
erly performed in this regard No sugges-
tion or Information of the kind has ever been
made by this department and you will allow
no such suppostion to prejudice you against
the contractor or ship. Your will of course
deal fairly with both government and CON
tractor and you find facts to be.
Third-You are not assisting in the carry
ing out of any secret compromise or arrange
ment between the parties, the terms of which
you are not advised of. Work having been
stopped the government has proceeded under
the contract to take possession, and have an in
ventory and appraisal made, and hereafter
will doubtless find it wise to complete the
vessels where they be, but all this is simply
carrying out the duty of the government in
the contingency which has arisen and calls
for no consideration from you.
Fourth-The duty which the contract i'm
poses upon you under your appointment is
to examine the work and materials on three
ships, and ascertain and declare fair market
value thereof including the reasonable and
customary margin of profit upon so much of
the work as shall have been satisfactorily
performed 1t NAV simplify your preliminary
deliberations somewhat and enable YOU to
settle in your own mind the basis on which
its proper for you to determine this question
of market value, if state to you what seems
to me be the course which you are to pursue
In one sense, the market value of partially
completed naval vessel, useless for mercan-
tile purposes, would be almost nothing. Its
saleable value might be said to be its value
tor the purpose of junk. This is not the in
depreciation to put upon the words as used
in the contract.
SO far as the government is concerned YOU
can treat the work performed and material at
hand as parts of the completed ships You
can determine the value bv pro rating the
work satisfactorily completed with the entire
work required, and ascertain thereby the pro
rata proportion of the contract price that
work represents. One of the ships il so near
completion that as to 1t the following method
of determing the question might be adopted,
assuming the value Of the completed ship to
be the contract price, by ascertaining the
amount of expenditure necessary for her
completion up TO the requirements OF the
contract, would leave the value of the work
performed, and its possible that the same
method might be more readily adopted in
the other cases. In all these matters its
entirely proper for YOU to receive suggestions
from the other parties to the contract, and in
making this suggestion as to your method of
procedure, | may state | have done so after
consultation with the counsel of the contrac-
tor and with the assignees, and they concur
with me in this matter, but you will under
stand that the method Of determining the
value is for you to decide and these sugges-
tions are made simply for your consideration
The postmaster general is about to issue
an additional circular of instructions TO post
masters where the special delivery service
has been established. Among other things
the circular will advise the postmaster to i'm
press upon the senders of letters bearing
special delivery stamps the necessity of an
accurate address, giving the name of streets
and the numbers of houses, wherever practi-
cable, or failing in that respect an indication
of the business of the person addressed. This
last precaution is deemed necessary in small
towns where no system of numbering houses
prevails, and where there may be two or
more individuals bearing similar names.