The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-07
trusts excepting by their resumption by the
| government. which created them.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Yellow Fever, the Pacific Railways
and the Civil-Servtce System.

a number OF cities and towns throughout the
South has resulted in much disturbance of
commerce and demonstrated the necessity
of such amendments to our quarantine laws
as VIII make the regulations of the national
quarantine authorities paramount. The Sec
rotary of the treasury, in the portion of his
report relating TO the operations of the Ma
rine Hospi, al Service, calls attention TO the
oeiectS OF the present quarantine laws, and
recommends amendments thereto which will
give TIE Treasury Department the requisite
authority to prevent the invasion of cpl.
demic diseases from foreign countries, and
in times of emergency like that of the past
summer will add to the efficiency or the
sanitary measures for the protection of the
people, and at the same time prevent un-
necessary restriction OF commerce. con-
cur in mis- recommendation.
In further effort to prevent the invasion or
the Unii ed States by yellow fever. the I'M
portance of the discovery of the exact cause
of the disease, which up 10 the present time
has been undetermined, is obvious ana 10
this end systematic ARCHAEOLOGICAL nvea-
tigation should be made. therefore recon-
mend that Congress authorize the appolnt-
ment of a commission by the President, to
consist of four expert bacteriologlsts, one
to be selected from the medical orncerS OF
the Marine Hospital Service. one 10 De ap1
from the medical officers OF the army ana
one from the medical officers of the navy.
The Union Pacific Railway main line was
sold under the decree of the United states
Court for the district of Nebraska on Inc
amount due the government consisltoeoD oe OF
the principal of the subsidy bonds, $2izSo,-
$40. and the accrued interest thereon.
S31 ,2l1 III. rs, making the total Indebtedness
SOS, 44S, 22375 The bid at the sale covered
the first mortgage lien and the entire mort,
gage claim of the government, principaA
The sale Of the subsidized portion of the
Kansas Pacific line, upon which the gov
been postponed at the instance of the gov
eminent to Dec. 16. 1891 The debt OF this
division of the Union PACING halfway 20
principal of the subsidy bonds, $62o3OOO,
and the unpaid and accrued interest there
on S6.626 ,69OSS, making total OF Slz,SzS,-
The sale of this road was originally ad-
vertised for Nov. 4, but, for the purpose
event, 1t was postponed until Dec 10, ana
q second advertisement of the sale was
made. By the decree of the court the up
set price on the sale of the Kansas PACING
will yield to tke government the sum or
I, 81. 600 900 over all prior liens. costs anc
charges If no other or better bid Is made
this sum is all that the government will re-
ceive on its claim of nearly $13,OOO,VOO. me
government has no information as TO
whether there will be other bidders or
better bid than the minimum amount here
in stated.
The question presented. therefore, is:
authority given it by the act of March 3.
1887, purchase or redeem the road IN tno
event that bid is not made by private Vans
claim To qualify the government to bio
at the sales will require deposit or $SOO,OOO,
500 900. and in each of the first mortgage
causes S2CO, 900, and in the latter the de-
posit must be in cash. Payment at the
the bid sum which, with the amount al
ready deposited, shall equal 10 per cent. or
the bid; the balance in instruments OF 20
per cent, thirty. forty and fifty days after
the confirmation of the sale. The lien ON
the Kansas Pacific prior to that OF the gov
eminent on the goth day OF July 1897 50, pr n
cipal and interest, amounted to $7.2Sl, 04S. ii.
The government, therefore. should 1t be-
come the highest bidder. will have to pay
W believe believe that under the act of 1887 IL
has the authority to do this, and in absence
of any action by Congress / shall direct
the secretary of the treasury to make the
necessary deposit as required by the courts
decree to qualify as bidder, and TO Dld
at the sale a sum which will at least equal
the principal of the debt due to the gov
eminent; but suggest, in order to remove
all controversy. that an amendment of the
law be Immediately. passed explicitly CIV
ing such powers and appropriating In gem
for
In so important matter as the govern
ment becoming the possible owner of rail-
road property, which it perforce must con-
duct and operate, feel constrained to lay
before Congress these facts for it's consid-
GRAFTON of the sale. 1t is clear to my mind
that the government should not permit the
property TO be sold at a price which will
| its debt and less than one-fifth of it's entire
| debt. principal and interest. But whether
| for its claim, should become bidder and
| thereby the owner of the property, submit
| to the Congress for action.
The library building provided for by act
| OF Congress, approved April 10, 1886, has
been completed and opened to the public
| 1t should be a matter of congratulation
that through the foresight and muniticence
of Congress the Nation possesses this mo-
earnestly to be hoped that, having done SO
much toward the cause of education, Con-
gress will continue to develop the library
| in every phase of research, to the end that
| 1t may be not only one of the most magnifi-
| cent. but among the richest and most use-
full libraries in the world.
The important branch of our govern
ment known as the civil service, the prac-
teal Improvement of which has long been
a subject of earnest discussion, has of late
years received increased legislative and ex-
ecutive approval During the past few
months the service has been placed upon a
still firmer basis of business methods and
personal merit. While the right of our
veteran soldiers to reinstatement in deserv-
ing cases has been asserted, dismissal for
merely political reasons have been carefully
guarded against, the examinations for adj
mittance to the service enlarged and at the
same time rendered less technical and more
practical, and distinct advance has been
made by giving hearing before dismissal
upon all cases where incompetency is
charged or demand made for the removal
of officials in any of the departments.
This order has been made to give to
the accused his right to be heard, but
without in any way impairing the power
of removal which should always be ex-
ercised in eases Of inefticiency and incom-
potency. and which is one of the vital
safeguards of the civil-service reform sys-
TEN, preventing stagnation and deadwood
and keeping every empioye keenly alive to
the fact that the security of his tenure
depends not on favoTitism, but on his own
tested and carefully watched record OF
service
Much, of course, still remains to be ac-
complished before the system can be made
reasonably perfect for our needs There
are places now in the classified service
classified may properly be included. shall
rot hesitate to exempt cases which think
have been improperly included in the classi-
fled service or include those which In my
Judgment will best promote the public serv-
ice. The system las the approval of the
people, and it will be my endeavor to uphold
and extend it.
1 am forced by the length of this mes
sage to omit many important references
to affairs of the government with winch
Congress will have TO deal at the present
session They are fully discussed IN the
departmental reports, TO all OF "hlch 1
invite your earnest attention
The estimates of the expenses of the
government by the several department WILL
| am sure, have your careful scrutiny.
While the Congress may not find 1t an easy
task to reduce the expenses OF the govern
crease. These expenses Will, in my judg-
ment admit of decrease In many branches
of the government without injury to the
public service 1t is a commanding duty to
keep the appropriations within the receipts
of the government and thus avoid deficit.
7 Il