The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-06

ger sum, ! directed The secretary Or Lne
TREASURY. under the act passed March >
1877. 10 pay out Of the treasury 70 the
persons entitled "a receive the same,
The amounts due upon al prior MORT
CAGES upon the eastern and middle divi-
Iions OF said Tailroad out OF any money
IN treasury not otherwise appropriat-
I ed. Whereupon the attorney general
prepared a petition 70 be presented 20
the court, Offering 10 redeeL- eaid prior
liens In such q manner - the court
might direct. and praying TINT there
upon the United States might be held %
be subrogated to ali the rights o. said
I prior lien holders, and that = receiver
might be appointed to take possession
Of the mortgRged premises. and matn-
tain and operate the same until the
court or Congress Otherwise directed,
ThereupOn The reorganlEati lion committee
agreed that II said petitlon was with,
/ drawn and the sale allowed to proceed
] on February ie, they would bid sum
at q rate which would realize 70 the
/ government the entire principal OF us
debts ss,SO3,00O.
Believing that no better price could
be obtained, and apreclating the dtmcul.
ties under which the government would
| labor 10 It should become the purchaser
| OF the road at the sale. IN the absence
OF any authority by Congress to lake
chage Of and operate the road ] direct
ed that upon the guaranty Of q mimi
mum bid which should give the govern
ment the principal OF us debt, the sale
should proceed. By this Transaction the
| government secured an advance OF
| S3,sO3,000 over and above the sum which
] the court had fixed at the upset price,
and which the reorganization commits
Tee had declared was the maximum
which they would pay for the property.
It Is q gratifying fact that the result
/ OF these proceedings against the Union
| Pacific system and the Kansas Pacific
| line 10 that the government has received
| on account Of It's subsidy claim the sum
OF Ssl, 151, 223T IS, an increase OF Sls,9si,-
1853 70 over and above the sum which
the reorganization committee originally
agreed to bid for the Joint property, the
government receiving lis whole claim,
| principal and interest, on the Union Pa
cific. and the principal OF It's debt on
the Kansas Pacific railroad.
Steps have been taken TO foreelose the
| governments lien upon the Central Pa
clfc Railroad Company but before ac-
| ton was commenced Congress passed an
act approved July Z. 1888. creating
commission consisting OF the secretary
OF the treasury, the attorney general and
| secretary OF the interior and their sue
cessors in office. with full power to set
tie the Indebtedness of the government
! growing out of the issue OF bonds N aid
OF the construction OF the Central Pacl.
fic and Western Pacific bond-aided rail-
roads, subject TO the approval OF the
President
No report has yet been made to me by
the commission thus created. Whatever
action Is had looking to the settlement
OF the indebtedness In accordance with
the act referred to will be duly submit
ted to the Congress
deem It my duty to call TO the at
tentlon OF Congress the condition or the
present building occupied by the depart
ment Of Justice. The business OF that
department mas increased very, greatly
since It was established In its present
quarters The building now occupied by
It IS neither large enough nor Of suitable
arrangement for the proper Rceommo-
] dalton OF the business OF thesdepart-
ment The supervising architect has
pronounced It unsafe and urBuitaDla toss
| the use to which II Is put. The attorney
general In his report states that the IL.
brary OF the department. is on the fourth
floor, and that all the space allotted to 81
IS So crowded, with books as 10. danger
ously overload the structure. The trst'
floor Is occupied. by the court Of claims:
The building 10 Of an old and dlapi a7ted.
| appearance, unsHted TO the dignity
which should attach to this important
department.
4 proper regard for the safety, con-'
| fort and convenience OF the officers and
employees would justify the expenditure
! OF liberal sum OF money in the erection
Of a new building OF commodiOus pro-
portions and handsome appearance upon
the very advantageous site already Sc
cured for that purpose, including tde
ground occupied BY the present structure
and adjoining vacant LOT, comprising in
all a frontage OF POI feet on Pennsylva-
MIA avenue and length OF 1875 feet.
In this connection ! may likewise re-
! fer to the inadequate accommodations
provided for the supreme court IN the
capitol and suggest the wisdom OF maxi
! ms provision for the erection OF Sepa-
rate building for the court and Its OIL
GERS and library upon available ground
near the capitol.
Postal Service.
The postal service OF the country adj
vances with extraordinary growth.
Within twenty years both the revenues
and the expenditures of the p'stoftlee de-
partment have multiplied three fold. In
| the last ten years they have nearly dou-
bled. Our postal business grows much
more rapidly chan our population, Il
now involves an expenditure OF tl9e. 9oo,-
900 a year, numbers 1900 postohicee'
and enrolls 100000 employees. This re-
naFlSable extension OF a service Which 70
an accurate index OF the public conol-
/ tions presents gratifying evidence Of the
l q ndNaFntiOn. nj the Inc
crease OF communicat ton and business
activity, and Of the improvement OF
mail facilities leading to their constantly
augmenting use,
The war with Spain laid new and ex-
| ceptional labors on the postofttee depart
msnt The mastering OF the military
/ and naval forces OF the United States re.
| uuirsd special mail arrangements for
| every camp and every campaign. The
| communication between home and camp
| was naturally eager and expectant, In
\ some OF the larger places OF rendezvous
| as many as 10000 letters day required
| handling. This necessity was met by
| tho prompt detail and dispatch OF ex-
] perlenced men from the experienced
| force and by directing all the instru-
mentallttcs OF the railway mail and post
| office service. so far as necessary, TO this
| new need Congress passed an act enf-
towering the postmaster general TO es-
| tabllsh Offices or branches at every MILF
| tary capm or s:atoin, and. under this
authority the postal machinery was
speedily pu. into effective operation.
Under the same authority. when our
forces moved upon Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines, they were attended
and followed by the postal service.
Though tho act OF Congress authorized
the appointment OF postmasters where
| n,.,sesnry. Il was early determined that