Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-12-08

whcrcrpon. y: attorney general prepared
petition to be presented to the court OFFERING
to redeem said prior liens In such manner d
the court might direct and praying that there
upon the United States might be held to be
subrogated 10 all the rights Of said prior lien
: holders and that Q receiver might be appointed
: to take possession Of the mortgaged premises
and maintain and operate the same
until the court or congress otherwise
directed Thereupon the reorganza-
ton committee agreed that II said
petition was withdrawn and the sale allowed
, TO proceed on February IS they would bid
, sum at the sale which would realize to the gov
eminent the entire principal OF Its debt $780,
0O0 Believing that no better price could be
obtained and approaching the difficulties I'M
der which the government would labor II II
should become the purchaser Of the road
at the sale, In the absence of any
authority by congress to take charge OF and
operate the road, l directed that upon the
guaranty Of minimum bid which should give
the government the principal Of It's debt the
sale should proceed BY this transaction the
government secured an advance Of $3.50 OOO
over and above the sum which the court had
| HAUL ~ tuc upscu pIICo huu whiou uho iooi =
ganization committee had declared was the
maximum which they would pay for the prop
erty.
1t Is gratifying fact tnat the result Of these
proceedings against the Union Pacific system
and the Kansas Pacific line Is that the govern
ment has received on account OF its subsidy
claim the sum OF $64, ISL. 223 H. an increase Of
| 1897 1883 rs over the sum which the reorgan-
ization committee originally agreed to bid for
the joint property, the government receiving
It's whole claim. principal and interest, In
Union Pacific and the principal Of its debt on
| the Kansas Pacific railroad.
Steps had been taken to fOrecl0se the gov
| ernment's lien upon the Central Pacific Railroad
company but before action was commenced
congress passed an act approved JULY 1884,
| creating commission consisting Of the seCre-
tary Of the treasury, the attorney general and
the secretary Of the interior and their success.
sors in office with full power to settle the
indebtedness to the government growing out Of
the issue OF bonds in aid OF construction OF the
Central Pacific and Western Pacific railroads,
subject to the approval Of the president No
report has yet been made to me by the COM
mission thus created, Whatever action Is held
looking to settlement of the Indebtedness In
| accordance with the act referred to will be duly
submitted to congress
Department Of Juatice Building
deem it my duty to call to the attention Of
congress the condition OF the present building
| occupied by the department of justice The
| business of that department has increased
| greatly since it was established in Its present
quarters The building now oc,upi ID by it Is
| neither large enough nor of suitable arrange
ment for the proper accommodation of the
business of the department The su-
pervising architect has pronounced 1t
unsafe and un,uitsd for the use
to which it is put The attorney
general in his report states that the library OF
the department l., on the fourth floor and that
| oil the space allotted to 1t Is so crowded with
books as to dangerously ov rload the structure
| The first floor is occupied by the court of
| claims. The building is Of an old and delapi
dated appearance. unSuited to the dignity which
should attach to this important department A
| proper regard for the safety, comfort and con-
venience Of the officers and employees would
| justify the expenditure ola liberal sum of money
| In the erection of new buldingo Of commodous
| pIUpUItlUuS dllu uuuusOuiC uppCuluhOC upuli
| the very advantageous sites already secured
| for that purpose, including the ground occu-
| pied by the present structure and adjoining
vacant to that comprising in all frontage OF
| POI feet on Pennsylvania avenue and depth OF
| 40 feet, In this connection | may likewise
| refer to the inadequate accommodations pro-
vided for the supreme court in The capitol and
suggest the wisdom Of making provision for the
| erection of u separate building for the court
| and It's officers and library upon available
ground near the capitol
The Postal Service.
| The postal service Of the country advances
with extraordinary growth. Within 20 years
| both the revenues and the expenditures of the
post ONCE department have multiplied three,
| fold. In the last ten years they have nearly
| doubled. Our postal business grows much more
rapidly than our population 1t now involves an
expenditure OF l00OOO,O00 year numbers
73 900 post offices and enrols 1000 employees.
This remarkable extension Of a service which
is an accurate index of the public conditions
presents gratifying evidence of The advances
ment of education, OF the increase Of commu-
nlcation and business activity and Of the i'm
provement of mail facilities, leading to their
constantly auementing use.
The war with Spain laid new and exceptional
labors in the post otflcedepartment The mus
terng Of the military and naval forces of the
United States required special mail arrange
ments for every camp and every campaign.
The communication between home and camE
was naturally eager and expectant In some OF
the larger places OF rendezvous as many
n mn la, t,al
This necessity was met by the prompt
detail Of experienced men from the es
tablshed force and by directing all the
instrumentalities OF the railway mail and post
office service so far as necessary to this new
need, Congress passed an act empowering the
postmaster general to establish Offices OF
branches at every military camp or station
and under this authority the postal machinery
was speedily put into effective operation
Under the same authority when our forces
moved upon Cuba, Porto Rico and the Philip.
pines they were attended and followed by the
postal service. Though the act of congress-
authorized the appointment of postmasters
where necessary, 1t was early determined thai
the public interests would be best subserved moi
by new designations but by the detail Of expe.
rienced men familiar with every branch of the
service and this policy was steadily followed
When the territory which was the theater Of
conflict came into our possession it became
necessary to re-establish mail facilities for the
resident population as well as to pro-
vide them for our forces of occupation
and the former requirement was met
through the extension and application
Of the latter obligation, | gave the requisite
authority and the same general principles was
applied to this as to other branches of civil ad-
ministraton under military occupation. The
details are more particularly given in the re.
port of the postmaster general
1t Is pleasing to be able to say that the serv.
ice in the territory which has come under oul
control is already materially improved