The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-06

gage claim of the government. principal
aud interest"
This left the Kansas Pacific case uncon-
Guided. By decree of the court in that
case an upset price for the property was
hXed at sum which would yield TO the
governments only S2,5C0OOO upon its lien
The sale at the instance of the govern
ment, was postponed frs TO Dec. Is, 1897,
and later upon The application of the Uni
ted states, was postponed 10 the 18th day
of February, 1895.
Having satisfied myself that the inter
ests of the government required that an
effort should be made 10 obia.n a larger
sum, directed the Secretary of the Treas
ury, under the act passed March g. 1887, to
pay out of the treasury 10 the persons en-
tilted to receive the same, the amounts
due upon all prior mortgages upon the
eastern and middle divisions of said rail-
road out of any money il the treasury
not otherwise appropriated. Whereupon
the Attorney General PR pared a petition
to be presented TO the court, Offering to
redeem said prior liens in such manner as
the court might direct, and praying that
thereUpon the United States might be held
10 be subrogated to all the rights of said
prior lien holders and that a receiver
might be appointed to take pos
session of the mortgaged premises
the court or Congress otherwise directed.
Thereupon, the reorganization commit
tee agreed that if said petition was with
drawn and the sale allowed to proceed on
Feb. 16 1898, they would bid sum at the
sale which would realize to the govern
ment the entire principal of its debt,
Sc. 3OS Geo.
Believing that no better price could be
oh ained and approaching the difficulties
VIII he crOyarpoaGnf Ia
if 1t should become the purchaser Of the
road a 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 a minimum bid which
should give the government the principal
of its debt the sale should proceed. BY
this transaction the government secured
an advance of So, sos 600 over and above the
sum which the court had fixed the up
set price, and which the reorganization
committee had declared was the maximum
which they would pay for the property
1t is a gratifying fact that the result Of
these proceedings against the Union Pa
uifc system and the Kansas Pacific Line
is that The government has received Oh
account of it's subsidy claim the sum of
S64, 751, 10. an increase of $1S,997. 1913 g.
over the sum which the reorganization
committee originally agreed to bid for
the joint property the government re-
ceivng its whole claim, principal aud in
terest on the Union Pacific and the prin-
cipal Of its debt on the Kansas Pacte.
Steps had been taken to foreclose the
/ go ernments lien upon the Central Pa
cfc Railroad Company but before action
was commenced Congress passed an act
| approved July Z, 1898, creating commits
sion consisting of the Secretary of the
| Treasury, the Attorney General. and the
J Secretary of the Interior and
their successors in office, with tull
| power to settle the indeb teddess
growing out of the issue of bonds in aid
of the cous rucion of the Central Pacific
and Western Pacific bond-aided railroads.
subject to the approval of the President
No report has yet been made to me
by the commission thus created. What
ever action is had looking 10 a settlement
| Of the Indebtedness in accordance with the
act referred to will be duly submitted to
the Congress.
New Justice Building.
I 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 very greatly since it was
| established in its present quarters. The
| building now occupied by it is neither
| large enough nor of suitable arrangements
for the proper accomm 1daiion of the BUSH
! ness of the department. The supervising
architect has pronounced it unsafe and
unsuited for the use TO which il is put.
The Attorney General in his report, stat
ed that the library of the department is
upon the fourth floor, and that all the
space allotted to it is so crowded with
books as to dangerously overload the
structure The first floor is occupied by
the Court of Claims
The building is of an old and dilapidated
appearance, unsuitod to the dignity which
should attain to this important DEPART
ment.
A proper regard for the safety, comfort
and convenience of the officers and en-
poyes would justify the expenditure OF
a liberal sum Of money in the erection of
a new building of commodi us proportions
: and handsome appearance, upon the very
. advantageous site already secured for that
purpose, including the ground occupied by
the present structure and adjoining a va
cant lot, comprising in all a frontage
of POI feet on Pennsylvania avenue and a
depth of 1876 feet.
In this connection I may likewise refer
to the inadequate accommodations provid-
ed for the Supreme Court in the capitol
and suggest the wisdom of making provis-
ion for the erection of separate building
for the court and its officers and library
The Postal Service.
The postal service of the country adj
vauced with extraordinary growth With
, in twenty years both the revenues and
the EXPENDITURES Of the postoffice depart
ment have multiplied three-foid. In the
last ten years they have nearly doub ed
Our postal business grows much more rap
idly than our population 1t now involves
an expenditure of 500 100000 a year, num-
bers 73. 900 postoffices and enrolls NO,OO(
employees. This remarkable extension Of q
service which IS an accurate index OF the
pubic conditions presents gratifying evil
dence of the advancement OF education, Of
, the Increase of communication and bust
ness activity and of the improvements Of
mail facilities leading TO their constantly
augmenting use.
The war with Spain laid new and except
, ional Iabors on the postoffice department
The mastering of the military and nava