Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1900-07-18

Kansas Pacific Division of the Pacific
Railroad made to-day ought no, 10 be
confirmed except upon the terms
that the original claim and the inter-
est thereon due 10 the United States
from said Railroad Company be paid
in full by the bidders.
No attention, however, was paid to
this resolution by the Attorney Gen
eral and so the sale was made by the
present Attorney General i'm de-
fiance of the expression of the Senate
and in violation of his positive agree
ment. rsulting in loss to the Govern
ment of $6,624,00
Later on the settlement of the debt
on the Central Pacific was brought
up. In this case the friends of the adj
minis;ration brought in a resolution
authorizing settlement to be made
by commission to be composed of
the Secretaries of the Treasury and
Interior Departments and the Attor-
ney General. When it came up for
consideration ], with Senator Morgan.
Senator White. of California, and SEN
ator Turpie. of Indiana. insisted on
an amendment providing that no set
clement should lie made except for the
fuil amountof the debt due the United
>:ates. We had the same fight with
tire leading administration senator's
who desired no restrictions placed up
on the Commission; their avowed in
cert and purpose being to settle for
alsout fifty cents on the dollar We
succeeded. however. in forcing the
amendment on to the resolution.
which resulted. therefore, in the full
payment of the debt.
The latest act in this outrageous
business occurred on the End of June
OF lis year when bill which had
been passed by the House was called
up Ivy Senator Allison as ''me rely a
local bill Authorizing a similar COM
mission to settle the debt On the
Sioux City e. Paci-c Railway Com
hany. | sent YOU a copy of the Rec
brd'' of that date showing the discus
sion thereon. Itendeavored to secure
in amendment similar to that which
I've had added 30 the Central Pacific
| commission bill but with the now
| overwhelming ma jority of the Repub-
lean party they rejected it at once.
The object of this Commission is to
make settlement of this debtof ST.
| 100000 on basis somewhere from
| twenty TO thirty cents on the dollar
| This company. now i'm the hands of
he Chicago g. Northwestern Rail-
road Company, urged before the Com
mittee that from 100000 to 81 900 900
was all they could possibly afford to
pay and the administration will un-
| toubtedIy make an agreement with
hem on some such basis, resulting in
the loss to the Government of, at
least. S3.0O0.OOO.
In the case of the Central Branch,
running from Atchison one hundred
miles west. the Attorney General has
permitted the case to DC quietly
lmuGgled through the courts and the
Government has lost the entire debt
mounting to S3,15S.s54.
There is another item in the account
i'hich the public ought to be made
acquainted with. While the Union
Pacific Company was in the hands of
lie receivers they accumulated fund
g over S6,OOO.O00 10 which the Gov
srnment unquestionably had the first
light in view of the deficiency in the
ale or the property known as the
KANSAS Division. The Attorney Cen
raj, however. agreed to stipulation
ny which the Railroad Company was
LIIowed to gather up claims amounting
10 S46,O0O.OOO. being all of the indebt-
dness on the various branch lines in
kansas and elsewhere which had no
parity at all with the Government.
eiaim and these claims were allowed
10 be paid on the same basis as the
/ superior claim of the Government. so
that instead of the Governments get.
ting nearly the entire amount due II
| in that
100000, the Railroad Company all
sorbing all of the remainder of this
receivership fund; so that, looking
back over the whole history. wher.
ever the Government or representa-
tives of the present administrator
have had an opportunity, they have
surrendered entirely to the demands of
the Railroad Companies, and wherever
lustice has been done and the debt
paid II mas been wholly and entirely
due to the efforts of the opposition in
forcing the administration to stand
up Tor the rights of the Government.
For the friends of the administra-
ton now to take any credit to them
selves for the successful results in the
case OF the main line of the Union
Pacific and in the case of the Central
racific rs absolutely false and con-
ehislveiy proven so by their action in
every other case where they had
power to act in spite of the efforts of
The opposition.
! would be glad if you would refer
10 me Record of June End and you
VIII ma IN the statement I made on
mai date some further items concern
lng TINS matter; also see the remarks
81 senator Morgan concerning the re-
eeiVershlg fund, to which I have al
iadeti, of the same date.
Very truly yours.
w. a. HARRIS.