The Washington times., 1912-08-19

lish bad precedent" to return in this
peculiar case to the old way of doing
hings-notwithstandi the mortgage
on the Macdonald home and the suffer
Ing OF others who trusted.
When the contractors rallied the Gov
ernment stepped in. and. through the
Reclamation Service. completed the
$50. 900 more than the, original contract
price. The contractors were bonded for
$4,000. The United States has priority
OF suit against the bondsmen. The
Government needs the money" After
1t has been reimbursed by the bondsmen
the individual claimant-the woman
with the time checks and the laborer
who wasn't paid-maY then sue.
The bill vetoed by the President was
to give the little fellows the right of
priority of suit against the bondsmen-
not to force them to take what is left.
There can be nothing left when the
Governments claim Is twice the amount
OF the bond.
Work of Two Years Lost.
That. however, is a detail. 1t con-
Germs mainly Mrs. Macdonald and her
sick husband, and the laborers who
were not deemed worthy of their hire
The thread of the narrative here
should be picked up by the woman in
the case. she who came to Washing
ton two years ago, and again in Jan
uary of this year, seeking the relief
which the President denied by his
veto after both houses had passed the
bill III, o... -.
tunnels based their estimates, as to
the cost Of the work, on the Govern
ment report of the character of the
ground through which they were to
construct the tunnel of the Shoshonv
project. They paid their bills pretty
well through the winter of 19O5-O
and until about the month of May,
when they struck hard rock. 1t was
different formation from what they
expected and they were forced to send
to Butte for experts in blasting and,
of course, they had to pay higher
wages. They worked along for a
while, at a loss.
Many Of their employees were our
customers. 1t had been the custom in
that country to assign wages, from
month to month, for groceries or
other necessities. Afterward the con-
the grocer, or to whoever holds the
assignment. We have been doing
business that way for many years
with various contracting concerns.
Home Signed To Bank.
when the contractors on the Corbett
tunnel were forced to suspend the Gov
ernment took over everything they had,
all the assets, but not the debts. We
had oVefdrawn at the bank in the mean
time, expecting every month to get our
| check from the company for about
$ll, 900
when the construction company did
not send the checks to us the hank had
TO be protected. and we were Obliged
to sign over our home to the bank,
which We did, and gave 1t a deed in
escrow for what we owed.
when we heard the Government
would continue the work we were glad,
for we thought we would be relieved of
all trouble, and expected to put lien
on the project. We did not know then
! that we did not have the same right in
! this case as with other contractors or
| that the law was changed just about
| that time. We got together all the
| claims of the laborers and we then as
| Certained we had no recourse except to
| await the pleasure of the Government,
| so we began to write the Interior De-
| partment."
This correspondence it appears, was
| participated in by the various claimants
| and extended over a period of four
years. The law provides that individual
| claimants may not bring individual suits
| against bondsmen in cases of this
| character unless the Government shall
! fail, for six months after the completion
| OF a project, to enter any suit of its
| own. Individual claimants NAV inter
vene meanwhile, but the Government
claim has priority under the act of 1906
Paid for BY Poor People.
I'VE looked to the Government" con,
| ttnued Mrs Macdonald "NNe suDnosed