| OCR Text |
Show been reported to Congress for appropriation, but none has so far been made. There is due the Western Union Telegraph Company, for mes-sages transmitted during May add June, 1879, the sum of $361.65; con-tractors for transporting 1uclia11 goods and supplies d u r i ~ ~thge fiscal year 1879, $9,556.63; during the fiscal year 1880, $44,882.14, and dnr-ing the fiscal year 1881, about $50,000. This indebtedness was incurred by this offiee under an absolute necessity, and early provision for its payment should be made by Congreks. Early iu last spriog it was found that the amount appropriated by Congress for t,he snpport of the Arapahoes, Cheyennes, Apaches, Kiowas, Coma~lchesa nd Wichitas, located a t the Cheyenne and Arapa- 110 aud Kiowa, aud Comanche Agencies, Indian Territory, for the fiscal year 1881, was iusnfficient t,o furnish them with beef, coffee, and sugar nutil the end of t.he fiscal gear. The agents in charge were notified of the insufficient al)propriations aud directed to reduce the issue of beef, but in reply t,hereto submitted statements which convinced the depart-ment that to reclnluce tile rations of those Indians was to invite a war. Copies of these let,ters were transmitted to Congress with a request for all additional approl?riation, but the same was not granted. After the a~ourilment of Congress the case was submitted by you, to the I'resicleut, aud, upon co~lsultationw ith the honorable Secretary of War, it was decided that the War Department would furnish the agents at Cl~eyeuuea nd Arapaho, aurl Kiowa and Comanche Agencies withbeef and flonr uutil the eud of the last fiscal year, the cost of these supplies t o be reimbu~rsedf rom ally appropriation which may hereafter be made by Congress for that purpose. Accounts an~onntiugto $59,232.01 have bee11 presented by the War Department for reimnbursement, and it is hoped that' Cougress at an earl1 day will furnish this office wit11 the means to cancel this debt. Owing to the failure of Congress to appropriate during the f i~cayle ars 1879,1880, and 1881 sufficient funds to pay for the transportation of goods and supplies to the different agencies, this office has been greatly embarrassed this summer by not having its stores promptly delivered. Contractors to whom the government owes over $100,000 for transpor-tat, ion services performed under former contracts, are not very anxious to render services andwait for their pay several years. Flonr deliv-ered to the contractors for different agencies in October, 1880, was not delivered until July or August, 1881, aud when this office urged the111 to comply more strictly with their contracts, their reply, thattllis office had no funds to pay them after service was rendered, appeared a suffi-cient excuse for thedelay.. The failure of Congress tt, appropriate last winter sufficient funds to pay outstandiug indebtedness for tranflpor-tiltio11 costs the government' in increased price of tr;tnsportation for the pre.sent fiscal year more than the interest on the.money due, a1111 while there are such large sums lyiugidle in the United States Treasury-the policy of not paying debts lawfully due appears to me very short, |
