Show Pacific Itojids Pay Washington 3It is understood that Secretary Folger will very soon issue a circular of instructions to the proper officers directing that the money due Branch lines of subsidy railroads must be paid It appears the Pacific railroads applied to the President to have the money paid to them under the decision of the supreme court and he referrrd the matter to the attorney general for an opinion It is learned that the opinion of Brewster is that the roads must be paid The opinion was sent to Folger and the latter will act upon it at once as above indicated This action will result in the payment to the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads of a vast sum of money running away up into millions Ever since the Thurman act wont into effect ef-fect under which the Pacific roads were charged 25 per cent of the net earnings to satisfy the claims of government the money for carrying mails and general transportation of the army and Indian supplies Has been withheld on all lines operated by these companies Under this practice a large sum is due for carrying mails etc over tho Utah Colorado and Nebraska branches of the Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific and other lines operated by the Central Pacific Company has been withheld Under the opinion of firewater not only all these lines will be paid hereafter but what is post due moat be paid up of the 5003 miles of road operated by the Central and Union Pacific Paci-fic only 2400 miles or that noturlly built under the subsidy act is subject to the Thurman law and on these lines only can government withhold the money earned in transportation as a setoff set-off for the claims against the companies These claims against the Union Pacific Company are understood to be what Dillon referred to in his letterto Teller The decision will make a big hole in the surplus which has been piled up by the postoffice department iar the last year Sidney Dillon president of the Union Pacific has written a lone letter to Secretary Teller concerning the claims against the road He says there is duo the compan a sum largely in excess of the amount claimed by the secretary of the interior to be due government and that any slain the United States for immediate payment under the Thurman I act must be based either upon the rate of I allowance for postal service fixed by the postoffice departmentwhich the Supreme Su-preme Court has rejected or upon the allowance for that service at express rates as claimed by the company Adopting the rates thus claimed by the company government is indebted to the road 2738880 dollars a sum far in excess ex-cess of the amount sought to be recovered by the interior department |