Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-21

perry OF The CITY of Richmond: that his
duty IN that capacity shall be TO inspect
| the condition of the same once la each
month, or oftener ii required by the exc
cutive. and TO report the condition there
oi To the executive.
From The above extracts, correctly CO.
pied rom the law, tappears 10 your COM
miitee, that the intention of the iegisla
ture 10 repair the capitol permanently, 10
enclose, Improve and ornament the pub
lie square the fund from part OF which
those improvements were 10 be made
the duty OF Tie executive In relation 10
the application of that fund 10 the CON
templafcd improvt mcD,s and The bound
less roniIdence reposed by the legislature
IN The executive department. must have
been evident te all: nut, that the whole
fund should he swallowed up, aud large
appropriations necessary rs complete
those Improvements, (the law having pro
vlded for the application OF cortempla-
ted surplus TO other public purposes,) no
one ever did expect or believe.
Your committee cannot he supposed
to possess feelings or intentions hostile TO
our executive; or a wish tn excite uniavor-
able impressions on others; yet they owe
it 10 truth, their country and themselves,
to state their belief, thar there has been
Git is hoped rather through inadyertence
than design)a wanion expenditure ofpub-
lie money and waste of public confidence
III executive procedure under the law "a
foresaid that the sound principles of e.
economy recommended by their fathers,
long practised by their sons, and in the
pinlOn of Your committee essential 10 the
existence of our government, have been
sacrificed TO individual Interests sud rieus
the frivolous expensive habits of old go
vernments and the old world are sought
10 be engraited on the steady, sober and
substantial manners and institutions OF
the new. The plan Of MAMMALIAN q ode-
troy, foreign adventurer, (tor ornament
ing and improving the public square,
cast, God knows how, upon the surface of
this happy country, has been adopted by
our executive; and has been the prolific
source OF those expenditures aud imposi
iiuns, subjects OF such general complaint
and originating this enquiry Ofthis plan,
OF az any thing done towards the e4ccu-
ton thereof, your committee nudge with
difficulty aud diffidence but as far as
they have been able 10 form an opinion,
II is not recommended by prdcficubiHty,
good t0sts, good sense or ecOnOmy and could
only have been accepted, or past muster,
by minds most profoundly occupied on
subjects OF greater magnitude, or more
immediately connected with the public
veal.
1t also appears TO Your committee, there
| were three contracts entered into by the
executive in pursuance of the powers uu-
| der the SAID law, with as MANY persons
The first with Thomas Strobe, for level
| ling and improving the public square, for
| which he was TO receive twenty -four thous-
and dollars, nj three instruments, the
| whole sum 10 he paid betwiXt the lst day
Of January, 1917, and first day ofJanuary,
1878.
The second contract was made betwixt
Orris Paine, as superintendent, and on
! behalf of the executive, with f. w. Trent.
| for tic delivery and furnishing stone of
| certain description, at one dollar twenty
five cents per foot a further contract
was aiterw wards made by the executive
with the said E.W. Trent, Tor setting the
same stone for the railing around thepub-
| lie square, at The rate of slxty-two and "A
| half cents per foot. The Executive ap-
| pear TO have blended those two last con-
| tracts in their communication on this
| subject.
The third contract by the executive
with p. A. Sabation, for furnishing and
| putting up IRON railing, enclosing the pub
| lie square. On those three contracts have
| been recelved-by Strobe, twenty; by
Sabatton, fifteen by Trent, Two thows-
and; III all, thirty-seven thousand dollars.
1t further appears 10 your committee.
| from tic documents accompanying the
| governors communication, that with
view of eXpedlting the work to be done,
| and OF securing It's faithful eXecufion, the
| Council appointed in the year 1916. hlr.
Orris Paine incidentally mentionedabove)
TO supeTIniend the repairs 10 be pat upon
the capitol, as we'll as the improvements
| contemplated TO be made upon the pub
llc square" Immediately after tn intro
| ducllon OF your committee TO this gentle
man, they are informed by the same COM
| munIcailon, that upon a requisition made
| by the council upon that gentleman for
| statement OF his transactions. he as ex-
lnbted TO them statement by which lie
appears TO lave expended III repairs upon
| the capitol, 1924 dolls n cts. upon
| the governors lot and stable. and in The
| erection OF stone wall near the museum
| and on Bank street, and upon divers con-
| ingencies, doubtless too tedious TO men
! tom The sum of 1851 dolls. 05 cts. ::
which sums, added 10 The executive dis
! bursemcnis, TO wit, 81 600 dollars, will fur
n'sh total expenditure for repairs on HE
! capitol and improvements on Tie public
| square OF CT ,276 dolls. and 66 els. leay-
ing, as we are informed by the commu-
nlfaiion aforesaid, 10 carry into effect the
contracts euiered into by Tive cxrcmflve,
| IN sum Of 800 doiars, in addition TO
balancrs appearing to he due 10 various
individuals, for work done agrceabIy 10
superiniendanis accounts. amounting TO
1900 making sum of d 900 dol.
lars now Ia be provided to meet our actual
| coniracisand debts.
H., - - n