The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-05-10
more. This verify believe TO be the road to true
honor and happiness. Can any man
point out better.or shorter'
Respectfully, EDWARD ARCHBoLD.
MR.. ARCHBoLD's RESOLUTIONS.

4
Respectfully, EDWARD ARCHBoLD.
Mr.. ARCHBoLD'S RESOLUTIONS.
Whereas, suspicious have been excited in the
public mind that great and fragrant abuses exist and
have become veteran in the management of the
public works ofths State. Thatresident engineers
and other persons high in authority and influence
about our public works, have in reality been con-
tractors in the name and under the of friends
and relatives. That in some instances, officers
whose duty it is to settle the accounts of contrac-
| tors have received large loans from them at the
period of settlement. That in some instances high
officers connected with our public works, have
| discovered an exact foreknowledge of thespersons
and firms who were TO obtain contracts at future
biddings, thus manifestng that the public biddngs
were mere sham and fraud on the public
That in some instances, large jobs have been given
to contractors under The name of extra work,
without any public bidding and at prices so exor-
bitant, as to enable the contractors to underlet at
less than one third Of the prices which they were
to receive and that these jobs have frequently been
much larger than the original contract That ma
ny officers connected with our public works have
become suddenly rich in manner mysterious to
the public, and not to be accounted for by the
amount Of their annual salaries, however large and
liberal. That in some other instances, the plans of
large sections of the public works have been great.
ly altered and reduced, and the amount of labor
abridged after the plans and estimates had both
been published and that the alterations and abridg-
ments have been so managed as not to be general
ly known to persons attending the public bddings,
but only to favored few, thereby operating to
prevent competition and materially to influence the
result of the biddngs. That in some other nstan-
ces these alterations of plans and abridgments of
labor have been made after the taking of the con-
tracts, without any corresponding or equitable
reduction of the original contract price, and some
times without any reduction. That the General
Assembly have at times been induced to suppose
that contracts had been taken below the estimates,
when owing to the above mentioned practices they
had actually been taken at prices far above the
actual estimates. That wood culverts had IN some
instances been substituted under heavy embank-
ments for stone That the resident engineers and
other high officers, have connived at the practice
of contractors becoming members of commercial
firms, and that these firms have specuated upon
the poor laborers by buying in the State bonds re-
ceived by them in payment for their labor at the
enormous discount of twelve or fifteen per cent,
and by taking advantage Of their necessities to
compel them to receive one half Of the remainder
in goods, and that the denominations of these bonds
none being less in amount than one hundred
dollars-have given facilities to these expressions
And that the resident engineers and other officers
in charge, have in various ways connived at the
frauds and evaslons of contractors, and that upon
their visits of superintendent, instead of proceed
ing directly to the work and securing to themselves
fair opportunity Of investigation, they have fire.
quently spent hours at the tables and sideboards
of the contractors, previous to making any exam
inatlon, thus aordng to said contractors a desra-
BILE opportunity to save appearances and smooth
the face OF things. And that all these frauds, mis-
feasances and malpracitces, together with many
other, not here mentioned, have become gigantic
and enormous on the Miami Extension Canal and
have been run out in some instances for miles
through the swamp which were uncaled for by the
depth of water or any other object OF utility, but
which were,merey designed TO afford iobs to favor
ie contractors. That large bond given by one
of these companies Of contractors, forfeited in
November last by nonperformance of the work
stipulated for therein, and that said bond has not
been put in SUIT, nor any steps taken TO enforce the
same. That system of favoritsm, speculation and
| private gain exists in the management of all our
aud veteran have crept into and vltiated that
management.
| And whereas, this House, mingliDg as it does
| with the community, cannot but participate in
these suspicious, and as it is right that the guilty
should be detected, and that the honorable and
upright men who may be connected with our
public works, should have fair opportunity TO
manifest their integrity and relieve themselves from
suspicious so painful to correct and manly minds,
and any investigation which could be made by a
committee of the General Assembly with its ordi-
nary powers, would be nugatory and deceptive
Therefore be 1t
Resolved, That the committee on finance be
instructed to inquire into the expediency of pass
ing statute, TO secure thorough investigation of
the abuses aforesaid, and of the whole system of
our public works, either by a committee of the
General Assembly to sit during the recess, or by
commission Of other citizens, or in any other man.
ner they may deem best, with leave to report by
bill or otherwise; and that it be recommended to
said committee in case they should deem itexpedi-
to report by bill to give to the investigation all the
aid which statute law, can give consistent with the
principles of equity Of justice, and of the constl-
tuition.
From The Philadelphia Spirit of the Times
THE SECRETARY OF STATE.-Since
the RECENT of the news from Great