Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-05-06
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

TIE LErrINGs.-TO-morrow, the bids for the
Water Works contracts are to be opened Work
and materials to the heavy amount of two mil
lions of dollars are to be contracted for The
attendance here of bidders is large, some of
them being gentlemen we'll known as tinkerers
in politics well as public works The law
and the regulations of the War Department for
the government of all lettings of contracts for
work done under the supervision of United
States engineers prescribe, if we remember cor
rectly, with great clearness and circumspection,
how the bids are to be opened, and that the
contracts shall be awarded to the lowest re-
sponsible bidders Or, in other words, to the
lowest bidders who can give responsible secu-
rity. The practice of the agents of the w ar
Department in accepting bids below their own
estimates, has always been to exact heavier Sc
curity than would otherwise be demanded. 1t
has worked well for the public interest so far
Our sincere hope is that all the contracts i'm
question may fall into the hands of purely bust
ness men; as, If pseudo politicians get any of
them, they will surely be after extra allowances
from the Executive branch of the Government
or Congress, ere long which will damage seri-
ously the real interest of the work, and lay the
foundation for all sorts of roorbacks against the
Government. In the course of our long expert
ence at this point, We have rarely known a poll
tician to carry off Government contract. who
JAILED to demand extra allowances on some pre-
text or other, and to involve some friend in the
Government in popular odium, if his demand be
acceded To.
Inc present Administration being new in the
harness, cannot be as weIl-informed relative tn
the schemes Of political bidders for such CON-
tracts as their predecessors were Ere long.
however, they will realize the necessity for
great caution in dealing with the class of opera
tors to whom we refer. II is certainly their
determination to know no man personally in
letting out this work. So we have every reason
to hope that they will not be circumyented by
any one OF the many who are doubtless anxious
to make good thing out Of these contracts
by bidding them of at too low rates, and then
drumming to obtain extra allowances from Con-
gress, or in some other way
O"CN dAHE-'-It seems that at the meet
ing VI 'ne Board of School Trustees called for
an enort TO cram Lossing's Pictorial His
Tory vi the United States into the hl;e schools
OF washington is anticipated Some time s;noo
we feit compelled to expose the fac, tba, ,hi.
book, as history, besides being ut,erJv rnr.I;
able in many important particular. !: r.
partizan publication far as its no;,;cs :, 49,,
cerned for its bias in that wsv i snn.rn,
throughout its pages. An effort WAS NIL =,
run 1t on Congress somewhat after the sam.
fashion, which failed, signally We hear th.,
every member Of the Board of School Trustee.
has been presented with copy, and that An
a.
books now used in the public schools of Wash
iDgton with the use of which its adoption NAV
conflict A resort to such means to bring about
It's introduction into our public schools should
satisfy the Trustees that its publisher. or pro-
Prletor, relies more on management for the sue
cess OF his effort to foist il on the public. than
on Its intrinsic merits We regret that TODAY
we are without the necessary space in which to
iePuoiish our former article, exposing in detail
many OF It's historical inaccuracies, which. how
ever, Is probably well remembered nv NOR.
than one Of the Board of School Trrs,oas
iho'hEss OF THE TRIALS Below the
naval reader will find two circular. from g.
rotary Toucey and Judge Advocate Carli.le
explaining the Departments intention, -. >.
the future management of the trials bef,,. .,a
Courts of Inquiry, on the part Of the Govsrr-
ment- We were compelled, for want Of sn.oa
TO lay them over yesterday, and now cali NJ.