Evening star., 1869-10-09

conversation you had with him that you 70.
earded this inyestigation a. malignsnt per.
secunon. A. Well, that IL going inc m alter
think the qussaca Is q al p.rsin.rt 30 SuI nGi II
IL Is any satisfaction for you to know. I Will
state that did not, bscsuse ft is language that
never sv: :, n:s :s,s s0wo1as .nySody you'd 0s
or any other man with malice. A Quarrel
between you and anybody else is nothing to
me; bat l Will tell you what did cay, ana
nate oflcer OF the Corporation couId succsed
in holding in check the Mayor, then the
Mayors executive duties are goae; then he
ton. The Mayor . invested with execuuye
power, and certainly has the power 70 over.
ride the acts OF any OF hi, subordinatss who
%,,s; .n0w s,s.; q contumacy. No names
z. Is not the once OF the Register inde.
pendent OF that of the Mayor and 10 II not
is'eHoed S 70 serve Is ,S Snec. upon the Mayori
u. DO you remember, during Mr.. Wallach's
Administrations. Of party coming TO hum with
1n = oli 70 signCCfor nis approval-which the
sign, and Of Mr.. Wallach refusing to nav the
ball until the signature of the Commissioner
was obtained. A. A cise Of that KIND might
nave ,sN occurred amid the multiplicity Of things
memory. really canno; answer. But ques.
tons are constantly arising between the Mayor
tue Commissioners and the Assistant Commis.
pie. the Assistant Commissioner will say to the
contractor, "l Will not approve your work I'M.
less you hx that curb" or something else
satisfied that the wook has been done accord.
lpgto contract, and according to the specidca.
tons. feels himself justified Ia overriding Q
justice 10 done thereby, either to the Corpora.
ton or anyone else. fl-.s
q. Did you ever know Mr.. Wallach to draw
money without the signature of the Rsg,stsrl
A.. .
z. To obtain money In any way from the
bank without the signature Of the Register. A..
No, sir; because money cannot be obtained ex.
tept by check. No money can be drawn OK.
cept authorized by some act Of the Council.
The money must be drawn by check and cred.
tied 10 the appropriation from which the
q. Did you ever know the Mayor. at time
when the Corporation was out Of funds, to
anticipate the revenae. without the signature
will tell you what have known: l have
known the Mayor to raise money ON bis own
private check-on a thirty days notc based
upon the incoming reveaue OF the Corpora.
ton. %
q. Were the incoming taxes of the city
pledged for the amounts A No, sir. re-
member when Mr.. Berrett came into office,
in 1S5s, the contract for the Asylum was under
way. The contract read that the Corporation
OF Washington should honor his pay rolls
every month, to the amount Of $4,000. and
aggregate amount of the bill for its considera-
ton; that under no circumstances wouid extras
be allowed. When Mr.. Berrett came into
ofhce he found the pay rolls for the two or
three preceding months unpaid, and the work
suspended He examined the contract with
great particularly, and then sent for the con.
tractor, Gilbert Cameron, now dead. He said
70 MN: III have examined this contract with
great care, ana finding your pay rolls here
properly certified BY the parties authorized to
do 90, ] have directed the Register to draw a
check to honor this pay roll for this month.
through with the greatest alacrity, and i viii
see you paid every month. As soen a. you finish
that building and the Official inspection has
pay you every cen snd S. dld pis yer1 w
and when the last pay roll came, MIR. James NJ
Carlisle drew the final and full receipt and
the building was turned over to the corporation
without cent extra being charged for any.
thing, because NO man on the face Of the earth
could get q cent extra out OF him for anything,
unless It was justly due. There was an in.
tractor.
At the instance OF Mr.. Barrett:
clause in the contract calling for payments
monthly for work done. Was 1t custom ary IN all
contracts for doing work tor the corporation to
insert clause that the payments should bemade
monthly, or at any other stated timesl A. That
depended upon the nature of the work entirely.
That contract referred to was one for the
building OF the Almshouse, and the contractor
had to have clause in the contract stating low
he would get his msney. He paid his men By
: he month, and unless the corporation paid
him By the month he could not pay his men.
streets was any such clause as that in any of
them, to your knowledge! A. No, sir; do not
Al the insssncs Of mr. Crane.
U. What Is the law in regard to requiring
bids for improvements In streets! A. All street
Improvements are to be advertised for ten days
in the public papers. The law says At least
ten days In one or more papers published In the
city Of Washington.
q. Did you ever know Mayor to let ont
streets by private contract since that law was
passed requiring the avertisIngl A. The ad-
vertisement states that the Mayor will reserve
to himself the right to reject all bids, and order
an advantage will accrue to the city thereby,
or he may re.advsrtise. This the law permits
him to do.
O. Do understand that q uestion to be an.
swered directly, that you 10 not knew Of the
Mayors letting any contracts privately since
the law was passed for the grading OF streetsl
A. presume that Mayors have done that,
being convinced that it would be for the inter-
est OF the Corporation. Let the contractor, tor
instance, grade a certain street, between certain
points, and then IL became necessary, in order
tine same street graded, law having been
psssed for that purpose, the Mayor may have,
In such q case, ordered the continuation of the
work on that square; e. guess occasions have
ditional square TO the contractor doing the
other work, and at the same price. Such an in.
stance as that may nave occurred.
At the instance OF Mr.. Stanton
u. State whether, in matters having peculiar
reference to the Surveyors ONCE, 1t was not
the custom Of the Mayors under whom you
served TO defer considerably to the professional
and official opinions Of the City Surveyor! A.
Well, all the Mayors under whom ! served.
while they had great Difference for the opinion
Of the City Surveyor in matters Of this kind,
yet generally acted on their own judgment.
q. do not mean that they were controlled
bJ L.; but did not such opinion have great
weight with the Mayor A. should think
go.
q. understood you to state that the dis.
tinction between an estimate for work done
with view TO payment on account, and a
bona Ede estimate with view 70 q final settle.
ment, was observed by the Mayors-was re-
cogpiZedl A. / stated that. The Mayor al ways
being certain that the money he was paying
was paid under an act which had passed the
two Boards Of the City Council that more
work had been done than the am cunt OF money
asked for, and that he was not exceeding the
appropriation. 30
q. This estimate, as understood You to say,
Is rather more specific than most Of the esti.
mates that have come under your observationl
A. Yes, sir; II Is a little more specific. i will
tell You why. The late Surveyor, as told you
before, had very little assistance, aud as IL was
then during the time Of the war, he was con-
stantly called on TO 60 and lay out roads lead.
ing TO the city. Such an estimate as this would
require the Surveyor TO 90 upon the ground.
business which was upon him. DO not know.
however, but what this is the best way,
Upon reflection, though, doubt whether IL is
tha hos n fho m An thia IN made