Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-05-24

COrpOration 0rders-HoW to 0toD
Inese kascaltties-AnA Appeal to the
EDITOR STAR:-Having heard q good deal
said of the wasteIul extravagance of Mayyr
Bowen (pardon me for giving him that title, a
title am satisfied he has legal right to wear)
thought would take ride about the city and
see for myself From a careful observation 1
have come to the conclusion that there Is at this
ume upwards of go men employed by the
several Ward Commissioners exclusive OF the
men employed by the ward contractors, which
formed h at ihe First ward Co%mssonap am I'm. IN
Is assistant commissioners under him, and the
Fourth Ward Commissioner Is assistants with
aforce OF upwards of 800 men. He has gangs
OF men. numbering about 60, making casual re-
pairs. saw one day during the past week four
OF bus assistants sitting in the shade by the side
OF fence watching about 80 men, who were
leaning upon their shovels discussing Mr.
Bowens prospects of election. | saw a
large number OF men digging cutters or
trenches on each side OF North Cap
church, and throwing the loan or clay into the
middle of the street, thus burying up fine coat
OF gravel, which was put on this street last
year, at an expense OF 81 2,Oe0-thereby convert
ing this excellent driveway into a mud hole.
This Is but one of a thousand similar instances
that might be named. The corporation labo.-
ers have not been paid since the lst of January,
period of mcst five months. The bapk account
Is oyerdrawn SIS, 600, besides $4,000 in
checks, which are not honored at the hank. and
are seeking purchasers on the streets at ninety
cents on the COLLAR. In addition to all this there
is floating debt against the corporation, ALI
contracted under Mr.. Bowen, amounting TO up-
wards of SGO0, 900. Yet with this state of things
staring him in the face, Mr.. Bowen puts 300
extra laborers TO work, knowing that he has not
the means ID pay them. Men are brought in
from the country, where they are needed to till
the soil, and put to work on streets merely
to secure their illegal votes for Mr.. Bowen.
These poor deluded iaborers are made to believe
that they will receive constant employment at
g per day through the year if they will vote
1or Mr.. Bowen. Our permanent labOring popu-
iatlon should be made to zee that the impOrta-
ton OF labOrers from the country where they
are needed, is tai h-ng just so much bread out of
their mouths. is il not time, MI. Editor that
this bogus Mayor was stopped i'm his mad ca
reer? Not content with debauching and break
ing up the party that voted for him in 1868, he
now seeks TO debauch the whole laboring popu-
lation OF the District as well as the Counties
bordering on the District, in Maryland and Viz
glnia. He has already anticipated nearly the
entire amount of next years revenue and VET
continues punging our city deeper and deeper
In debt. What would be thought of the bust
ness capacity or integrity of a merchant who
would flood the community with checks know
ing he had no funds in bank to meet then?
would he not be regarded as Infamous? Tnis
Is just what Sayles j. Bowen is doing.
Here is copy OF one OF the orders with which
corporation laborers are being paid:
NO. I'll. WASHINGTON, ID. c., Nav IS, 1870
MIR. Edeline will pay Robert jenkins or order
twelve dollars, and charge to account Of streets
and alleys.
S12.O0 wN. b. DoBRrNs
Comr OF improvements, Sixth Ward"
IL strikes me that the firm of " streets and al
i rlsif n hss = psyaSl even with ri the Sein Of
such an able hnancier as Dir. William b. Dob
bins.
Here is a sample of the way they do business
: No. lib. wAsHINeToN, d. C.. May 2l, 1870
Mr. will please pay Noah Hu6bard |
or order nine dollars, and charge to account o. |
Com'r of Improvements, Fourth ward,
Itwlll be observed that this order is addressed
TO dtonk and signed by blank. 1t was presen; ii /
70 me In good Iaith by one OF the corporation
laboIers last evening: This morning 1 wa /
offered one Of these orders for fifty cents ON 1
dollar, the poor fellow saying that he had /
nothing in the house to eat. IL was $40 order.
and he finally offered it for 81, or ten cents on q
dollar. have heard Ofseyeral beingSold at thi.
price. MIR. Bowen pretends to be the friend of
The poor laborer, would it not be as well for him
to devote part OF the funds expended on hi-
6llllngsgate hand-bill, and in buying up Tom i
Florence, in redeeming these orders Z? / Under
stand he holds $50 900 in government bonds IL /
he is friend OF the laborer let him sell those
oohds anu take up a part OF the illegal orders 1
that his commissioners have palmed OFF upJn 4
his starving laborers.
Mr.. Editor, is there no way to stop this mai
man IN his wastef1l expenditures? Why no,
appeal TO the courts? Let petition be draw
1p and signed by our largest taxpayers pray
Dg the Supreme Court of the District to grant
IN lnlunctlon restr aiming Sayles j. Bowen from
,quandering any moe of the peoples money.
II presented by the proper authorities, backed
BY evidence which can be furnished in abun-
lance, have no doubt the court will interfere |
VIII not some one move In the matter?
There is an old law of this corporation re-
the Mayor from letting out any con
tract until he has first ascertained whether
hree months ago the Councils passed a bili
directing the Mayor to s.pdy the La6osers ia cask
he first Of euery aORh, p which is equivalent to |
iirecting him to suspend all work unless he has |
he funds to pay the laborers. But this law. 4
ike many other corporation laws, is wholly ig-
lored by Sayies j. Bowen. He seems deter
mined to disregard both the laws of Congress
Ind the corporation just as often as they come
N conflict with his demagogue schemes.
-- ..-r CITIZEN.