The sun., 1873-06-20

8. 20 ~
Tho coal and wood Is contracted for after ad-
,crtlsement and there Ia but little chance 10
steal But how are the Tas bills manipulated
Does the Gas Company steal outright In this
Wholesale manner from the Treasury? think
I can explain this mystery. There T. an indivi-
dual in Washington named John Bailey. He Is
disbursing clerk of the House Of Representatives
and director In the Washington Gas Light
Company lie has been employed about the
House Of Representatives for several years. lie
quite poor when he secured his first ap-
pointment, but Notwithstanding his salary has
never exceeded ss,e0 per snnum he has
trlyed 20 save enough out Of IL to make him
worth almost a half million dollars to-day. 1t is
really wonderful how people who employed
about the Capitol especially I'm the Clerks ofice
ofthc House Of Representatives, manage to ac-
cumulate money Twenty years ago he was poor
but without apparently an effort on his part. and
certainly without being engaged In any lcgiti-
mate business outside the clerks ONCE, he has
contriycd 10 become the possessor Of very valu-
able real estate IN this city, and n majority ~
the stock Of the Washington Gas Company lie
il therefore n very important man. lie IS on
terms Of the closest intimacy with President
Grant and his private secretary Gen. Babcock.
lie accompanied them To Long branch when the
seat Of government was removed to the reigning
NewNoik Hcrdld's correspondent In announcing
the arrival Of the royal train wanted 20 know
who Bailey was. lie knew lac wa a capitalist,
hut was uncertain whether he was Bailey the
ahscondlng Collector Of Internal Revenue one
of Columbus Dclano's pets--or some other man.
The public IA now Informed rs to who Bailey
the Presidents Bailcy-is.
Now Balley's duties as disbursns clerk OF the
House are supplemented 10y Others not less im-
portant TO members Of Congress. lie looks after
their eas bills. II the member keeps house, his
gas bills are regularly forwarded to Bailey, the
discussing clerk, per order Of Bailey, the direc-
tor II the gas company. They are so forwarded
every month In the year, whether the members
house IL occupied or not, and, strange TO say,
they are as great when no gas Is consumed In
the members house as when every burner Is
going. Bailey, as disbursing clerk, sees that the
gas bill Of the membsrS are added into the gas
hl tor the Capitol, and in this way both the
members and the gas company are mutually
beneficial 10 each other. II the member does
not keep house, and Is Of an economical turn II
mind he can make an arrangement with his
landlady OF landlord to pay their gas bills and
have the same deducted from his board bill
The same plan Is pursued with the gas bills at
the Treasury Department. The Assistant Score
taries, all the fayorite clerks In the Secretary's
office, the heads of bureaus, and many others,
pay no gas bills-they are added into the gas till
for the Treasury building. Bailey attends to this
business for the gas company also. But even
with all these additions the gas bill for this de-
partment should not be one-tenth the amount
annually paid. but having once Induced the
officials to cheat and defraud the Government
In small way II course II was quito easy e. get
them TO wink, hold their hands behind their
backs and pass bills amounting to thousands
OF dollars when they should be less than hum
drcd.
And 50 II ia with almost every item of contin-
gent expenditure in this departmental is steal,
sttdl, STEAL!