National Republican., 1874-05-29

had no knowledge Of it.
Q. Do you know whether there has been pay
kment Of intereSt made on certificates out Of ID
general fund; sSyer certificates, for example
A. know Of no case Of the kind. I do nc
think that q case Of the kind could occur.
Q. On any certihcstesf A. I should thin
not. l should be opposed to It decidedly.
Y. You have issued fpterest-bearing certif
catesf A. oh, yes; did not understand you
thought the question that you put to me wa
was about the certificates that the audito
issuns.
q. Oh, no; I am not asking you about those,
but about your Understanding certificates
A. Oh, they were paid at the Nstional Metro
poIitan Bank.
O. Has interest been paid on those ont n
the general fund.- A. The Commissioners Of
the sinking fund, I believe, pay those.
Q. Is interest paid on them out of the gen
eral fund A. do not understand what Vol
mean by the general fund"
O. mean out of the general-tax fund of tn
District A. The interest has been paid b,
money received from sources Of revenue tha
probably are under the control Of the Board o
Public Works. do not know whether 1t is I
general fund or not.
By Mr.. Bass: O. Did the National Metropol
tan Bank allow the treasurer of the board any
interest on his money! A. Not bit, sir; snd
we would not allow you any If you came there
and deposited 1t.
By the Chairman: Q. You were aware that
the Board Of Public Works was largely In
oenti A. think II is very largely. I should
think so. do not know.
.. Have you any plan for the payment OF
that debt: any specific plan in vieHi A. Well,
the plan, 80 far as l understand 1t ia this
rhere are assessments to be made upon streets
and work that has been done that have not
been made yet awhile, and as soon as they arc
made money will be coming into the treasury.
and as q matter Of course they will have means
to pay. think that Is one great difficulty in
the way of payment, and we did not proceed
along promptly.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. But those assessments
cover only one-third of the cost. What are
you going to do about the other two-thirdsi A.
Well, do not know, sir, unless you gentlemen
of Congress will help US.
Q. Your main reliance, then, is Congressi
A. Gentlemen, l tell you very frankly, that /
rely upon Congress, because 1 have a great
respect for Congress, and know that Congress
Will take care to payits just debts. That Is my
idea about 1t.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. Do you approve as a
member. of the board, of their system of ar
bitrarily awarding contracts instead of secur-
ing proper competition by public advertise
mentsl A. Well, sir; do not like to pass
Judgment upon anything that has been done.
My opinion is, that if had control of the mat
ter would advertise for proposals. would
give the work to the lowest responsible bidder,
always taking care that he was responsible.
BY the Chairman: Q. That is what you
would dor A. That is what 1 would do indi-
yidually.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. understood you to say
that you have been q member of the board
since last September. A. Yes, sir.
q An aafiva fha -k - T.
uaryl A. Yes, sir.
Q. Have you attempted to introduce these
Improvements into their system that you now
state that you deem necessary! A. have Just
stated to the gentlemen here that the reason
why did not do so was that was waiting
until this investigation got over, and every
body was free from excitement, when we conld
calmly deliberate upon the subject and do what
was just and proper in the case. This is no
time to be undertaking reforms there. You
have, perhaps, two thirds or one half of our
force up here; we cannot attend to business.
Q. Have you not even during the investiga-
ton been making that which you deemed a
reformi I now refer to the meeting that you
held on the 25th day of this month A. What
was done there / do not recollect now.
@. There is q preamble to certain resolu-
tions, "whereas Adolf Cluss in his testimony
on the 22d instant, admitted that he had per-
jured himself, therefore," &C. Were you
present at any meeting when such a resolution
was passed by the boardi A. Yes, sir. And
I voted for It.
Q. VIII you refer this committee to the tes-
timony of Adolf Cluss, In which he admitted
that he had committed perjuryl A. The tes-
timony was read from your own proceedings,
sir. Il satisfied me as q moral man that he
had committed moral perjury. As well as 1
recollect, Mr.. Mattingly asked him whether
that was his signature. He said it was a for
gerry, If It was. II his signature was attached
to the paper he said Il was forgery, well -
that. Is that your signaturel" Eyes; that is
my signature" "Then you admit that it is a
forgeryp "Well," said he, sit is either for
gerry or rperjury." "WeIl, then it is perjury"
Said he, "Well, you say so," which was as
much as to admit it.
Q. Now, that is the part of the testimony
upon which you based these resolutions and
your Judgment, was itl A. Yes, sir.
Q. And not upon any other part of his testi-
monyl A. Well, l did not read his whole tes-
timony. That was pointed enough to my mind
to show that he had done what was morally
wrong, decidedly so. 1t was a subject of great
regret with me, because sympathized greatly
with Mr.. Cluss, and have been friendly toward
him In the board, and I have sustained him
pretty generally.
@. You deemed him until that time an hon
est man and u gentleman of yeracity? A.
did so. did not suppose for q moment that
he would have put himself in the predicament
that he appeared in before this honorable CON-
mittee.
Q. You say that ever since your connection
tions have been open, fair, and honest7 A.
Every one, sir, that has come under my obser-
vation.
Q. Do you deem 1t open, fair, and honest
toward q gentleman, member of the same
board as yourself, to condemn him in his ab-
sencel A. Well, sir, this investigation is a
matter of public notoriety; everybody UNDER
stands it; understand It; know what is
going on as well as you do; and I say that
whatever transpires here, we are just as COM
petent to pass our judgment upon as if we
we're TO have it transpire in our own room at
the Board of Public Works.
Q. Did you not know when you passed that
resolution that Mr.. Clu5s was still witness
before this committed A. did not know the
fact.
Q. DID you not know, sir, that he had not
been discharged as witness! A. did not
know that fact, sir.
Q. If you had known that, would you not
have deemed your action improper and unjustl
A. Well, sir, l should not; If was thoroughly
impressed with the idea that he had commit
ted this great fdUr pdUs I should have passed
the same judgment upon him. II is the con-
yiction of my mind that he had done what is
to q gentleman and a man of
honor, and that made me unite in the appro-
baton of that resolution.
Q. Was it not your purpose in part to affect
his testimony before this committed A. Not
a bit Of it, sir. | am above doing any mean
thing as that. If you think so, you could do
90, sir. would not and will not; decline to
answer any more questions from you. Either
Of the gentlemen here, who are gentlemen,
will get them to put any question they want to
put to me. won't answer any question from
you.
Mr.. Christy. submit to the committee If
that is not a proper question.
By the Chairman. That has passed; If you
will PROFOUND another we will rule upon It.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. Did you sign this report
rs o member Of the Board of Public Worksi
Have you seen the printed volumel A. Well,
signed every report that is there that my
name is to.
@. Do you indorse all the statements in that
report7 A. As far as I understand them.
thought I understood 1t thoroughly at that
time. mean the body of the report here. All
matter of detail, must say, did not know a
great deal about them. ! merely looked at
them.
@. You have read, you say, carefully all the
In this case, sufficiently to make up
an opinion in regard to it. Now, ask you If
you are not satisfied that there are mistakes
contained in that report.
Mr.. Hamilton. do not think that that is q
legitimate inquiry, Mr.. Christy.
Mr. Chriatv doam IL nAepSeaFV for 0asil0