National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-23

a space there, whether Il is within the street or
mot. It is public space that is not used.
4 Mr.. Jewett. That is the object for which this
statement Is introduced. Thst we can discuss
1 afterward. Va
j Mr. Stewart That shows that what was In
Il the buildihg-line cost 60 much.
Il Mr.. Christy. win explain that there was q
Government space that they improved %
II Witness. Il is described as being contained
between certain intersections of streets, and as
containingI think IL is two thousaud-I think
i It is fourteen thousand. You will see on the
u paper itself, containing 90 many feet. At least
found that the absolute space that was con-
tanned between these lines was only 5S5J1 feet.
i By Mr. Stewart: @. Did you measure the
whole park A. / did, but It + not IN the
statement. 49, 80 le-s n
j Q. How much was III A. do not recolIect,
but l can bring the paper here; but had no
II reference to that. sr-l
BY the Chairman. Q. Yod do not include
any portion of the pavement of the street in
this area at alli A. Not at all. r.
Y. You include the area around which the
i pavement and sidewalks are laid; that Ia all
you includea A. Not even that much.
/ Q. It is the production of the lincs where
these building lines go, for they have extended
this space considerably up beyond the building
of the reservation, that is, of the space that
is contained between the production of these
lines, the avenue lines and the street, 4
By Mr.. Mattingly. Q. Would It not cost
much more to have that continued out right
across that than to have it left there as q park
A. have my doubts about that. It would not
have cost to have paved 1t with that same pave
ment more than $500. = :.
@. With q concrete or wood pavement A.
That small space spoke Of +.
Q. Not more than soddingi A. The sod
ding - = 80
The Chairman. You, of course, know per-
fectly well that these streets, If paved at all,
would have TO be paved so as to include this
space. A. OF course
Q. Therefore, 1t Is simply question as to
the propriety of making this space reserva-
toni A. Yes, SIR
Mr.. Stewart. Please bring In the full size of
the reservation tomorrow. ~
The Witness. In this Improvement, II the
citizens or the property-holde had been
| charged for one-third Of that, It would have
cost that much less If It had been paved with
the asphalt, as the rest of them were.
Mr.. Mattingly. What do you understandings
charge to be fora A. For all spaces for which
the Government pays fye-stxths Of the work
done to that space-not only that space, but
the work done about it, and that the property
| holders are merely charged for one-sixth. Now,
there is one-sixth left. II that improvement
about this little space had not been done, bit
simply paVement-a common pavement like
the rest Of IL, It would not have cost over $500;
a common pavement like that, that is done
about these little spaces.
Mr.. Matti1sly. do not comprehend It.
The Chairman. think comprehend.
| The Witness. ] say, II IL bad been taken in as
| the rest of the pavements, without any ofthose
other improvements, without any tagging,
footway, or anything, it would not have cost
more than s4Oo to pave it:
Q. To pave what5 A. That 5s5 square feet.
| Ryy Nv az n NJ a,,1
this s2s,O 900 is 4 charge for paving this little
spaee3 A. No, sir; 1t Is q pretense for charg-
| ing the Government where the Government
had no right to pay.
| Q. You think all the improvements along
there ought to have been paid for by the prop
eTtY-holders instead of by the Government 4.
No, sir; my idea is that it ought to be paved
like the rest of the streets.
Mr.. Mattingly. 1t is.
The Witness. But there is pavement around,
an asphalt pavement all around It. Aud there
are trees and other improvements; and so on.
There. is TO be . park there, when It is COM
pleted. 1t is not completed yet. It will prob
ably cost $40, 900 when completed.
Q. The Sidewalks and trees form very
small proportion of the s29, 900, do they noti
A. That may be.
The Chairman. suppose, Mr.. Mattingly,
| that this is Sample of large number Of cases
in the city, of spaces that have been left which
were not originally Government reservations,
that the gentlemen desire to bring the attention
OF the committee tot do not know how that
Is.
| Mr.. Christy, That is so. II would have been
very much better for the Government to have
abandoned all these spaces, than to have as
terted their right to them, at this large cost to
itself. -
The Chairman. OF course, If there had been
no Government space here the property holders
would have paid one-third.
Mr.. Mattingly. If this committee can decide
these spaces do not belong to the Government,
! private individuals owning property in front of
them viii be very apt to take good many Of
| them.
The Chairman. can see no conceivable pur-
pose for which this can be offered, except for
that.
Mr.. Stewart. The point made by the witness
is that, suppose, instead of having these little
corners or reservations, that the streets should
90 clear across.
Mr.. Merrick. Just precisely as it is in the
case Of the space in front Of the Bank Of Wash
ington. It is paved all over there, and ought
to have been in all these places.
The Chairman. For the purpose Of showing
that, think this is proper testimony to pre-
sent. Mr.. Merrick, may Inquire how you are
progressing now with your testimony
Mr.. Merrick. We are very nearly at the
close. think We shall close our examination
| l0-cnleI GO-LnOITOW.
Mr.. Christy. Undoubtedly.
I can say TO the committee that we desire to
examine Mr.. c. 81. Evans, the bookkeeper of
John o. Evans, and we also desire to PROFOUND
certain questions TO Mr.. James A. Magruder,
and two or three others.
JAMES 4. I1eRHDrR RECALLED.
BY the Chairman Q. Mr.. Christy, you
wapted him to bring you o statement, as nearly
as you could get It, of the amount Of certii-
Gates paid for IN money, and the amounts of
certificates paid out to the contractorsi
Mr.. Christy. Yes, sir: that is what we desire
teIt q LIS cash payments.
Witness. have q statement here, (present-
ing the same TO the chairman.)
| The Chairman. Mr.. Magruder hands the
committee statement which appears to be
statement of the checks drawn in the First Ma
ttonai Bank Of Washington from January
By the Chairman: O. Are those checks pay
able to the parties named there by you. 4.
They arc payable to the parties named here by
.. Are thss payable to order or bearerl A.
Some Of them payable to order. Twill just
state, for instance, that there are good many
Of these which have been paid into the banks.
checks were paid on. >
o. But are they the parties to whom the
checks were actually deliveredl A. No, sir;
the parties to whom these checks were paid in
great many instancesrfoi instance, here is
one that ] see, of Lo6kdS6d & Brother, per
Moses Kelly, cashier, aid % on. But j paid
into the banks great Deal Of this money.
They held certificates and loaned money al
them, And whenever that Was done made the
checks payable to the party to whom the ce:-
tiheates was payable, per the cashier OF ':.e
bank.
Q. Then this statement here does 70, sho
to whom the money was actually paid. 4.
No, s'r; It shows to whom the certificates were
| actually made. ,sF-2
| Q. II shows the times the claims we're p=!1
and the dates of the checksi A. Yes, sir.
| By Mr.. Merrick: Q. The banks held, for ex'
ample, the CERTIFICATES of A. B. to the amount
of $4,000, or a6y other sunni A. Yes, sir.
Q. Then you paid the bank when the bank
presented the Certificate of A. B. for work done
| by him-you paid the bank the money v ithout
knowing whether Il went to redeem that GER
tiicate or not: A. No, sir; l know the money
went to redeem the certificate, because ! took
up the Certificate.
Q. You did not pay to the party, but to the
bank, as the holder of that certtacatei A. No,
sir; l paid it TO the bank as the holder Of the
!.