National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-11

SofumD1a, and OF their plan Tor Q general
system of improvements for said District Of
, Columbia, herewith filed marked exhibit "A"
winch had been by them submitted to
the Legislative Assembly Of the District
OF Columbia, prior to and q the basis Of the
act passed by said Legislative Assembly max,
ing appropriations of money to be used and dis
Dursed oy SAID Board Of Public Works, and IN
violation OF their promises to the several par
ties WING MAD submitted bids, and proposals
Of aiding and assisting the said JohnO. Eyans.
and his said confederates, did unlawfully let
and award the following contracts upon saN
18th day of September, and ut various times
thereafter, without any public notice, but pri-.
vately, to the said John o. Evans, individually,
and to the said John O. Evans, as president Of
the Washington Asphalt Company to the said
Lewis Clephane, president Of the Metropolis
Paving Company, and to the said Lewis 8.
Filbert, to wit, the contracts numbered as fol-
lows 29S, Al, q, AS, %, A. 20, $50, 1874 81,
SO, lO7, go, 291, 295, $50, $50, SIX, S34, 9O5,
So, 248, SOC, 511, SIS, go, 6a1, go, $50, 6ol,
707, 100, 75S, 798, 7s4, 916, a14, 249, GIG, 6ss,
go, 6sS, 6S5, $50, ZOE, 1853, 776, 1913, S34, 95e.
That the contracts let and awarded John o.
Evans as aforesaid aggregated in estimated
cost 1914 go ~
That the amounts paid to said John
o. Evans, according to reports of
said board, amount to ss3.716. IS.
To Lewis Clephane, estimated cost 312,Sl3. OS
Payments made to him 4O6' 49a N,
To Lewis C. Hilbert, estimated cost 5723Ol .53
PAYMENTS made to him --- 495,1U- s,
Or to these three, aggregated esti-
mated cost s1,71O,1O4, As
Amounts paid 1,767, 1864 90
All of which will more fully appear from the
contracts themselves, the reports of the Board
of Public Works, and the exhibits herewith
submitted, marked respectively "a g." "
&C" and sc g."
That the said Board of Public Works, for the
purpose Of further aiding and assisting the
said John o. Evans, and his said associates,
provided in certain of the contracts let add
awarded to them unlawfully that they shouln
have the right to use such old material a.
they might remove" in the streets and avenues
to be improved by them, such old material be-
ing the property of the Government of the
United States and Of the citizens of said Dis
trict, to-wit in contract No. Il, made with
John O. Evans, and in contract No. ~, made
with Lewis 8. Fflbert. That said Board of
Public Works likewise agreed to furnish GER
tain costly machinery, owned by said District
of Columbia, to be used and employed in prose-
cutting SID improvements by said contractors,
and without charge; that said Board of Public
Works, without any previous public notice,
likewise agreed with the said John o. Evans
and his said associates, and caused the same to
be inserted in their contracts as follows to-wit:
'provided that partial payments may be made
under direction of said party of the first par"
(the said Board Of Public Work., } otherwise
than under the direction of said engineer as
provided above, If in the opinion of the said
party OF tie first part, the vigorous prosecution
Of the work viii be promoted thereby" which
provision Is not in the printed blanks exhibited
to bidders prior to the LIST Of September afOre-
said, ;" (see contracts No. $50, 2y3. Al, %, AS,
100, %, 42, 159, 81 s., J thus enabling the said
John o. Evans and his associates to virtually
prosecute said improvements without advanc-
ing any considerable capital on their part, AMI
to receive pay in advance of any inspection or
estimate Of the work done by them. That said
Board of Public Works, likewise to assist the
said John o. Evans and his said associates,
permitted them to- go as sureties ror each
other upon the bonds accompanying all of the
contracts 80 far as examined by your memo
rialists, and thus permitted Lewis Clephane to
execute the bonds attached to contracts No.
29s, Al, AS, 90, AZ, 81, 49, 1914, 81, Sc, aggre-
eating $171 900, the said Lewis Clephane, at
the time said bonds are alleged to have been
given, not being worth over S12 900, and this,
although by the rules and regulations of said
board each contractor was required to keep
the improvement made by him in repair for the
period of three years,-and such bonds being
Public Works, each contractor, by their rules,
being entitled to be paid in full on completion of
his contract. That said Board of Public Works,
likewise to aid and assist the said John o.
Evans and his said associates, under certain ex-
ceptions in their favor in regard to keeping said
improvements in repair-said rule to keep i'm
provements in repair being universal in terms,
and allowed said contractor to be limited to
keep in repair to one year. (See contracts Of
Lewis Clephane, No. 159 and 194. That the
said Board of Public Works, likewise to aid and
assist the said John o. Evans and his sail
associates, unlawfully agreed to pay twenty five
cents per square yard for a wooden foundation
for the "Miller Wooden Pavement" in excess
of the original contract prices, and long after
the period prescribed for the completion of said
contracts had expired. (See extensions to con-
tracts with Lewis s. Hilbert, No. 81 and S2.)
That the said Board of Public Works granted
these privileges and advantages to the said
John o. Evans and his said associates after the
said first day of September, A. D. 1871, and
withheld all knowledge of their intention to
make these special arrangements from the bid
ders outside. and ignorant of the existence Of
said confederation, although they were import
ant elements to be considered in preparing
their said bids or proposals.
s. That the said Board of Public Works
greatly aided and assisted the said John O.
Evans and his associates by unlawfully extend
ing and enlarging the improvements to be made
under their said contracts, and this without re-
quiring them to give any additional bond or other
security whatever to protect said District of
Columbia from loss or from damage by said
John o. Evans, failing to perform the con-
ditions of said extended contracts. (See con
tracts No. Al, with John o. Evans; contract
No. %, with Lewis g.. Flbert, and contracts
Nos. % and 1914, with Lewis Clephane3 And
that the said Board of Public Works expressly
,s.xlo N $<,ft u Slafsx
bly, in allowing additional compensation to that
provided for IN said contract, to the said Lewis
Clephane, to-wit: by increasing the amount to
be paid for grading from twenty cents per cubic
yard to the board prices established January
80 30, 1872, to-wit: ''that the price of grading be
fixed from and after this date at thirty cents
per cubic yard, including the hauling, not to
exceed two hundred feet; for each additional
two hundred feet one cent additional per cubic
yard"
9. That the said Board of Public Works, to
still further aid and assist the said John o.
Evans and his said associates, used the power,
patronage and influence of said Board of Public
Works, and the influence of the several MEM
bers thereof, to obtain the passage of an act
entitled IAN act creating drainage and sewer
age sections in the cities of Washington and
Georgetown" &C., by the Legislative Assem-
bly, of the said District of Columbia, whereby
the said real property purchased by Hallet XII
bourn and James N. Latta, trustees, in the north
western portion. Of the said city of Washington,
hereinafter more particularly mentioned, was
only subject to. a tax of eleven mills per square
foot, and much ofthe real property of your me-
morialists and other citizens of said District of
Columbia was subjected to atax of twenty mills
per square foot; and this although the property
of the said Hallet kilbourn and James M
Latta, trustees, was reasonably worth 81 per
square foot, and the said property of your me-
morialists and other citizens not exceeding four.
cents per square foot.
10: That the said Board of Public Works, to
still further aid and assist the said John o..
Owens and his associates, have disregarded the
limitations of said original plan, and acts of ap-
prepriations aforesaid, and greatly exceeded
the estimated costs Of improvements therein
mentioned, to wit
1. Estimated cost in said plan of F street north,
between Seventeenth and Twenty seventh west,
$l9, S4S. But the report of the Board of Public
Works for 1872, tabular statement No. Il,
states the actual cost of only part Of said i'm
provement, to wit F street north, from Seven
teenth street to Twenty-third street west,
90 ,S97 (including sewer, total cost, q, 157)
9. Estimated cost in said plan of East Capt.
tol street, from First to Lincoln square, (Elev-
enth street east,) $1S,15O. But the report
Of. the Board of Public Work for 18Th tabular
statement No. 20, states the actual cost of
said improvement made at $lS9, LOS. %, OF