National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-01
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CON
TRACT.

WAS
yesterday before the Joint Investigating
Committee in regard to the DeGolyer- Nc
!Clellan contract. The entire evidence will
be found in fun in other columns. 1t shows
that these contractors gave, or promised to
give, money to sid them in obtaining work
from the Board of Public Works that they
were awarded work, but that only por-
ton of it was completed, for the reason
that it was 80 bad that the Board of Public
Works was compelled to cancel the contract.
The correspondence which followed is the
best rcfutation that could possibly be given
of the slanderous charges which have been
made against the District government, and
is in itself at once racy and piquant. 1t is
very evident that these Chicago contractors
were under the impression that members of
the board were indirectly concerned In their
affairs that their interests were identical !;
that the person or persons to whom they
agreed to pay money had an understanding
with members of the government. The
correspondence presented yesterday shows
how utterly groundless the supposition was;
in a word, how badly tfooled" Chittenden
& Co. were in the whole transaction.
Governor Shepherd s statement Is as plain
as die. When first approached on the
subject he said, che will have to take his
''chances with the others; put in his propo-
''sition, and stand on his merits" Subse-
qHently long argument was made before
the board in favor Of the same party which
''quite exhausted the subject and the board. :"
The interests of the great West were in
volYed, and the board was eutreated to deal
kindly and literally with that suffering Sec
ton OF our common country. Finally the
contract was awarded These parties"
tive quote Governor Shepherds testimony
''were represented as being men of very
'1arge means, and as men thoroughly COM
"petent to do their work. They had not
'fgone very far before came to the conclu-
''sion that their ability to do the work had
'fbeen misrep resented; that they were not
linen Of means as hsd been stated; nor were
'fhey doing the class Of work which we
'fwanted done" Then we demurred to
"giVing them any more work, on the ground
'thst the people were dissatisfied with the
pavement We were importuned very
''great deal by dissatisfied parties represent
cling this concern" The next actor upon
the stage is the pure and spotless Mr.. Doo-
little, formerly of Wisconsin. and then and
now of Chicago, Illinois-the Mr.. Doolittle
who presided over the Baltimore conven-
ton which took up the reform banner
raised at Cincinnati, and nominated Mr..
Greeley, whose triumph would, we were so
often and pleasantly told, bring with it the
political millennium-thes same dear old Mr..
Doolittle Of Connalty cotton contract noto-
fiety. We do not wish to be understood
as charging that the connection of Mr.. Doo-
little with the Sffair was in the least i'm
proper. But Mr.. Doolittle was evidently
deceived in the matter. We print his
letter TO Governor Cooke. "There
is" he says, "an inside view of
'this matter, which is by far the most op-
''pressive upon my client. Hereby hangs
the whole tale. Mr.. Doolittle's client, and
evidently Mr.. Doolittle himself, believed
that Gov. Cooke and the Board Of Public
Works were upon the inside" and SO be-
Iieving it is no wonder he wrote as he did
write The ex-Senator's allusion to social
relations" to confidential communica-
lions, &c, is sweet and touching, full Of
tenderness, and almost pathos. But mark
the reply of Gov. Cooke % It: Permit me
ito assure you that. although much abused,
'fhe boardrather court than avoid investi-
'fgation, and that in prosecuting the case Of
''your client there is nothing which need in
''terrupt the friendly and social relations to
(which you 50 pleasantly refer" Here was
the reply Of q man conscious of his own
rectitude. 1t doubtless opened the eyes of
Biz. Doolittle, and Of his Gle Mt, and con.
WINGED them, If they ever entertained the
suspicion, that the board stood quit and
clear of all completely in the operations OF
the outside parties. who represented that
they were upon the "inside."
Mr.. George R. Chittenden next comes
upon the scene in letter to Governo OF
Shepherd, then vice president Of the Board
of Public Works. Chittenden predicts
'frouble ahead, /" and marks his communi-
cation confidential" His appeal is almost
as touching as that Of Doolittle II ask OF
'you," he writes. ''ths favor to extend this
Contract and avoid impending trouble.
'Shouh you conclude to do it. send for me
'fand doitthrough me, and I viii see that such
disposition Is made Of all questions which
'tmay now embarrass action as that they
'tnever can arise again or the contract shall
mot be extended" These are very sig.
ni6cant words. But the preceding SEN
tence, in which Chittenden threatens Mr..
Shepherd, is still more significant, IL was
all right from Mr.. Chittenden's standpoint ;
but the trouble was Chittenden was count
ing without his host, and his threats were
as the idle wind. Tie reply Of Mr.. Shep-
herd places the whole matter beyond all
doubt so far as he and the board are con-
cerned. He laughs ct Chittenden's threats J;