Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-08-26
IHEFUTURE GOVERNMENT OF THE
DISTRICT.
Governor Shepherds Views.

view With Gov. Shepherd on District matters.
&c follows:
Reporter.-were sou as thoroughly familiar
with the workings OF the old municipal govern
late District government; and what are your
ton charters?
GOV erD0T ST. should advise against any
such return, a. they are very unwield; ana iI,er-
fcient do not think the history 81 any city
would warrant the recommendation Of this sys-
tenn.
Reporter wn you give some of your reasons
Governor S.-Yes sir. In the first place, 1t
was very cUmbTo1s, and the responsibility was
tee much Cividet. Take Washington, for in
stance; there was a mayo and IS aldermen aud
number, and in the county there were mem
beTs of the Levy Court, In all, more than so
territory kix miles square, and containing little
more than Ice, 600 people. Having been a mem-
Der of both the Board of A dermen aud Com
mon Council of Washington, and also of the
Levy Court, can speak advissdly, when l say
that there was
NO. TaLK AND LESS ACTION
nhcef these respective governments than the
world has ever seen. For example: tried tor
Two years, while q member OF the cou0cl.s, 20
get few Sc;uarss of the streets on which lived
paved win cObble stones in order TO prevent
being mired on my way 70 and from my place OF
buSsness, and finally rehnqushed IL III de,p
porstion showed an expenditure OF MANI mil
lions of dollars, while the result was T. naviny
OF three streets With bluestone.
RepeTter.-What do you link OF the late Dis
trict government as %Dols?
Governor 81 ressrd 1t as a success. II ac-
complshed moIe in three years than was ever
accomplished by any municipal government in
twenty years. It was a steady, persistent hght
from beginning To end of the progressive people
who hoped for a future. and who desired to ses
the capital of the republic retained here
81.
sities and through the enterprise of others. 1t
was a contest whether W ashington and George
town should be clean, we'll paved, we'll lighted,
vell.w altered, well-sewered Cities or tisjOinted,
muddy, dusty, frsgmentary villages, possessing
no attractions either for the resident TO remain
or the stranger to tarry within their gates.
Reporter.-ComplalDt has been made, Gov
eTDor, against making such vast Improvements
In such q short space OF time; what was the
object?
Way THE IMPROVEMENTS WE'RE MADE SO
RAPIDLY.
Governor S.-Simply this: III il had not been
done IN this way. and in this short time the
probability is 1t never would have been done.
This NAV seem somewhat strange; but when you
reflect that before the ink had dried upon the
parchment on which was writer the Ia w appro-
priatiDg 81, 600, 900 for Improvements Injunction
tinuslly by others Had we faltered then the
streets of the city would have been In a Oh sotic
state, the Board of Public Works have been land
justly SOY the laughing stock of the whole peo-
u
contaminated. THIS plan of Improvement re-
quired the establishment of p thorough system
of grades, as well as uniformity in the style of
Improvement Any one with half an eye can see
the advantage of this by looking over the i'm
proyements made. And it IL a significant fact
tbs during the recent Congressional investiga-
the board has been condemned, nor asingle con-
tract been disapproved, while on the other hand,
q commission has been appointed, with special
and full power to complete the improvements
- y o.
Reporter.-Great fault was found, first, a. to
yolr manner of letting contracts, and particu-
larly that You let them without due consultation
with the other members of the board; and next
as to the unnecessarily large number of en-
ployees; what do you say to that?
Governor SIN regard to the mode OF letting
the werk, L would say that no act of the board
las been more misrepresented than this. They
but followed the practice Of the United States
government, and all other responsible govern
ments, IN the letting OF work, viz: A percent
age upon its actual cost Your Capitol build
ing was erected under this same rule; your
Post Office building-all the public buildings in
this same system. why, look at Il. II you or
L undertook to build a house we wouldn't let
it TO the lowest bidder, but at such prices and
TO such persons as we were convinced would
give us a fair return for our money and good
job. The fact is, that the BOARD prices we're
too low instead OF being too high. In proof Of
this i venture the assertion that there Is not
a CONT actor who, with the same amount of
mate business, would not have made from hf-
teen to thirty per cent. more than was realized
from any contracts under the Board Of Public
Works To satisfy yourself of this you need
but refer to the bids opened last week for the
paving of Pennsylvania avenue under the sd-
yertising system. An analysis Of these bids
shows cOnclusively that they ranged from ten
TO twenty-five per cent. higher than the prices
paid by the much abused Board of Public
Works. great hue and cry has beed raised
as TO the policy of advertising and awarding to
the lowest bidder.
HAVE BUILT MORE THAN $1,000 WORTH
OF HOUSES IN THIS CITY,
and have never yet let the work to the lowest
bidder. regard ii as very vicious system,
ard had it been adopted here your streets
would have been in an unfinished condition, for
straw bidders would have taken the work, and
faithful performance of contracts and prompt
execution Of the work, Tor, failing TO do this,
annul such contracts,) suits and iDjunctions
would have filed our court dockets, the con
templated improvements delayed aud tied up,
and as q net result our streets would have been
left utterly impossible. am satisfied that tue
future viii yindicate the course pursued by the
board, and that this plan Of letting work will
be adhered to in the prosecution OF all similar
great undertakings. The board did advertise
in great many papers for proposals for all
classes OF work, and, when the bids were re-
csived, scaled them, taking the lowest RESPONSE
BILE ones as the average, and on that basis
awarded the work, after having notified all the
contractors of such action. This course was
by no one else-the contractors claiming that
the prices were too low. In all cases where pat
ent pavcments were laid the precaution was
taken to have them warranted for three
years, which has never been done in any
other city. In their work q sufficient
guarantee was also required for speci-
fed time, or q percentage withheld, which
holds good to-day. Under this warranty pave
ments are being repaired, and will be for some
time to come, wherever needed, at no expense
to the District. i undertake to say that less
fraud was committed in the execution OF work
done under the control OF the board with an
expenditure Of $4,000, 900 during the three
years of their administration than is annually
committed in any city Of the same population
out of It's annual expenditures. This fact the
searching Investigations of the two past win
tiers established beyond dispute; and what Is a
little remarkable in the administration OF a
municipal government not a single charge of
fraud has been made against any one charged
with its conduct. Now az to my giving out
contracts without consulting the board, that
II all nonsense. 1 performed such duties as
the board were pleased to impose upon me,
and believe with their concurrence and 10
their entire satisfaction. AS TO the large force
OF employees, Il don't think far as the board
was concerned the work could have been done
in the time and IN the mapner it was with any
less force. Bear in mind that these were mere
temporary employees, engaged to-day, dis
charged tomorrow, as the exigencies OF the
work required. The District government