National Republican., 1874-05-29

| N
(Chiof engineer) also was notified that the as.
NJ street, between Twenty-six aud Twenty-iirst
| street northwest; Twenty-thrd street northwest.
between Pennsyiyanis Gyenue and K street, and
| Nineteenth street. street ana P-street circle
| northwest, to J. H Smith, is accepted provided q
| new bond is filed.
M Hau: and MI. Smith notified.
Q. So that it would sppesr from this record
Mr.. Haus only had this contract three days.
Are you not aware at this time OF the fact that
Mr.. Haus had had this contract but for very
short timel A. No, sir; / had no information
that now remember whether he had had 1t
for long or short time. have no remem-
brance OF having seen Mr.. Haus before nor of
having had any interview or connection with
him except as have stated. -.--
O, Was there any understanding, Mr.. Smith,
that there was to be no particular intimacy be-
tween you and Mr.. Hsus on this subjectf A.
| Not the slightest. 1t was the merest ordinary
business transaction.
Q. Did you or not know that this contract
was let for the purpose of enabling Mr.. Haus
to raise money for q specific purpose9 A. have
no information on the subject
Q. Did'y you ever hear anything of the kindi
| A. have some general recollection of re-
mark made by Mr.. Haus when handed him q
me the first information IhaYe on that subject,
if had any. : =
Q. What Information did you get on that
\ subject at that timel A. He said something
to the effect, as l remember, that he wRs going
| to transmit the money to the Republican Exc
cutive Committee Of the State of Nebraska.
| Q. Did you, or not, understand at that time
| that this contract had been let with a view to
| raising money for such q purposei A. know
nothing in reference to that. 1 have no under
stauding, direct or indirect, in reference to It..
No information In reference TO Il, nor any other
information in regard to 1t, except as I have
stated.
Q. Did you, or not, know upon what bust
ness Mr.. Haus was In this cityi A. No. sir.
Q. Have you never had any Information since
| as to what his business isl A. do not remem-
| Der that have.
Q. You have never known him as a con-
tractor herei A. No, sir.
Q. Did you know him as q resident Of this
cityl A. Ihave no recollection of ever seeing
or hearing of him until came in contact with
him as have stated.
9. How did Il happen that you were brought
! into contact with hint A. have stated to
you precisely the circumstances.
9. Mr.. Clephane told you contracts had been
awarded for laying this pavement, and that
the parties did not desire TO perform them. Is
that it? A. Something to that effect.
Q. This contract, it seems, was only three
days old when you got it, so that 1t could not
have been very old award. Now did nothing
pass between you and Mr.. Clephane implf-
eating or giving you to understand or to know
the purpose for which this particular contract
was let? A. Not in the slightest extent, nor
any other conversation, except that have
stated.
Q. But you paid Mr.. Haus $4,000 dollars in
cashi A. Yes, sir.
Q. And you got about 81, 900 out of It besidesl
A. Yes, sir; after having invested about thirty
thousand dollars.
Q. Mr.. Gleason did the work. A. Yes, sir.
Q. III your absence there has been a great
deal of testimony given here in regard to what
is known as the Cotton wooden fence. If you
desire to make any statement in regard to 1t,
presume it will be the pleasure Of the COM
mittee to here you. A. l hardly know what
testimony has been given in regard TO It.
The Chairman. think We probably under
stand it.
Mr.. Wilson. did not know but what you
might have read the testimony and might wish
to make some explanation.
A. l glanced over Mr.. Colton's testimony
once, and as far as remember, 1t is substan-
TALLY correct. should like to say this: If my
official status in the House of Representa-
| tives is not already understood by the COM
mittee, that very shortly after my employment
in my present position, eight or ten years ago,
| having application to do some work for the
United States Government, I applied to the
| ion as to whether, holding the position did,
could properly engage in the employment of
the United States Government. The reply
was, verbally, that there was no possible OBJ jec-
| ton to it; that the position held was in the
nature of a contract to do certain amount of
| work, by myself or persons in my employment,
for specific amount, and that therefore the
compensation was not a salary, and that there
was no legal or other objection, that he knew
| of, to my doing other work for the United
States Government. Having that opinion,
| which has been expressed two or three times
since, had no difficulty in respect to my right
10 engage in work for the District government.
By Mr.. Wilson Q. What was Mr.. Cotton to
receive out of this final arrangement A. Mr..
Cotton came to me some time last spring in
| considerable trouble, having been out of en-
ployment for q good while, stating that he
feared he was going to lose the little house on
which he had made partial payments, and
asked me, as he bad on several occasions be-
fore, knowing me very we'll, If I could not
| assist hin in getting him something to 10.
On this occasion he said that the Board of
Public Works, as he understood, were going to
erect cheap fence around q portion of their
parking. think he said he had some CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Sheperd, or some one; that he
had plan of fence that they were willing to
give him authority to construct, but that he
had no means whateverto to go on with the work.
| to 60 ahead, If he could get q contract, and
put up fence on two or three streets that
were named, and that 1 would see that the
! necessary amount of money required for the
work was furnished him. There was no ar
rangement at all In regard to any. consIdera-
| tion was to receive from the matter, nor had
!, at that time, any other motive in regard to
| 1t whatever except to assist Mr.. Cotton in get
ting him something 70 do for his support.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. was going to ask you
was there no arrangement for any compensa-
ton to your A. None whatever; nor did ex-
| pect TO receive any, at that time. 1t involved
only small amount ofwork.
Q. Was that ever changed7 A. will give
| the whole statement in two or three minutes,
If you will allow me. Subsequently orders
| came for larger amounts Of work. furnished
him means from time to time until, should
say, late In June-l am not at all sure as TO
the time-he received an order for quite large
amount. then stated to him that could not
furnish any more money without receiving
some sort Of security, and after some conVersa-
tion he agreed to do 1t, which he subsequently
did-eIecute q power of attorney for me to
draw his pay from the Board of Public Works.
Q. What proportion of it we're you to havei
A. There was no other arrangement from thst
time to this. / remember in a subsequent con-
versation to this first one he stated that In ap-
plying for q certain amount of money that he
was obliged to apply for large amount, that
his family had to live, and he was receiving
nothing himself, having merely called on me
for The amount he had actually paid to his en-
ployees.
q. You have been paid the whole amount of
that contract, which seems to show a profit of
S25, 900 or $4,000. Whose money is that;
there has been no money so fart A. There has
been no money so far.
@. We will call it certificates, or whatever
you please. Whose is it: yours or Colton'si
A. The certificates are all in my possession.
Q. Whom do they belong toi A. They be-
long to me, subject to whatever settlement Mr..
Cotton and make. / may state this
Q. What settlement have you to make with
him now. MIR. Smith, is It fact that In all
this srnount of work, amounting to $50, 900,
there is no understanding between you and
Mr.. Cotton as to what division Is TO be made
between youl A. It is the absolute fact.
9. You have had no understanding or
arrangement on that subject A. No, sir.
Q. You do not know to-day what portion OF
that S25 900 or $50, 900 Of profit belongs to
you, and he does not know what portion Of II
belongs to him, or whether he has got any
| interest in II at all or notl A. know the GER
tifcates are in my possession, and know that,
as the committee can judge for themselves, an
equitable interest in the concern, I having fur
nished all the money, is very largely in myself;
but the matter grew up as have stated. l
was away from the city myself q great part of