National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-17

SOSeADS bAob COutIdCLi -. A6A LIZ
aiding me. I knew no one of the Board OF
Public Works, save Mr.. Mullett, and MN
knew simply because / had been brouSnt III
official connection with him while was post
master of Philadelphia.
Q. You say that you only executed one con-
tract You mean by that, presume, that you
only constructed the pavement! a. only
laid the pavement under one contract.
O. Did YOU do that work yourself, or by sub
contractors A. considered that l did it
myself.
INV sub-contractors2 A. do not know what
Won mean BY the word " sub-contractors."
did this; l contracted with John G. Moore for
rIurnber-with John G. Moore whose mills are
at Bangor, Me-; and also with Mr.. Baldwin
for the grading, the laying, and the covering Of
nv pavement with the tar and the gravel, but
at no time relinquished my control over the
contract.
Q. Did you have written agreement with
the party for doing the gradinga A. did.
Q. John G. Moore was the man who did the
gradingl A. He was the man who furnished
the lumber; Mr.. Baldwin was the gentleman
who did the grading.
Q. Did Mr.. Baldwin do the paving slsoi A.
Yes, sir; the laying of the blocks, the gravel
ing ofthe blocks, and the tarring of the blocks.
Q. Is this contract with Baldwin in writing!
A. I think it is.
o. W.ere is that contract A. In Philadel-
phia.
o. Do you know whether there is copy Of
1t IN this cityl A. l do not think there is.
Q. Where does Mr.. Baldwin livel A. l think
that Mr.. Baldwins home is in Albany or Buff
falo, N. Y. He has been, however, in the city
of Washington for the last three or four years.
/ can tell you, Mr.. Wilson, what it will cost,
which will reach the point.
Q. Will ask you that question now. What
want 10 know is at what rate you sub-let this
grading and paving to Mr.. Baldwin, A. Bald
win was to get 81 yard, which laid the pave
ment, and as stated before, he graveled 1t and
tarred it, and excavated when there was any
excavation over that which we were required to
excavate, for he was allowed the board price in
addition, which was, think, 50 cents cubic
yard. Where he excavated over that which in
our contract we were required to excavate, he
was allowed whatever the board gave.
Q. But he did the two feet of grading, so fal
as it was necessary, under the contract A
Yes, sir; and then for an excess, where there
was an allowance by the board, he was paid the
board prices
Q. What was going to ask you was this
Did he do the necessary grading; that is the
grading that was carried with the contract ITSELF
two fees-two feet put down, the payer furnish
ing the tar and sand, at 81 ysrdl A1that is
my recollection. The sum total of TIC Number
and grading and all was S3.05. It took about
fifty feet OF lumber to lay yard of our pave
ment. We got about, think, twenty yards OF
-DaNeIlGiu luOubdL4 lCCS vi
Q. Do you remember the time that this con.
tract was awarded TO youl A. It was awarded
to me in the month Of September, 1871.
O. How soon after that did you begin work
ON it, A. think in the very early part of the
epring following.
Q. The early part of the spring of 1922 A
Yes, sir. We finished up our contract OF 1872.
think nj last payments-the final settlement
with the Board Of Public Works-was in Octo
der, 1872.
Q. Do you remember the amount of profit
in dollars that you received out of this con,
tract? "A. Ethink the amount OF profit of my
company amounted to q little over S17, 200
Ny last payment from the Board of Public
Works embraced a check-a cash check-for o
little over SIT 900 and an auditors certificate
for S40O 600. Ny auditors certificate for S40,-
900 transferred as part Of my final settlement
with Mr.. Moore, the party from whom / had
purchased my lumber. The profits of my CON-
pany-t1e sum total do not think exceeded
$4,000, AMI out of that was to come all of ly
running expenses.
Q. DO you count the certificates that you re-
ceived a. their face value! A. Yes, sir; they
were paid to me at their face value, and that
is the way regarded them.
O. That is ell you made out of this contract
A. Yes, sir; and that embraces, suppose, the
whole summer. ! was here in Washington one
or two days of every week, my business re-
quiring me the greater part of the time to be in
Philadelphia.
The Chairman What Will now read was
stated here yesterday by witness, in answer
to question:
"I will state, Mr.. Chairman, that Mr.. Bing-
ham, postm 4ster of Philadelphia, declared, In
the city Of Philadelphia, tn divers persons, that
he had q co9tract for laying wood pavement in
the city Of Washington, and that various peo-
pie were concerned with him to the amount OF
$50, 900 in that contract, and that that money
was used 10 carry the State Of Pennsylvania for
Governor Hartranft."
Iwill ask you whether you have ever made
such a statement in Philadelphia TO anybody
A. have not and could not, In that cennec-
ton, though, permit me to make this state
ment: have been treasurer. of the Republican
party OF the State Of Pennsylvania for the last
five years, and am every year importuned by
what We call ''dead beats" in politics-those
who desire TO take from the treasury of the
party money for purposes which we did not ap-
prove of have been importuned year after
year for moneys, and during the campaign
the HarLranft campaiyn-this matter of my
having a contract here was frequently
brought before Inc, parties alleging vast
amounts of money were being made from
the contracts, and that a large part
of this money was to 60 into the campaign
fund. The matter became ultimately unbear-
able. So frequent were the demands many
times during the canvass, that ! spent three
times as much money as I received from my
contract in Washington, and 1 doubtless did In
the contest especially, for the reason that
= was a candidate on the Republican ticket for
the Office which / now hold. During that cam
paign parties came to me from the city of
Wsshin2ton-Dewspaper peopls-demsnding of
me to take an interest, or buy an interest,
. in a paper in Philadelphia, and alleging
that ] was receiving contracts and special
fayors f. m tie Beard of Public Works,
and that they were authorized to come to
s,,A,
the paper. OF course, naturally, l became
indignant, ard l stated to them that what
received from contracts in Washington was q
mere bagatele, and was not fractional part
of my election expenses. would state in that
connection, as to tie expenditure of money,
that there is not an election do not, and other
gentlemen, spend treble the amount Of money
that We received from contracts.
Q. ] ask you this question with the view
that you may state to the committee, If you
= desire, whether or not this contract had any
connection with the political expenses in
Pennsylvania A. This contract was taken by
my company, which is composed of Democrats
and Republicans, and not a penny of II was
diverted from the ultimate division in 1872 to
the respective interests in that company.
Q. These profits, of which you have just
testified, were divided among the twelve share
holders! A. Yes, sir; and given to the re-
spective gentlemen.
BY Mr.. Wilson: Q. You stated a moment
ago that you only had one contract that you
executed. Did you have any other contracts
with the Board of Public Worksi A. The rea-
son why l was so guarded in that expression
was this: Having received from some one, l do
not know whom, some anonymous source, q
copy of the Washington REPUBLICAN, contain
ing the examination a few days ago before that
board of Mr.. Lucas, who it seems had q con-
tract for the pavement, the sidewalk, md
contract for the man-hOles and the sewerage
and the curbing-in my original contract for
z street this was embraced, the pavement. 1t
was communicated by me, think, by Mr..
Baldwin, who was then operating upon the
line of the street laying my pavement; that
man by the name Of Lucas was laying
the sidewalk, &C., and the. curbing that my
contract covered. ! was then on my sick bed.
I Immediately sent to Washington, l tkink, one
of the gentlemen Of our company to call upon
flim TO desist from the work, for the reason
that upon any examination of my contract
found was in bond or security for faithful
and good performance of that line Of work. 1t
was my intention, and immediately acted upon,
TO throw up that line of work, because l felt
our company was not for that purpose. Upon
his communication to me Of the fact that