National Republican., 1874-06-01

kthe estimate for the work Did they therein NO.
late the law, and this not in pursuance Of any
appropriation made, 1t ls not claimed but that
TIE ADDITIONAL improvements made which were
not specified, were in entire harmony with those
which were spe ,ir' d, snd were u an extension
and enlargement OF the plan ~ f)re the Legisls-
turs The committee are saIiSf ID that the LegiS-
l4Iure did not intend to limit the authority OF the
eosfH oo%ina N o I'M pIsS DSesonsed is had bssa
somewhat hastily prepared, and it seemed 70 Do
understood that, TO some extent Il was tncomples
should be the general yuide as 10 III kind and
character Of the Improvements TO De made Hith
the money appropriated, 50 that II tni; charge
rour-million aet IL Is ditfcult - that 1t has
been violated But II this were otherwise the
out any restriction whatever and is sufficient 10
cover all expenditures made BY the board ior Ia
ia1 & are not 'PscsG y me hdrs plap sS -
TsEiSIsIurs. "1i'n nso eeen sAiu
Much evidence was submitted to the committee
oIty. The msmorislists claimed that they were
very defective, andtnst the cost Of constructing
or
sons was that no good wood or concrete paYemenIs
can be laid for less than es per yard prices all
other cities generally exceeding that sum.
The COMMITTEES we're not able TO find that the
board could procure good woodor concrete pave
msnts laid for less than the PRIZES paid Tor them
two feet Of grading In depth. With regard to the
defects that were proven 70 exist IN some Of the
NSgoA
from too great haste In attempting 70 lay them In
bad weather. But 1t does not appear In any case
psSemspss pave MsSy os tss dsfscss were the result
Of defects In the foundation below<he payements,
and all are TO be remedied BY the contractors, who
to keep the paysmsnss In good repair for three
years -. -
And subsequently, fully advised of-tf man
| ner In which the board was proceeding in re-
| spect Of both the extent to which psVements
were being laid, and also Of the awarding of
contracts without advertisement, Congress ap-
propriated millions Of dollars to enable the
board 10 prosecute their work.
To the criticism upon the number of con.
tracts let to particular individuals, it is suf-
fcient to answer that the work performed by
| those individuals Is shown by the evidence to
be, to say the least, better than the average of
that by others, and there is no scintilla of evi-
dence leading to the inference, or even the
just suspicion, that between any one of those
| individuals and any member of the board there
was any collusion whatever. While In some
few cases it does appear that contractors paid,
without the knowledge al the time Of the
board, fees for fancied influence in obtaining
awards of work, and resorted to other improper
practices, no accusation in this respect is made
| against those particular persons the extent of
| whose contracts Is criticised by counsel for
| memorialists. From the testimony on the
record the inference is irresistible that their
| W6Ic ODLulucu DI 2lcduS Vi Lu6 COu-
! idence inspired by the resources at their com
mand, and by the fidelity and Promptitude with
which their work was performed.
So far as the affairs of the so-called "real
| estate pool" are concerned it is fair to con-
clude that no argument need be addressed to
this committee. Mr.. Knbourn is u real estate
broker, engaged In the purchase and sale of
land for his customers, many of whom, for
| their own reasons, prefer, as Is their unques-
tionabe right, that their business shall be con-
| Adentisl. Maintaining, under oath, that those
| for whom he has purchased real estate, and
| for whom he held title as trustee, are in no
| way, directly or indirectly, connected with the
| District government, or with It's plans or pro-
ceedings, Mr.. Kilbourn. has seen &c to respect
that confidence. Counsel for the District gov
| eminent having performed, as far as It can be
done, the task, usually difficult, Of proving q
negative, have indicated to the committee their
| desire that Mr.. Kilbouru should be required to
disclose his principals In those real estate trans
| actions which have especially been noted In the
| testimony, The committee has not compelled
disclosure. Considering the extent, the thor
| ughness, the minuteness with which this in
quiry has been prosecuted, 1t is not concefva-
BILE that the committee should have failed to
j force the revelation from Mr.. Kilbonrn, ifthere
were any reason TO suppose that It would, in
any degree, affect the personal or official integ-
rity ofany member of the District government,
por throw light upon the work of administering
District affairs. IL Is inconceivable that Mr..
Kilbourn should be allowed TO remain silent If
| the comhitte do not believe, from the proofs,
| that inquiry into this matter would be an intru-
sion into personal business, quite foreign to the
present inquiry, and therefore an iniraction of
personal rights. The property held by Mr..
Kilbourn, as trustee, in that section Of the city
which counsel have referred to as favored, only
amounted to s35, 900, the profits on which It is
fair to presume could not go far toward bribery
1 f,,A, vr,aR
constitute the grounds of criticism upon what
counsel terms "the manner and spirit" in
| which the board have inaugurated and prose-
cuted their improvements.
| General denunciatIon OF the "manner and
spirit" of administration by public officers, is
the form of accusation to which the most faith
| full public officers may be easily and most un-
| justly subjected. A fair, calm statement of
the grounds on which such denunciatiOn Is
based, Is in this case its sufficient answer.
Before leaving this branch OF the case, some
further, though brief, remark is prop4 con-
cerning "the manner and spirit" with which
the authorities of the District began, and have
carried almost to completion, the sdornment
of the National Capital. No comment Is
needed upon the magnitude of the work or its
| beauty. No fair man can behold 1t without
| admiration. No fair man can consider the
rapidity and success of its execution without
| amazement. No doubt it was done rapidly.
II
the use of 8 strong hand. It could have been
accomplished IN no other way. II these officers
had paused at every step to consult everybody
| as to what next should be done, and how It
should be done ! If they had pondered, hesl-
tated and faltered, the city Of Washington
would to-day possess few OF its present attrac-
| tions.
It would not to-day be IN the same security
of remaining, nor so worthy OF remaining, the
permanent seat of Government. The menace
Of removal Of the Capital which had become
more and more threatening, and the ancient
l7indispositton toward municipal enterprise,
which still was potent here, made 1t necessary
that the improvement aud embellishmaut Of
the city, if accomplished at all, should begin
with vigor and be rapidly carried forward. This
| was done. It was done in the face Of angry
hostility and opposition, the ardor and force Of
which were beyond anticipation, and under
which most men would have quailed. Unfore-
seen, unavertible financial disaster has also in
iieted injury, though not encouragement.
Crippled IN resources, as the board is, IL must
be remembered that few great enterprises with
stood unhurt the financial storm which in the
fall Of 1873 swept through the country. Be-
| holding the resolute performance of great
work, under such circumstances, some minds
are constituted that they can only seek to carp
at and defile those by whom It has been ac-
| complished. Is Il not more magnanimous, is
| II not nearer to common fairness, to consider
the general scope and tenor of these mems
| administration, to make allowance for their
difficulties, to render to them the Just need OF
praise for their public spirit and their plucki
INCREASED CONFIRMATION TO CONTRACTORS.
Leaving general invectiye against the man.
ner and spirit Of administration, and particular
izing the alleged violation of express prohibit
I tlons q law, with which the Beard of Public
Works are accused, counsel for memorialists
complain that the board have "allowed to con-
tractors extra compensation for work done,
after It had been done. and over Gnd beyond the
stipulated prices Of their contracts, !" and two
instances are addueed. The facts In the case
of C. E. Evans are fully set forth in Official
documents, and they were promptly spread
upon the record by the officers of the District.
(See testimony, pp. 423, 424, 425.)
The report Of the deputy engineer Is cited in
the argument of counsel for the memorlalsts
partially, and out Of its order in the history Of
The case, and as though the excerpt thus made
did fully and unfayorably illustrate the equities
| on which the additional allowance was made.
1t is not fair statement of the matter The
application by the contractor and the report OF
the deputy engineer are as follows:
Il n