Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-04-06

Examiners thought necessary 20 contin nue. Their
Re was not ssked Il he KEEP, HI. .tssh..
The winter Will kill on invest cations. exc4ps
such AZ are decently conducted by regular COM
mittets composed OF men first elected to Con-
gress by states and constituencies, and then
distributed of according % their rank and use
fulness and converssnce With certain glasses Of
subjects. The wsys and Means Committee ~
investigating the moieties and Ssuborn Goa
uscts; the Joint Printing Committee l. investi-
eating the Congressional Printing ofaee. aud
ludges. Take MP the roster OF these committees,
AID the talent and character upon them viii he
ioane assuring TO every man not professionally
world, however, for some chan newly arrives
from the frontiers OF the world 20 lean u has fst
sno propose an investigation which shah give
continuous publc service.
There have been over
ONE THOUSAND CONTRACTS
given out In Washington, You can see nv re-
membering that there have been pat dS.a az
pavements, curbs, sidewalks, grass plots, trees.
ssovssDS Iin,.., nS,s. sn1 re- ga nsrd upon one
tiouSl, territorial, and specially ASSESSED, has
been about s2O, OOO. goo. Aud yet this invesiiss-
ton is already brought down % the sablttne
point GappEi Of who hauled some dirt.
As to Governor SHEPHERD. he has never been
touched in the discussion but once, when one OF
these contractors, an ignorant man, presrmiay
that he could influence yOang engineer namst
Barney, at somebody's suggestiOn-pnobaoIy
one OF the observation-disclosures twenty \ re
nye-dollar bills In an envelope, zKd wrote on ".
4 will lend -- Barney THIS FOR siNty day."
Barney found II, - addressed, AZ TIE close ct
tie CAV, and took IL 70 the Governor, who said:
Pat, did Tot know you were in the money
Pat saw in the Governor eve that he was In
iSopArdy, and then the Governor hanted him
BACK The money, stu sealed, saying, III 1 ever
catch you Lending any money 20 al OF ser OF tie
night"
In enc other case a member Of the District
fur asssar n. Dr..
town politicians, which the Board OF Public
Works has striyen 20 have exercised by Law hut
which has been maintained on the sy IA pathetic
wings of every journal which has attacked the
improvements OF Washing ton- blackmNiled an
ignorant contractor out OF al 600. on the pre-
tense that he could annul his contracts unless
be was paid. The blackmailer tried the same
thing twice, and getting refusal went up 10
the Governor, who was then only vice president
Of the board, 70 ask IL the delegl had been OPP
posing him.
shepherds quick head understood what was
going on. He brought the natter out Of the
Toor dupes knOwledge, and ordered him 90 20
and recover the money under penalty of dislois-
ing him. When these matters were brought out
In the course OF an attempt 20 find a m sre's ne q
such an Impression was made for the city on
cials that al early adjournment was found ne
cessary. Mr.. Merrick, Of the prosecution, ad-
dressed a speech 20 Mr.. Barney. and COM
mended hrs honor. Everybody knew whom %
honor, bOweyer-the GoveTnDr. who sat modest
ly there, ard has grown 10 the stature we an
knew be had before-manlinoss, honor, Ca
pacity.
To-day Mr.. Allison, chairman, told the Law
yer Christie to stop bringing idiots la To ask
tlit m ioiotic questions.
There has been no such farce since the Ssc1r
investigation.
WHAT ANOTHER TAPER SAYS.
Gideon" the correspondent OF toe Chicago
Times, who lie by 40 means partial to the Dis
trict government, says:
"A tedious inyestig cation wriggles through the
dull hours Of each day, and hardly a sitting
passes in which some
EVIDENCE oF RorTKsNKss
IN high places Is not mOused out. Hungry at
tOrneys aud rayenOus advisers snap with un-
wonted sharpness At each bit " ch promises a
kernel that Will ruin the chief. Bat while they
have crunched The fran regulations OF many
lieutenants and pTivstes they hsve not fed upon
q mouthtul OF the captains character, aud
shepherd stands practically untsrnished. Tue
depths and shoals OF his hoROr have been
sounded. and the stream, thus Tar, runs pei
lucid as the Euphrates.
There is 70 much OF the genuine American in
this man that niDe-tenths OF those who know
him Pray be will weather the nqaisitJrial gale.
A stalwart son OF the people, with less OF
schools and tutors in bis early days than -
squandered on many useless, aide psted sciOns
OF rich fathers, the poor boy strobe along TO IAN
hood. hedevelOped a magnificent body GU the
route, and picked sound fruit from the tree OF
practical kuOWledge. For trade h took 70
the manufacture and sale OF gas fixtures, build
ing business hardly equsled by any one house
ia the middle states. There we're better things
and peddiiDg OF drop lights and chandeliers. As
ECclrs would say, Tile Was gas fitted Tor high
tr station" He took his Iordly body, mild
heart, and common sense into the pOlitcA
world, and straddled TO his present station.
HELPED OTHERS
ns be was being himself helped, raising manS
OF his assistants OF to-day Irom obscurity %
prominence, and turning Washington into as
air city TO look upon ss any IN the land.
Some OF these assistants are Of the earth earthly,
and have been unconsci0nsble swinders. They
rnlRha1 hair v9afs
Shepherd himself. The gbbet of al good
mems ecorn and hatred is erected, aud the
roeues should be stretched, Ham an-high.
heTtoD. Not scintills OF proof has yet been
sodueed demanding that Shepherd must dangle
with them.
He watches with patience the wandering OF
the Investigation, and has sat quietly by thrOagn
every cays probing. Called l,On, occasi ,nslly.
to corrObOrate some statement, he has addressed
the gathering as calmly aHd tersely a. thOugh
he was retained advocate instead Of accused
arch conspiratOr.
Curious law points have sometimes arisen,
and then this gas hitter has swayed hs her
culesn body To the front, and mildly, vet firmly,
land down his ideas 20 q Congressional commit
lawyer.
CHRISTIE one OF the counsellors for the prose-
cution, eyes Shepherd with awe At such times.
"Just lsten 20 that mechanic talk law, and
sound law, toe, TO j Judge Thurman" whispered
Christie 70 me a few days ago.
sgRPHBkD's POPULARITY
is evinced al every grade Of the inquest. Hardly
a witness finds hIs way into the high chair OF
torture who does not have q pleasant word to
squeeze in for the Governor" His popularity
lie not Of the merchsntable stripe bOu ght 80 lib
orally by Tweed. Indeed, n has not been
shown that be has given OF paid q superb a0us
penny TO q soul in Washington. Bat he is a.
well liked az wac ever Hsroun AraschId, by
patricians and odnaiile alike.
no CORRUPT ACTS.
The correspondent of the Cincinnati rm.s Is
also forced 10 the conclusion that n o charges OF
corruption can be sustained, and says:
Zone OF the counsel for the memorlalists
before the District Investigating Committee
ASSURED your correspondent to-day that the
worst charge which they expect 20 establish
against the Board OF Public Works lie that OF
exuayagance in paving the streets ana laying
the sewers.
They do not expect TO prove any corrupt acts
upon members OF the Board, or Il sdduce any
evidence rejecting upon their persons integrity,
but feel confident OF satisfyin the investg tting
Committee that the Board have been reckless
in changing grades and laying pavements
which have proved TO be worthless, and have
made Improvements against the protests OF
property holders.
The investigation will probably run some
weeks yet, but the memorialists are nov satis-
ned that they cannot substantiste the charge
Of corruption against Governor Shepherd and
his associates, and will abandon IL and give their
attention 70 the other charges, which, in sub
stance, are as follows: fav0rIng certain con-