Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-09-26

l.
and in another sense it may be. l understand
that several persons in the district are saying
that Mr. Garfield has taken q fee for So
called law epirlon, 6ut when, N fact. was
which was in reality kind of fee for his Oficial
induence as member Of the COMMITTEES on
Appropriations; or 70 speak more plainly,
that accepted pay for service as q kind Of
bribe, ana that, too, in
THE so-CALLRD DE GoLLYRR PAVEMENT
Now, 1 have tried 10 stats that io the broad,
est way, with the broadest point forward.
ask the attention of this sudience for few
moments TO the testimony. In the first plsce, /
want the audience to understand that the city
of Washington is governed, and has always
been governed SO Tar as ITS own improvements
are concerned. BY its own laws and It's CWn peo-
pie. just as much as Warren has been
governed by its own corporate laws and au-
thority. remember perfectly we'll what has
been paraded 10 the papers so much Of late
that Congress has fr j power 70 legislate over
the District of Columbia Well. Congress has
full jurisdiction over the ten miles square of
what is now called the District Of Columbia,
and Congress could, suppose, make all the
police regulations for the city of Wa hinRtOn;
out Congress always allowed the city OF Mash-
ington 70 have their city council, or q legisla-
lure, until the present time. We have abolished
1t. becsase We had cumbrous machine In
the year 1871 a law was passed By Congress
creating the bOaru of public works appointing
Governor, and creating legislature for the
board Of public works could 90
and what the other branches Of
the District government coaid do; and
among other things, il empowered the Le2isIa-
ture TO levy taxes 70 make imprOYeme on
the streets. The Legislature met the Board of
Public Works, LAID upon them an elaborate
plan tor improving the streets of Washington,
q plan amounting % slx million dollars IN the
first place. and the Legislature adopted the plan
and 10 uvided that one third of the entire cost
of carving on. that plan should De BY Assess
the other Two thirds should be paid BY money
to be borrowed by the city g0Ternment; in
other WOrus. by the issuing Of their bonds
The city government of w ashingtOn borrowed
money and raised BY special taxa ton enough
20 carry on = vast system of ImOroVsment.
When they got ready TO execute their plan
one Of the questions that came before
them was what kind of pavement
way shall we go Out the business of letting
our paving cou - 4et2 In oraer to settle that
question tn. Y te to all the principal cities
and foun ~ all the methods pursued by
them ana hn lily appointed from leading /
officers of the army General Humphrey /,
Chief Engineer; General Meigs, Quartermas ster
Generals the Surgeon General and teneral
BabcOck Of the Engineer Corps; and those few 4
men sat as an advi ing board, having no power
but merely to advise. They took up all kids
of pavement ever made, specimens were sent
in. they looked over the whole. and a a result
recommended this; We recommend you in
stead of letting this work to be uOne by the
lowest bidder, with all the scheming straw
bids that may come in, o hx tariff Of prices
you will pay for different kinds of pavement
and we recommend as follows; If you put
down c0ncrete pavement you had better
say yeu will pay so much per square
yard Tor putting i down; We have looked the
smOunt to pay; but for stone so much; for
gravel SO much for asphaltum so much; and for
wood so much nov that Board of Public
Works adopted the plan and that schedule of
nriaeR and having alaatad If thew mt fhoaa
various kinds of paYements down, they would
put them down at that rate, they then said 70
all comers bring in your Tarieus kinds OF
pavements and show US their merits, and
when WehaYe examined them We will act"
Then the various paving companies and paten,
tees ali over the country who had what they
but in almost all cases through their attornies
They sent men there to represent
the relative merits Of the paFements
A pavement eo@pany in chicago, en-
ployed Mr.. Parsons Of Cleveland, as
early as the month Of April. 1872. to so before
the Board of Public Works and present the
merits Of their pavements. Mr. Parsons had
nothing EkatsFerto DO with the question of
vance by the Board. Mr. Parsons was Marshal
Of the Supreme Court ct hat tine. and was
Just about running for Congress. Ae asked the
thief Justice of the United States whether |
there was any impropTiety in his taking that |
case up and arguing 1t. merely because he was |
sn aPpeintee and under his direction; and the |
CnleI JuSElce responded Ln6ro was none IN !
the world" He proceeded with the case until |
the Sth day Of June, when for the first time 1 |
heard anything about it. This was two days |
before the adjournment Of Congress- On |
that day Mr.. Parsons ceme to me and |
said he had an important case he had worked /
3 coed while op it but was called away, he /
must leave. He did not want 20 lose his fee in /
twas likely to lose il unless the work was /
He must 60 at any rate. he asked /
ne if / Weuld argue the case for him; If / !!
would examine into the merits Of this pave |
ment and make q statement Of il before the /
Board. said 81 will do it If /, on examina- /
lion. find the patent il what il purports to be-
The best wood pavement patent there is, but /
,an't do it until after Congress adjourns.
Congress adjourned two days later. the papers /
we're sent to me ofpatents, modelled specimens, /
and documents showing where pavement had /
been used were forwarded to me. The inVes-
tigetion of the patents and the chemical analy- i
lis representing all the elements OF the pave
nent was lab0rious task and l worked at it /
rs faithfully as anything l ever worked
1t. I did it in open daylight. have never
been able to understand how anybody has seen
anything in that in which to base an attack on |
ne. say l am to-day intellectually incapa
Die of understanding the track Of mans /
mind who sees in this any ground for attacking /
ne. made the argument; there were two /
patents concerned in that pavement itself; |
here were some forty different wood pavements
proposed, and to carefully and analyticaIly
,xamine ali the relative merits of those was
10 small work. Mr.. Parsons WAS TO get q fee /
provided he was successful and not any If be
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