The New York herald., 1876-03-18
BELKNAP AND SOLDIERS GRAVE
STONES.
From the Chicago Times. ]

Congress in 1873 appropriated 81, 600 900 to place
slab the head of the grave Of soldier buried
in the national cemeteries September of that year
was fixed by the War Department for the purpose of
receiving and opening bids to supply 1.-The stones.
Walsh Brothers, of New York. who have their quarres
at Csrrara, Italy, nine ten vessels, constantly
employed in transporting marble TO this country.
They had contracts under tho Tweed management OF
public works in New York, and had supplied many
private cemeteries. They made special contracts to
do the work. They employed expert to visit the
and learn the of the supply and
tain what
THR oTHER BIDDERS
likely to do. They made friends with Babcock,
and through his intimate friend, Captain cGungue,
Chief of the Cemetery Division of tho Quartcrnaster
Generals ONCE, learned that a bid OF SO23 600 would
be below any OF the bids put in all the bids
ceived having been secretly opened scheduled and
scaled under McGuingue's direction They to
Washington with bid OF 1928 600, prepared, sealed
and fully guaranteed on arriving on the night Sep
tcmber thoy ascertaned that another bid had been
put IN by party at either ST. LOUIS Louisville for
1913 900. They urged to put Tor 5000, 000
but believing that the bid Tor S9l3, 900 was
fIDE
and considering tho work unlikely yield four
per cent at the price offered themselves they decided
MOTTO go below that price. September d, at Ave min
untes before eleven A. NJ the bidders assembled IA
room OF the Quartermastcr Generals Office Each bid
der deposited his sealed bid basket Mr.. NJ j.
Walsh deposit his bid first that would
be covered by the basketful and reached last This
was 10 prevent any other lower bid being slipped III
after the amount OF his was known The basket was
carried into another room aud brought back In
company with Captain McDougal in whose presence the
bids wero to be opened Among
taken from the top OF the basket that of Mr. Walsh
who at said, Captain want no fraud here That
bid at the bottom when the basket this room
uor, ,bo matter 10 %So o encra The
opening OF the bids proceeded, and quarter past
eleven O'Clock in came BID which was received and
opened, and proved TO be from Samuel Bridges, of
Kcokuk, Iowa, for $500 900. Mr. Walsh sprang to his
feet and exclaimed -' Captain,
rHERE Is FRAUD HERE.
This bid camc fifteen minutes after opening began.
and II Is not accompanied by samples Of stone nor
properly BuHai.ceu "ch, shu the capuNh again,
'f! you not satisfied report the Quaitermastcr
General Mr. Walsh did so, and General Megs struck
Bridges of the list and also the bid of the ST Louis
party for s9l3OOO the samples OF stone accompanying
tho latter being Of an interior quality, which lett
Walsh BROTHERS the lowest bidders 1923 OO0 In this
shape the list went TO Secretary Belknap, but camc
back with Bridges bid inserted lnslructiug them to
award HIM the contract Mr. Walsh was
INDIGNANT DIsGusrED
beyond expression. :-sI meant to deal hon.
cstly by the government | have dealt with New York
city under rammany rule whore every party could m
spect the bids himself before they were formally
opened and put In his own alter doing but never
saw such barciaced corruption as this | have seen
Babcock at Long Branch and spent $50 600 mainly
hun to make sure OF this and now have nothing to
show for II at all The explanation that Belknap Is
seeking TO be a senator from Iowa and this fellow
VIII help his canvass" The contract
sUBDvIDED DISTRIBUTED
In part as follows Fredericksburg cemetery to Cap
tain Doughory, and the among the Bridges three
Washington politicians and Others None Of these
parties were dealers In MARBLE nor had any OF them
practical experience Three them tried sell their
contracts 10 Walsh after getting them and all have
failed TO fulfil them TO the satisfaction OF the govern
ment inspectors The price at which the contract was
awarded less than 5000, 000 IL has bean asserted
that this price
pURrosELY MADE TOO
so as TO furnish excuse Tor demands for larger
compensation. The disappointed Iowa bidders made
so much trouble thai Bclknap McGuinguc 10 the
West army duty. Bclknap gave reason for op.
posing the Walsh Brothers bid that their marble not
American, but such reanireEaent bad been made in