New-York tribune., 1876-02-21
BROKERAGE IN DISTRICT CLAIMS.

iFROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE rRIBUNbi
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2O.--The House Commit
the District Of Columbia proitng by the expert
ence of the Special Committee of 1874, and by the
greatcrfactes afforded for obtaining official in
formation in regard TO the business Of the District and
Of the Board OF Audit than formerly, have in two or
three days 0Iready spent in investigation maze very
satisfactory Roadway. The inquiry has thus far been
confined entirely 10 tie management OF the Board OF
Audit
The old Territorial Government: OF the District In force
from 1871 TO 1874 defective, chiefly because While
there was nominal division Of power and authority w.
different Boards the Legislature OF the District
and the Execut,c, GOV. Shepherd as President OF the
Board OF Public works not only conducted It's affairs
as an autocrat, that its Secretary entcred
upon It's journal his orders, given personally, M
the orders of the Board hut, using his AZ Gov
ernor over the legislature failed to make that
body subservent TO his will whenever he attempted It,
The object therefore, in separating the power to audit
and pass upon claims and accounts OF the sfrict HoIn
Executive authority in the dd interim Government
csablish d in 1874 10 prevent any future con-Ola
of ring like tat which, during three years prcv
GUS had brought the District not only To the verg but
even pit OF banknutcy. Tie experience Of the
past twenty months leads many persons honestly 10
doubt whether IL was not mistake TO separate those
two functions of the Government.
The Board OF Andt has been n most cXtra'agant ap-
pendage Of the Distrct Governments from It's fist
ers Of the Treasury, who preside IT, compose but
very small pa Of the expenses attending IT, and from
the examples already given 10 the Committee on District
Ana oi the method ~ passing claims. there can be
little donht that the cost Of this Board to the Cove nmen
the United States has been mill ons OF dollars T'e
attention OF the Committee has thus far been chiefly di
rected to peculiar Kind OF speculation In claims which
seems have grown under the auspices and to have
been clrr ed on the aid Of clerks aul poyes OF the
Board o Audit, in the Office OF the engineer of the
strict. Mr. r. G. Hewitt the owner ~ socallrd Demo
cratic mornD cwspaper in this city, was apparently
the man who furnished money for these specnations.
and who took the lions share OF the profits. Tho plan
seemed 10 have been something like this d.. Frank
Howe is managing editor Of Mr. Tewt's newspaper
Ir II also chief clerk of the engineer in charge OF DIE
frct improve All claims for work performer have
had 10 pass through Dr. Howe's hands AMI 10 receive
the approval OF the Engineer From the Intimate hS
ness relations existing between Mr. Hewitt and Frank
lowe there be doubt that the former received
information the character and amount of claims OF
which the payment likely TO be recommended by
.he Engineer.
Contractors who believed that balance due them
for work done I'm 1872 and 1873 employed ono OF the
several agents who in the habit Of co Letting such
claims represent their before the Engineer ana
the Board of Audit J. C. Lay Co.. firm consisting Of
the former Of the Board OF Public Works and two
~ his assistants, gentlemen especially hed by thelr
official knowledge OF the manner Of keeping accounts
the method passing them, TO tho payment OF
nnv Just caim Of the firms which attempted to
make collections for contractors, but wcro In many
cases unsuccessful. For some reason which could
not understood the claims Of contractors when
they good, were delayed and postponed, untiI
finally many OF them all hope Of ever receiving
the balances which they claimed 10 he due them tnow
seems probable although has not been directly proved
that many Of tbese claims purposey pgeon-holed
by the chef clerk of the engineer In nrge OF improve"
ments by connected with the Board o' Audii
or Office Of tic engineer and allowed to ren'in without
any action being taken upon thcm IN many cases for
than year.
Finally when the contractors had entirely lost hope.
Mr. Hewitt appeared the and proposed Ia pur-
chase these claims offering in s"me instances more than
the contractor himself had supposed TO he due him
As soon IA power Of attorney had been given TO MI
Hewitt the claims passed without delay and pad
al once One two instances selected from number
which have already been disclosed. will suffice to Illus
trate the whole system:
Maurice Murphy contractor under the Board Of Pub
lie Works had "a claim ich submitted TO the Board
OF udit and which 81 ,OO5 II paid He had an
ddtioua claim Of Il cents per cubic yard for hauling
certain earth which was not allowed by the Board Of
Audit for several reasons beng that this claim
Ac after the time within which such claims could L.
gally he presented had expired Meeting Mr. Il G.
Hewitt day last FALL the latter offered 10 buy any
claim which he might have against the Board OF Public
Works Murphy told Hewitt that the Board would not
allow his claim, ana at first refused TO make bargain
At another interview told Murphy that the claim
would really be worth nothing unless he gave him
rwi power Of attorney to collect II, and added that
be had friends who would help him. Hewitt then gave
Murphy 81 900 in 3.Gj bouds for his claim which tho
latter seemed TO have been perfectly satisfied with, but
hewitt collected from the Board Of Audit Ss.25G OIL
A contractor named iIuln, agreed with the Board OF
Public Works Law fo0fwak, &c, on PennsJ lvania
ave from Fifteenth to hss. and settled
NH, fnr wark IN SeU'cmbCr. Y,
1873 lie submitted claim TO the Board Of Public Works
for cutting down trees &c. which allowed and paid
Subsequently he made another claim for doing some
grading under the sidewalk which he had laid Mr. For
sythe who NAV be remembered Of Gov Shepherds
model measurers. had estimated the amount OF this
grading ut 900 yards. The subject was submitted to
engineer Cas r. Barney for examination, and lie re-
ported that nothing due for thus grading In OctO,
ber 1873 fortified lt the certificates of c special sur-
rinendents Of the work. who appointed Tor political
or ring purposes and not experts Mcssrs Forsythe
aud Ccrey certified that tile amount o. grading done
by Hu,luen was bG40 yards. and although the claim had
been once rejected by the Board Of Andit after 1t was
transferred 10 II. G. Hewitt. the latter collected the
moncy for the whole amount The absuclity of this
claim may be easily understood. Engineer Forsythe III
tho first place. reported onv 1000 yards. Engineer
Barney after careful examination, found that no adj
Ing had been done which ought TO he paid for and yet
three years aftcrward the Board OF Audit pays for
100000 cni feet Of grading which would he equivalent
Of earth 900 feet long, zig feet hlgh ana
20 feet wide-the width OF the walk.
II s said that there hundreds Of instances similar
these aud that while many contractors could not get
their honest claims passed upon by the Board OF Audit
Hewitt and others seemed to have had facilities
securing the passage Of any claim they presented
matter what Its character might be.
A QUICKLY SPENT APPROPRIATION.