The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-27
Especial dispatch to the New YorHrrbunc.l
BRIDGES'S HEADSTONE CONTRACT.
An Honest Bidder Corruptly Dehted, and
the Country Robbed Of 0)0zChear
Headstones Put Up over SoldiersTrayes.

I VI " oNci
WASHINGTON, March 24.-Te house
mittee on military affairs is pusng vigor-
ously the headstone investigation BY an
act of congress passed June 8, 1S2, it was
provided that the secretary of ar shall
cause each grave in the nationalcemetery
to be marked with a small headSne, with
the name of the soldier ard the nme of the
state inscribed thereon; and he sail within
ninety days from the passage ofhe act ad-
vcrtise for sealed proposals of lis for the
making and erection of such ladstones.
BY an act of the next congresshe unex-
pended balance of money Appropriated to
carry out that act was re-approprted. The
contract for furnishing the stonesvas given
to S. X. Bridges of Keokuk, low.
M. j. Walsh of New York, VIII was one
of the unsuccessful bidders, bakersfield
that he submitted bid to furnh these
stones made of foreign white marie, in all
respects in accordance with the pecifca
tons, for $923,000, of which 100000
would be returned to the governmot in the
form of duties on the importe stones.
When all the bids had been submitted they
were opened by an officer of the duarter-
master generals office, and Mr.. W,sh's bid
was the first read. Mr.. Walsh sys that
after the terms of his bid were KNOW, Nr.
Bridges, the successful bidder, slipped inc
the hands of the officer opening them
an informal bid, which has been detained
take the contract Tor $500 900. Mr.
Walsh protested on the spot that such
bid ought not to be considered First, be
cause it was submitted after some of the
others had been opened secondly, becaus
it was irregular in form and thirdly, be
cause Mr.. Bridges had submitted no sam
piles, and in other ways had not compiled
with the conditions under which proposal
were to be submitted. He claimed ais,
that even if Mr.. Bridges bid was consider
ed, his own was the lowest, because he pro
posed to furnish foreign marble on which
the duty would be 5000, 900, while Mr.
Bridges proposed to furnish American
stone. Ga these grounds he appealed t
Quatermastcr-Genera Meigs, who said tina
by no means should Mr.. Bridges bid b.
considered. In the schedule of bids mad
up in the Quarlermaster's department, tina
of Bridges was not included but after th
schedule was sent to the secretary of war
il was inserted, and Bridges got the con
tract. This, it is understood, is Mr.
Walsh's story.
Another witness testified that the nigh
before the bids were to be opened he lne
Mr.. Bridges, the successful bidder, at tin
Ebbitt house for the purpose of negotat
ing with him about some marble from
Virginia quarry. During their converse
tions, Mr.. Bridges showed him letters from
Secretary Belknap, saying that if Mr.
Bridges secured the contract he would b,
allowed to save considerable expense b,
abbreviating some words of the inscrip
tions on the headstones, and also that HI
would not he required to round the corners
The work as ii has been performed is in &C
cordance with this information, Will,
other contractors say that they framed
their bids on the supposition that the uppe
corners of the stones were to be rounded
and all such titles as "private," "ser
gsant," &c, were to be spelled out. Tn,
stones as MIR. Bridges has been allowed t,
furnish them are square at the corners ant
have the letters abbreviated thus; "Pvt,
"Sergt,' Corp" &c.
The Tribune, editorialy, says: Head
stones over soldiers graves have pait
tribute to Washington corruption, and nov
we have the sorry story of trickery b,
which the contract for them was given I,
favorite. There is evidence that the mel
in power who helped to rob the Living
shared also in despoiling the dead.