The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-23
J0IINL. DAVENpORT'SW WORK


.c,tnud The Crrnt pnrtv Facts pi.closed |
BY his own Tcstimonv unlnwinl '-c OF
Public Money tyr Election rurposeH'
WAsuiNGrnN. hpil 22.-The testimony |
ct little johnny Dlytnport. yesterday ana '"-
day, before tho Committe e ON Expenditures !"
the Department " Justio'' d's's'ee' 'e'' V''"i
Iy the following ctsi
Ftrst ,rnnt be through the Influence OF Tom |
Nuruh, jackson :. schultz. Gov MOfg m Sena-
tor ConkIlng, aud other New YORK polilc'ius'
secured the passate of the act Oi fcn' ~ io'l'
amending tho Enforcement aci oi May dl' lo'Vi |
that the object Of this legislation wa' To eh'oe
these politicians to vail Themselves ot system
which Davenport claims to have Invented to
prevent frauds In elections W means OF laise
REGISTRATION and rope tting.
See, nd rhis systcn " his was TO make what
he calls biock books. these books are simply
compiiatiOn from thc registry lists Of the names
Of the voters registered tn each of the blocks OF
square, In Now York city. Tho names are ar
ranged alphabetically. with tho nun CT o. the
house M wuioh thev ol i'm to he residents ana
n they arc tenement hOise., tive noor ON Which
the, live. Tho booha are Ur iinery blank books
about the size. thnurh double the thirkness, Of
an ordinary bank deposit book, and are indrNcd
with icttefs Of the .lphabct. SD as to admit Of
the nnincs being nfranged a. yhlbeucLlly and be
rcfci rod to readily.
Tund-ue testlles that he began tits work
soou aftcr the passage Of tho act VI Fen. IS ISL
and that no spont a1olt $1,000 In collecting the
copies If the registry aui poli lists. ana making
therefrom bis block books. TINS gave him
Iubstanti4l 4 basis to work on In ls,2.
There was no appropriation made for the nscal
year 1911 In oxprcss terms, TO carry out the
provi,ious 4 tho act Of Ftu -, ISL That act
provided that the fces of the chief Supervisor
should be paid at the Treasury upon the ac-
counts being certified to by the Judges OF the
District or Circuit Courts Of tn, United S;a es.
Davenport old not render any ohi i'f bis woik
dutina ISL until after he had rendered HE sc
count for is1s. In forwarding that account to
the Treasury, he sys:
There Is .uli small account from July, 1871 TO ju'y.
!s's which nss seysr ben rsniere; i9r & s @
eboui y prepare it tnat the aplroyr to i run ou,
S & tnSH % m ~ PsySa, P,S viii nave feosroG I'd iorwaid.
ed a, once Il amounts, believe, ia tue nes-DOrhood
Of sl.UOO.
WHAT DAVENPORT RECEIVED.
whether that account paid or not does
not pear from the accounts furnished to the
Committee on Expenditures IN the Department.
however does appear from the receipts which
p4veupOrt gave Col Whitley that he feceiysd
According to his own testimony. the preparation
OF the basis for future Operatons-ths block
about $4,000 Therefore II ne got 81, 600 from the
Treasury on the account rendered as above
WORK only si.soo' Again neg ne got from the Treas
ury, In 1877 for his fees for lndsxng records and
ton he received from fees as United states
Commissioner, on cases growing out OF viola
the cost OF doing this work was $500 more til an
he received from the treasury, us will arpeaI
from the secret service fund. as his receipts e
Col. whitley snow, 500. Hence up to April
for 1875, he wss only short on the fees he had
received si4,33.O5, while he had received from
the secret service fund up TO thai time S2voOO
aud wus therefore ahead, according TO his owI
showing sl5,il6.9t: In addition to the sls,boo Is
tnf hfa faQaf f1r Dnr N :
ofice, tho Marsh i rendered all account for ex
usordinary expenses incurred during tn. cleo
Of this was for work dons in the Cnlef super
Visors' onioe, as will hereafter appear.
now HE CHARGED Up HIS FEES.
And now for the manner in which Davenport
charged up his fees under the act q Feb -. ISL
Tie charged for hiin4 eacn Application tnr tn'
appointment Of supervis rs ten cents. ami fo
administering oaths to them aud to deputy mar
shas ten cents more, making for these tw'
Items alone $GG.90 Then h. charged ten cent
each for hlng tue oaths adninistersd. whici
was s.iSS-sO more. lhen for hhng the commits
S924O. The supeIyisoSs were required to max
lists Of the regis ~. and these ne nled in hi
ONCE and CHARGED ten cents each therefor, n k
ting 5000. The SUPERVISORS also made report
OF their examinations Of houses. and Tor q IA
these ten cents eacn was charged. making
f95lO. Then they also made returns Of thel
c.nvass Of tho vano.s a.stlic. s, aud these re
turns were fled and S25P OS charged therefor
These tees amounted m all t. 81 $50.
Now he had all the inform ition he waniet
from VIII oh to prep re MS block booAs for whici
he makes sucn extra ordinary claius. Inc prep
srstion OF these books " great labor un
doubtedly but he was allowed for inde king th,
records OF his ofice $ll,syg,l5 In April Isl;
time. Tbis indsxlng was undoubtedly all tn
laOor required to prepare the block book
There were three thousand OF these block book
Which was 5" SLOWED iI in his account. Theh h
bad litosraph maps made; showing each Assem-
was also allowed in his regular account. In a
be he'd printers aud statiohers bill of s4s42 .
for 1872, winch was allowed. Tie whole rill f.
r
amounted that year to Sls,5jj.35. In addition /
com@lssioneT, n ' s2,Soso Tor ia cases grown
out OF what be terms violation OF the electlo
laws.
PIRsT COMPTROLLER DISSATISFIED.
In rendering this account. he accompanies
with II letter addresses to the First ComptrOlle
OF the Treasury, In which he says; My &C
counts az Chief supervisor may seem sOmewh
large, Tut they are In strict accordance wit
law, and the WORK performed has actually cos
me tor clerical l. Dor, together with the amour
OF Browns Dill (pTiuter and stationer) which /
attached to the account, aud which has bee
pad by me land, which by tue way, was allowed
MIN hfterward by the First ComptroeIl, som
$1,000, 30 tbat there Is comparatively but
soar. lie adas io lT oSk 6ss pee .w
fully inspected and approved by the Presden
snd eecrettry OF state, senators Conkling an
Hitchcock, Gen. Butler and others, aud NOR
recently bN Col. Fails VI the Attorney General
ONCE, and shall be happy to add by Yourself
1he FIRST OOmptrOleT WAS not satisfied, an
asked him whether any Of the labor Of lndeKin
hArshal's CLERKS, who were employed 10 Daven
ports once, and paid In the Marshal's aooount
40 this Davenport replied as follows:
A stated to Mr.. Aud "a IN the First Comptro
kfs o1ce) At the time was In Washington Marsh
bhaip, none the clerks employ paid by h
Fers At work upon any WORK contemplated or coyert
By the work peri ormed Dy tnen being extrordlnaI
9nd e owing o. various charges (And coulpl
alsing thercfrOIn) made IA the Sta e election law
tho Todstrictng " the city mo 6lS election distTc
tier paid sum accOunt Of any MOI
charged for IN my account now before you.
Here he admits that this extraordinary woi
was not covered by law, out nevertheless 10
account for tits extraordinary work not author
iypd nV law sVa4 10 nt
partment and paid up on the order OF the Pre-
ident OF the United States. 1his account, wit
other extraordinary expenditures not auth u
iLod by law, amounted to over $1,000.
DAvENPoKIs PROFITS.
But Davenport, In mis- letter to the First ComJ
troller, makes another Import mt admission
He says that the total eIpense OF indeIlng hi
record amounted To $500 yet he pai
therefore Sll,089.B leaving him profit OF g.
pa9. 10 on this item alone. Tho other eItraoru
mary work performed by the Marsha's clerks wa
PAID. SO tnRt II Is dincult to sec where he los
ON y ~ ~