Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-03
EVENING STAR.
FORTY FOURTH CONGRESS-.
Closing Proceedings Yesterday.
Discussion ON pi.trict Affairs

| Commissioners 10 saw fLsf - 80 -. -
| Ia>sed any claim - pay thu c'Guse. of Mr.
shepherd, or for any aiVert. Sa-t,sf,rs 49,
iIg Out OF the investigation.
Mr.. ksyani asked d. either OF tho Sa-4f.,rs
| meant 10 say that this money hsd not Uecn
paid.
Mr.. Morton said he was not talking 81 tla..
What he said Was that The Comm ssiolerS
hat nothing at al 10 do with it.
MI Sargent said whatever was done IN
the matter the responsibility was entirely
with the BoaTd OF Audit who were appointed
10y Cos gTeSS. He had said when the Baari OF
Audit was created what THE result would be.
The Officers comprising the board were al
ready occupied with their duties as officers
OF the Treasury, and they had 10 commit
much OF their work u such rag. tag ana bob
tan as they could get hold OF. sir. =. then
reviewed AZ some leusth the transactions OF
tie RoaTu o. Public Works, the mason of
conducting the invest LEGATION. SC, that thCy
lad been investigated 10y several Eontlemal.
none Of whom had reported anything dis
honest against the board lie NJ. - lsI
Obtained q statement OF the prices PAID FOR
| public work in the cities OF New YORK.
philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston. and 3D.
large western cities. aud he mai fDgGI
| that the prices paid for the same work
| 10y this much-ahuScj hoard was I'D per
| c.nt lass than was paid mn those cities.
The senator Mr. Bayar1D hat spoken CO flp
gigantic crime committed IA The case of
| Columbus Alexander. Now. 40 was perhaps
| well Ia find out who committed that giEa1-
tic crime. There was some al Terence at
oI iDiou q bout a.. This man AieNa4Ict, hy
| his own confessions, had greed 10 nav eN-
| press charges ON property which Le Evev
was not lu the custody and did NOS belong %
| those who agreed 10 .e.ivCr 40 - him. TIE
senator spoke OF Tie enormous HeDi lied
| up against thiS District 10 was q pretty
| large debt, and he .Nr = regretted inat n
was 20 large; tut. ne asked. vino wuulf be
Wiling 10 exchange that debt fIr the dirt.
| ihr iiiiE, Tie s4uaiur. the wretrhei Less, the
/ sickness that prevailed here before % NpNf
10 the honor and glory Of saving tn'z capital
THE republican party should Congratulate a.
| self GA the Rdornment and the iruprnvempst
a hfa.r Ia II rf.rn.sH
grandeur and beauty Of the city now, AT
said d. had cost money, OF course. and DID
| any one expect that Al could BE- done without
money. lie read from the exhibits OF the
| debts of other cities, and showed tnaf me ia
Cehtedne>s per capita was much less here
than in many OF the large cities Of the Union.
| lie read an extract from letter attrIbGtri
10 the brave, able and truthful young san
| ator from Iowa. the chairman oil tie iuyes-
tsa'iug committee, in which he says. Il an
| sorry that Mr.. shepherd was temporarily
sacrificed; there - nothing against ms ral-
/ eNty, &c he asked Mr.. Allison ne wrote
That letter.
Nr. Allison said he would answer I'm MS
own time. lie olt rpT propose 20 10 CATE
| chised by the Senator from California or
Mr.. Sargent said he had only ASKED Z r.
| ersCt'ul question. He men went on - say
! tha' the gigantic ard uap9rl iialet rpbonrI-S
OF the Tweed democratic ring or New York
| nai attracted 80 mgch at'eltiou taaf the
| democrats thought they would get tlp 4 coGn-
! tsr sensation. ana hPnce these attacks were
| ~ III A'peaAA VI A NANAA W % ~
| In tins District.
TIE democratic Senators had no word %,
! bad 10 Characterize the Board of Pubic
| " NrS> OF tni~ District, buI not "a WORT laI
! ever escaped Them a. ID + Wesl-s crimes.
| The Senator from Delaware Mr. n4r.rf
| lives 80 near New York that il ua Opened flfs
| widows tie stencil OF IWeet~ corfu ~ f.l
| must have entered HiS house, and y-f wIIIe
| - IS So much disturbed al what q, going GA
| here he has not one word OF condemnation of
! Tweed.
| Nj Salisbury asked dlI not tle senator
| know that the Tweed ring was Csnpy>a 4 OF
! members OF both parties?
! Nj. Sargent said perhaps 50: h diS nos
| GoubS that lnFle NeTa some diShppeFs ~epub-
! ICaES in New York. 10 could ba hardly
| otherwise after the example set them "a the
| dtmocratS. He then read an exhibit OF
! Twced'S plumber. And YET after all this VI
| l2iny and critucl had been proven On I veai
| a democratic constituency rewarded him by
| sending him 10 the state senate.
NJ. Herman asked did not the Senator
| know that when the rascalities OF this New
YORK ring were discovered tire members OF 10
| were punished, put in prison, I'D some OF
| them compelled % flee the country.
Mr.. Sargent said he believed thBt through
| the conniyance OF democratic sheri L TwcsI
| had been permitted 10 escape Ia foreign
| lad. This man Tweed stole more than tue
| whole debt OF this District.
| Mr.. Herman said, why was not the prece-
| dent followed here which was set in New
| YORK? IL these people here were gullty-and
Ee did not say they were-let them be ar
| raignei and punished. and forced TO make
/
| feUd corruption.
| Mr.. Sargent Who defends corruption
| here? Who dares To make such A charge?
| Now as 10 the talk of restitution. The
| $500 0C0 restored, OF which the Senator
| spoke, was but drop In the bucket 10 what
| was stolen.
| Mr. Morton said the New York frauds hal
| no connection with the bill Row pending,
| except that there had Deel an obvious az
matter In regard TO TIE frapds ard TIE ne ROB rob
| berries OF Tweed. they had for years bee2
| matter OF notnriety, but the corrupt Judi
| ciary of New York took no notice OF them.
| Finally a republican newspaper publIshed
| such conclusive evidence that IL could not
| be disregardet. Then prominent democrats
| Jumped IN and took part la bringing the
| robbers 10 justice, in order 10 make party
| capital out of IL. and took credit TO them
| selves TO which they were not entitled.
| Mr.. Sargent resumed, and continuing his
| remarks about Tweed, READ the exhibit OF
| the moneys stolen on account of the court
| house, - 100000 for furniture, $50 900 for
carpets worth about ECO, and SO on; also
! the many Thousand stolen on account OF the
| armories. After leaving this branch OF his
| argument, he argued as TO the obligation of
! the government TO take care Of its capital.
| In view OF the vast property interests Of the
! government and its extensive cOltrOl over
/ the District, IL ought 10 60 what IL never hal
| dC1e-pursue the most liberal course in re
! gard 10 appropriations. he then revie We'd
! the consideration OF the action OF the Board
| Of Public Works ana OF the District COM mis-
! SiOnerS IN carrying out the contracts OF The
| board, and OF the construction put pom their
| powers by the Commissioners. lie main-
| tanned that Justly 10 adverse criticism what
| ever should be put upon them. The law OF
| June, 1874, under which the Commissioners
! acted, was drawn So loosely that a horse aud
| cart could be driven through il. He had at
| tempted 10 point ogt It's inperfections at the
! time. but the pressure for its passage was 50
! great that nothing could resist II. The criti-
! cism upon these Commissioners was unjust
| and Unknd. Twice in their reports had they
| called the attention Of Congress TO the CON
| stTUction put upon their own powers and no
! rOtlce was taken OF IL. He replied in detail
! TO criticisms OF Senators Bayari, Thurman,
| Dawes and Oglesby. He thought 10 worth
| while 20 call attention TO the fact that the
| commissioners, since they had been in Office.
| had diminished the debt OF the DlsLri ct
| II ,5Ci SiJ, of which Si55 621 was paid ia the
/ last year. This did not look much like ex-
| trayagance, or that IL had heen paid out OF
! money derived from ia nation.
! Mr.. Christiancy said there had been an
| immense deal OF irrelevancy In this discus
| sion. IL seemed to him that the guarantee
| OF the United States must De made goot as
| 10 the bonds already issued, but he favored
prohibiting any further issue of the bonds,
| and should therefore vote for the amendment
! of Mr.. Herman.
| Mr.. Edwards was not by any means per-
| suaded that these Commissioners had ex-
/ st,xai, kt,sf a. O..