Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-19
The De GoIyer Contract.
General GarfieId's Connection with
 The Official Testimony.

General GarGeId's Connection with It.
 The Official Testimony.
 One of the charges made against General Garfield is that during the days of the Dis trict of Columbia ring he accepted $5,0OO as fee for making an argument ln behalf ot the De Golyer wooden pavement, when In fact he did no work as counsel in the case, and the money was paid to him to influence his action as chairman of the House Commit tee on Appropriations.
 Congress made an investigation of the Dis trict scandals in February, 1877. The testl- mony was not printed, but the "ashlngton correspondent of the Chicago Times has ob- tained a copy of it. The following covers Geueral Garfeld's case.
 MIR. GARFIELD's STATEMENT.
 Mir. Garfeld-Mr. Chairman, never saw this (paving) contract before, but want to say word in regard to the word "appropria- tion' used in it. It has no more reference to Congress than it has to Great Britain. The Board of Public Works, under the general law and the legislation of the District govern ment, made the appropriations themselves, and taxed the people of the District along the streets where these improvements were made by the front foot and I, in common with other property holders in the District, paid my assessment levied by the Board of Public Works for the improvements made in front of my property and the appropriation here  trict government, either out of the funds that it had raised by funds issued on the credit of the District or by assessments by the District authorities upon the people whose property was improved The only connection that the United States had with 1t, in reference to appropriations, was this: Whenever the Board of Public Works laid pavement on a street. upon which any United States build ing or ground was situated, Congress as a matter of comity, as it does in every other city in the Union, paid it's quota of the assess ment per front foot. That is the only rela- tion that Congress had to any of these inn provements, except in so far as we have been compelled subsequently, to advance money to pay the interest on their bonds; which of course was matter that nobody could have foreseen.
 Mir. Nickerson Ca contractor Allow me to ask you a question
 MT Garfeld-Certainly.
 MT: Nickerson-In view of your explana- tion ask you to state what this provision Tn this award in relation to that fifty thousand souare wards refers to-what appropriation that refers to, around the parks or anywhere -else2 ss Mir Gaffield-I cannot be expected to ex- plain the language of this contract, which have never seen but the chairman VIII look at the appropriation bill especially Tn 1873, he will find that there were three ap- negotiations made-one ($loo,Ooo, tninkJ to reimburse the old Washington corporation previous to the creation of the Board ofPub- lie Works for work that was done around the Government reservation. The old canal had been filled up and the Smithsonian grounds had been bettered by that improvement, and there was an appropriation to reimburse the old corporation for that part of their improve ments which lay opposite the public grounds of the United States; and in the same bill