The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-06-25
THE DE GOLYER CONTRACT.

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escape calumny. Even so upright and
honorable man as Gen. James A. Gar
field is known to be has had his full
share Of slanderous assault, and will
continue to have His defamers have
been aroused into renewed activity since
his nomination for the Presidency. They
make two specific charges to prove that
he is a corrupt man First, that he was
dishonorably connected with the Union
Pacific Credit Mobilier, the falsity of
which was established to the satisfaction
of all candid men shortly after the in
vestigation Of that matter by Congress
several years ago; and, secondly, that
he was dshonorably connected with a
contract for paving the streets of Wash
ington ten or q dozen years ago.
The circumstances involving the facts
upon which the latter charge rests have
been twice investigated by special com
mittees Of Congress, and the testimony
is matter of official record which any
person may examine if so disposed. The
first investigation was by a joint com
mittee OF the Senate and House in 1872,
and the last by a committee of the
House in 1874. One witness-a Mr.
ickerson-testifed that he had been
Informed that Gen. Garfield received
5000 from the contractors, De Golyer,
McClelland, Chittenden and others, for
paving the streets of Washington. as
fee for an argument he made before the
District of Columbia Board of Public
Works in favor Of certain patent pave
ment, and that, being at that time the
Chairman of the House Committee on
Appropriations, his services in the
premises were secured and rewarded
for the sake of his great infu-
ence in Congress, which would have to
make an appropriation for the payment
OF the street-paving contractors. This
is the general charge as voiced by Nick
ersOn, who, it seems, had falling out
with his partners in the contract and
with the District of Columbia authori-
ties, and was in quest of revenge, strik-
ing right and left, and hitting everybody
within reach.
While the investigation of 1874 was
in progress, Gen. Garfield, learning of
Nickerson's statement, demanded hear
tee. He acknowledged receiving a fee
for making an argument as an attorney
before the District Board, but emphati-
cally disclaimed any connection with or
knowledge of any corrupt ring or any
improper action whatever. Here is an
extract from the official record of the in
vestigation. Gen. Garfield said
Now the whole story is plainly and brieny
told. A day or two before the adjournment
Of the Congress which adjourned in the latter
part of May or the first part of june 1872
Richard O. Parsons, who was a practicing
lawyer in Cleveland, but was then the Mar
shall of the Supreme Court, and an old ac-
quaintance of mine, came to my house and
said that he was called away summarilv by
important business that he was retained in a
case on which he had spent good deal of
time and that there was but one thing re-
manning to be done, to make brief of the
relative merits Of q large number of wooden
pavements that the Board of Public Works
had agreed that it would put down certain
amount of wooden pavement in the city, Ger
tain amount of concrete and certain amount
of other kinds of pavement that it had fixed
the price at which it would put down each of
the different kinds, and that the only thing
remaining was to determine which was the
best pavement of each of these several
kinds. He said he should lose his fee unless
the brief on the merits of these pavements
was made, and that he was suddenly
and necessarily called away home and he
asked me to prepare the brief. He brought his
papers to my house and models of the pave
ment told him that could not look at the
case until the end of the session. When Con-
gross adjourned [ sat down to the case, in the
most g I would q brinf
for the Supreme Court, and worked upon this
matter. There were perhaps forty kinds of
wood pavement and several chemical analyses
of the ingredients of the different pavements.
| went over the whole ground carefully and
thoroughly, and prepared brief on the rela-
tive claims of these payenlents for the consider
alton OF the board. That was all did, had
nothing to do with the terms of the contract
knew nothing of its conditions, and ] never
had word to say about the price of the pave
ment [ knew nothing about it simply made
a brief upon the relative merits of the various
patent payements and it no more occurred to
me that the thing was doing had relation to
a ring, OF to body of men connected with
any scheme, or III any way connected
with Congress- or related in any way
to any of my duties i'll connection
with the Committee on Appropriations,
than it occurred to me that it was interfering
with your personal rights as citizen. [ pre-
pared Cn6 DTl6I ana Went nome, MI. PARSONS
subsequently sent me portion Of his own Fee
A year later when the affairs of the District of
Columbia came to be overhauled Congress be-
came satisfied that the Government of the Dis
trict had better be abolished, and this whole
matter was very thoroughly investigated by
committee Of the two houses. They went into
the question of the merits of this pavement,
some claiming that it was bad, and some claim
ing that the Government had paid too much
FOR it. Mr.. Chittenden was called as a witness
I ought to say here that I never saw Mr.. Chit
tcnden until about the time I made the brief I
did not and do not know De Golyer & McCle-
land l would not know them on the street
ann not aware that ever saw Mr.. Nickerson ba.
fore, and if anybody in this business had any
scheme relating to me. it was never mentioned
to me in the remotest way. It never was sug-
gested to me that this matter could relate to nay
duties as a member of Congress in any way
whatever. All that I did was done openly.
Everybody who called on me could have seen
what was doing; and if there was any inten-
ton or purpose on the part of anybody to com
meet me in any way with any ring or any dis
honorable scheme, it was sedulousay concealed
from me. AS have said three years ago q
joint committee of the two houses Investigated
ri