The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-02-26
RnItttca1.
THE SCANDALS OF eRANTIsM
A CondsnSed History or the Ring for Plumber
ing the District Of Columbia
From the N. Y. SUM-
THE STEALING BEGINS.

powers of the Board of Public Works
bills which the Board itself dictated. On
the 10th of June the Board was called
upon to submit its plan of public i'm
provements. -Four days later, on the
10th Of June, these plans were submitted,
and they called for $6,57S,397 of which
one-third was to be assessed on private
property. On the 10th of July the Dis
;ct Government was authorized to is
S4,OOO,OOO in bonds, and to place the
whole sum under the control Of the
Board of Public Works.
Here was Government set up over a
community smaller in population than
the seventeenth ward of New York-a
Government which had been in active
operation less than sixty days, but which
had already loaded the District with q
debt of "a, 100000, and had assessed pri'
vate property to the amount Of more
than $2,0O0,000, to say nothing Of general
taxes. If this was the beginning, what
was the end to be The astonished cit
izens held consultation, and some Of
their number sued out injunCtions to test
the legality of the loan. But the Eegis-
lature in August passed another bill, au.
thorizing loan of $4,OOO,OOO, provided
it met the approval of the people. An
election was held, and the citizens were
given the alternatives of voting for the
loan, or subjecting themselves to direct
tax big enough to cover the scheme of
the robbers. They approved the loan
by big majority. Subsequently the
Ring lawyers argued that the Board was
entitled to two sums of $4,00O,OOO each,
but Congress prohibited the District
Legislature from contracting debt of
more than $4,0O0,000, though in May,
1872, it increased the limit to $10,OOO,0O0
This first series of bonds were disposed
of through the First National Bank Of
New York, which paid 94 cents net for
them. Most of them were sold in Eu
rope at par under false representations.
The pious Gov. Cook explained that he
was not responsible for those falsehoods,
and that the sin of their utteranee should
be laid at the door of the bank.
The plunder of the District began as
soon as the Ring was organized. In
July, 1870, Congress appropriated $50.
900 for "the purpose of dredging, narrow.
ing, or arChing over the city canal" By
the act of April 20, 1861, the Board of
Public Works inherited this job. Other
sums were thrown into that old canal,
till it became the channel through which
more than 100000 were conveyed to
the pockets of the thieyes. The road
leading lo Boss Shepherds country house
was maCadamized at an expense of more
than 100000. North Capitol street was
ordered to be paved by the old corpora.
ton. The Board of Public Works as.
sumed the right to relet the job. The
corporation contractor laid the pavement
and was followed by the Public Works
contractor, who tore it up and laid an
other. And the viCtimized people were
forced to pay a double price for both.
While this robbery was going on, the
Real Estate Pool was hard at work. This
pool was divided into two branches, with
Henry D. Cook, Governor OF the Dist.
rict, at the head of one branch, and VIM.
M. Stewart, United States Senator from
Nevada, at the head of the other. The
pools were established for the purpose
of purchasing unimproVed property in
the northwestern section of Washing
ton, where the public supposed no i'm.
prOvements were contemplated, but
where those interested knew the most
extravagant work was to be done. Much
of this land WAS considered almost
worthless. Vast tracts of it were sub.
merged by water part of the year But
under the Rings direction il Was graded
and paved, and bordered with trees, and
made valuable; and five-sixths of the
cost OF these enormous improvements
was horne by Congress. The success of
the Real Estate Pool necessitated a con-
spiracy. If the Board of Public Works,
when it reported it's plan for improve.
ments, had announced its purpose of re-
generating and beautifying the region
selected by the pool for its operations,
due notice would have been given to ev.
erybody of this chance to speculate in
real estate. But the Boards plan only
suggested the graveling of few Of these
streets, with an occasional bit Of maCad-
amiZing. And yet the whole scheme of
asphalt and wood pavement was lully
understood by those who were in the
secret. A chance in the real estate pool
was the bait held out to greedy Con-
gressmen, and many of them bit at it.
Grants Cabinet were admitted on favor
able terms, Secor Robson, Secretary of
the Navy, and Landaulet Williams, AT.
torney General, each secured lot in the
improved region, and subsequently, sold
it at a large profit.
When Congress met in December, ~,
the work Of the Ring had assumed such
gigantic proportions, that the honest
citizens Of Washington we're thoroughly
frightened. A petition, numerously
signed, was presented to the House, ask
ing an investigation of the Board Of
Public Works. A bold effort was made |
to stave of this inquiry, but it did not
The majority of the commit
tee, however, fell easy victims to the
Establishments Of Boss Shepherd and |
his associates. They reported that they |
found great cause for commendation |
for the energy, liberality and generous |
desire to improve and beautify the ma.
tional capitol" They found, further, |
that the contractors were not responsible |
Tor the rotten paYemeDts, and the defects |
IN their work we're kindly ascribed TO
great haste during bad weather" The
report concluded with high euloVium
IN Cook, Shepherd, Mullett and their as
Iociates. The minority of the commit
Zee, through Rob't B. Roosevelt Of New |
York, made report, showing how, in a
lew months, the SUM of $l43,0OO had
been distributed among the Ring news
papers for advertising, deDouUcing the