Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-06-23
THE HILL INQUIRY.

LII LILO lii 1uNSStlSdtlOu Murcn look LnS
stand and testified: Il do not intend nor
do desire to reflect upon this committee,
who are doing all in their power to further
this investigation and are afording US very
fair treatment"
Murch asked that the investigation COM
mittee be furnished with all the contracts
by the United States for fire proof shutters.
Chairman New replied that the requisi-
ton was too general and must be made
more specific.
Coleman-If they will furnish Us with
all the contracts we can readily see what
we want without letting them know in ad-
vance just what we propose to do. When
the prosecution is compelled to depend
upon the defense for their papers it is a
pretty difficult matter to specify in ad-
vance the particular papers that may be
required, particularly as in some in
| stances we do not know what papers are in
existence.
Chairman New then adverted to the
statemen of the council made yesterday in
regard to the conduct of this investiga-
ton, and characterized any statement that
the committee is giving the investigat ion
nalf-hearted support, or Is disposed to
impede 1t, as absolutely untrue.
! Coleman-I made no such statement.
What l said was to show that the admins
tration is not offering or affording any as
sistance in the prosecuting of this investi-
CATION which is being carried on at the ex-
pense of private individuals, and is in
great contrast with the spirit shown in the
prosecution of the star route cases.
Mr.. NeW-Iou are as familiar as any
one with the law regulating disbursements
of funds by the treasury department, and
you know we have no money either to pay
witnesses or attorney fees. If you should
go before the grand jury and procure an
Indictment, then l have no doubt you
would have every encouragement from the
administration to which you allude, and
the department of justice would assume
the expense of the prosecution, but in this
case it was totally different.
Murch then took the stand for cross
examination. In answer to the question
as to who he represented before
the committee Murch replied
that he represented himself
alone and that the statement attributed to
him, thae he (witness) was being paid by
the stone cutters was false. The question
is not your only reason for attempting to
connect Hill with these frauds, the fact was
that he was member of the commission
before which you appeared and that the
commission refused to listen to the de-
mand.
Answer-That is true of the fact that he
is member of the commission, that he
was made aware of the frauds and still
persisted in his course. 1t is my reason
for connecting him with the frauds.
Question-Do you not know that if Hill
had acceded to your demands it would
have resulted in breaking all the existing
contracts, and would have compelled the
government to finish its buildings with a
totally different kind of granite?
Answer know nothing of the kind. l
knew there were twenty quarries on the
coast of Maine owned and controlled by
separate parties who were then furnishing
granite and could and would have furnish
ed the same quality Of granite both in
texture and appearance as that which was
then being used.
Question-If fifteen of the present con-
tracts had been abrogated, would not the
government have been compelled to pay
the price which your stone cutters would
have demanded?
Answer-We offered to do the work for
So per day, aud Hill under the modified
contracts paid $3.50.
The cross-exsminstion was pursued at
great length Witness said the greatest
frauds upon the Philadelphia building had
been perpetrated after Hill became super
vising architect, and sftera superintendent
had been put in charge by the architects
Office. This superintendent was wholly
incompetent and permitted great frauds,
yet he was in the employ of the architects
Office.
In reply to question by Coleman, the
witness said his ground of complaint
against Hill was, that after having his at
tention called to gross frauds, which were
being perpretrated, Hill still went ahead
and made modified contracts, based upon
fraudulent and excessive rates, which were
being paid under the Is per cent. contracts.
This concluded thu examination of
Murch.
The Hill investigation committee has
decided to confne itself for the present
at least, to the hearing of testimony con-
corning the Philadelphia contracts, and
will not leave the city for the purpose of
taking evidence relating to other public
buildings. The Investigation will be
fastened, and not prolonged through the
summer months.