The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-06-20
COUNTRYS CAPITAL.
Progress Of the Hill lnvestigation-An
Expert who
Can't be Ratified by the Arts OF Cross.
Examination.
How Uncle Sam was Swindled ON all
Sides.
A High officials Offspring had a Finger
In the Pie.
Brady Sun Before the
Courts.
A Warm Reception Is Preparing for
Oklahoma Payne.
Washington News Items.
A Warm Reception is Preparing for
Oklahoma Payne.
Miscellaneous Washington News Items.
The Hill Investigation

vestigstion this morning, General S,eipwiz
was cross-examiued:
Q'-lfyou should take one stone in auy
course and apply it to the standard cost
which rules, under the contract, throuph
the whole building and that stone shoula
be very large one with n great deal of sur.
face cutting, would it not show, as com.
pareu WIN smaller stone, an excessive
real2 ''ai'
Alt would not be possible to comnsrs
twelye-ton pilaster, which required mmch
LABOR TO move 1t and costs S5 per foot with
small stone requiring but little surface
cutting and costing not halt so much.
Hill.-But that is what the contracts call
for vail
Witness-Then all have to say is tbere
was not much sense in such contracts
Thomas stated that an element of con-
tract for cutting and dressing was the ex.
treme low price for which rough stone was
obtained by the government.
The defense wished to show this was ons
Oh tne reasons Tor more liberal contract for
cutting. 'o'
Coleman-While il NAV be a satissa,,;o,,
for the public to hear that the eovernman,
In one instance did not suffer through the
contract, 1t Is certainly improper to admit
the government could recompense a iosine
contractor by making another contract
with him through which the eoyernment
must be loser. ANiei''
Thomas put hypothecal question bassd
on the presumption that a certain npmhor
OF days were required under the IL nor
cent. contract TO cut certain stone and
ELECTED the reply; "'"
u wonld not take the word OF any sculp.
tor or stone.cutter who had been working
uhder 10 per cent, contract it would NOT
oe 20 safe estimate to base contracts ON
Ihomas-Suppose he could not help it2
ooieman-Ihen would give the build
ing away and be done with it.
The witness insisted his estimates NJ tho
cost of cutting stone for the Philadelphia
building were exceedingly liberal.
:, Coleman wished to extend the inquiry TO
the contracts for public.buildings at Boston,
ST. Louis and Cincinnati, but Thomas oh,
Jected to going into other branches of the
investigation until the philadelphia buiId.
ing was disposed Of 'N'''
Coleman said 1t would be unfair to take
the Philadelphia contract as criterian for
the others. He had looked over the con.
tracts for the st. Louis and Cincinnati
buildings and, as a lawyer, must admit he
had never seen so much cheek displayed
taken by the government cornse1 nees
in the star-route cases. The prosecntion
proposed to show not one fraud but scores
aud systematic plundering of the govern.
ment IN the erection of public buildings.
lie said In the ST. Louis contracts il can be
shown that contractors were already getting
greater prices for rough stone than its mar,
ket value, and still in making modified
contracts the same excessive allowances
were made for dressing stone. The prose.
cution expected TO prove that $5O.O00 were
raised and used in Washington to fix these
contracts in the interest OF contractors. II
would be useless to prove this fact unless
the prosecution would be first permit ed to
snow that the government suffered by the
execution OF these contracts.
Chairman New stated that the commits
sion, after considerable reflection. decidad
for the present TO confine the inquiry 10 The
Philadelphia building. The commission
did not believe they should investigate the
rulings OF the former secretary of the treas.
ury or the acts OF the former Supervising
architects, but should endeayor to find ont
whether or not Hill had been guilty. offrand
or corruption in office.
Coleman said he proposed TO show there
was nothing in the opinion of the attorney.
general or IN the decision of the secretary
OF the treasury that warranted the execu-
ton oil those contracts in the manner in
which they were executed.
Hon. Kenneth Raynor, solicitor of the
treasury, was next called by the pi osecutor,
lie testified in effect that there
is no statute authorizing the supervising
architect to make contracts for or on behalf
OF the government. No money can be ex.
pended upon public buildings until the
plans and estimates have been approved by
the secretary oil the treasury. The power
to make contracts could not be delegated
to the supervising architect.
Coleman then preferred specific charges
against Hill OF making extravagant con.
tracts with Daniel French, son of Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury French, for fur.
nishing, statuary for the Philadelphia build
Ing, and asked the committee to order Hill
to produce all papers bearing upon the
matter.
The committee so ordered and adjourned.