New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-15
1.toW.PRicEDo REFeRvER.

The hypocritcal reform pretensions VI Wv
o,.,or Clcveland are coming to be pretty wei
understood. He could find various alleged rea-
sons for vetoing bills in the interest oil SOL
diers or for killing an important reform
measure like the Tenure of Office bill, when
such an act threatened to diminish the polltica'
mower of boss Thompson, one ot his machine
snpnortrrH But when n swinding measure
calculated 70 take 81 10000 out OF the publ'c
treasury for the benefit of the licutcnantS oi
Tweed Huch M "limn Campbell who are now
Cleyclnnd'A advocates-wna presenter w h'"
he could hnd no grDull for withholulhR
his npproyal. How he served his friends III th'H
nty. nt the expense of the public troasury' ms
already been made apparent There are many
Uko instances In his career M Governor.
One fragrant case relates To 4" Tim y sullivan
a contractor and ward politician IN Albany anu
a benchman of Dan" Manning. Mr. sullivan
contracted in 1874 to furnish for the new zap
itol building rolled iron beams and girderS OF
certain sneciGed dimensions. He found the
ordinary commercial iron would not conform 10
the exact size which he had contracted
10 deliver. and he applied to the ar
cbitect to permit him to make the
necessary variation to avoid literal com
fused TO accent the iron OF less thickness than
the contract called for, and the contractor
found himself obliged to choose between 1ul-
nishing the iron of the specified dimensions,
according to his contract, or such as ne co,iu
purchase in the open market, slightly thicker
than was required. Accepting the latter course
As more favorable to himself he decided TO ACT
accordingly. When he had completed his con-
| tract he presented Ids bill and'it was PAID IN
| euu. ACCOMMODATING the bill was an affidavit
signed bv Sullivan which read as follows;
"Tbc ac cunt ndcreI and art cles sp,cifsd in tho
annex d b Il, iron bans and ders turhSheu III "o
cor ance wit contract, S59,96l s2 we're actually iu
p,sbet as htrced TO New CAPT oil rom ssion for he
use of the stat; that e amounts stated therein are me
rue and corvec amounts FOR me said articles mat me
orces cLarged for The sad articles Sa'cd IN sdd &c
count are The fair cash market price FOR the sa5'e"
Among the stipulations contained in Sulli-
vans contract was the following:
at Is urther agreed TWEEN the id parties that ms
contrac is entered nro upon the condition tIat The said
par of the cond par shall Of an oy 70 the Legislature
any ,ensation over and above the prices haneu
in th contract Tor " beams rders or ohes material
delivered"
Notwithstanding this stipulation and regard
less of his sworn affidavit attached TO his blll,
which was paid 10y the State, Sullivan after
ward put in a clam for S;S,3l6 IL extra com
! pensation. During the terms of Governors
Tilden and Robinson the claimant was unaDle
to secure 9nv recognition. Five years
after his account was settled On a partial
presentation of the facts. III which the above
named details were not disclosed, Sullivan
cot the Board of Audit to allow his claim. The
Legislature mad an Appropriation to pay It,
vherenpon Governor Cornell investigated the
matter and found the facts as above stated IN
| nearly his own language. lie, of course, vetoed
| the bill, saying:
If i. afe TO as nme that with full and fair pr senta-
flo of the case he b ard OF Audit would never have
cadet ia award Article 3, Section !, OF the cons lu-
ton SAYS the L'gsa ure shall not or an any 'Xtra
CONDENSATION to any pub Officer, &c want agent or con
tao or II seems. there at there are three seNeIa
| re sons why his claim hould not he allowed
Fyra-locluse the account audi Ell d set ed ny
the ew ca n,tol aut nores aud nqulated by tho hnan-
cial Ollie of he stat upR an uuquaih receipt nom
| sullivan
Sccond-That sullivan stipulated IN his con tract no to
app T. tho egs ilu for any compensation over ana
| above me prices named in the 'ntract
| mira ue,ouse Of the IONS II tito al prohibition
,, alua' nuwin extra compen alton to any CON fa'tor
Nothing could be stronger or clearer Than
Governor Colnels veto of "Tim y Sulliyans
outrageous claim. But the Democratic Lcgis-
| lntuir of last year again inserted the item In
| the Supply bill. and in the interest of " Dan
Manning the present "rolorm' Governor APP
proved the steal. the item having boon In
creased 81 .5O2 81 over the amount named
when Governor Cornell vetoed it. In tho very
same bill Governor Cleveland vetoed the ap-
nropriation TO repay Messrs. Eiditz, Richard
son g. Co., architects of the Capitol, for adj
,ancae mazda nv them for reDalrS of the ceiling OF
the Assembly Chamber. done with the approval
of the Capitol Commissioners Perhaps this
whole affair cannot be characterized better than
in the language The Ner- York Times then used
in referring to the Governors veto: Ih's IS
| about the cheapest and ScurrieSt trick erea Of
" this Uery tolc-price statesman"