National Republican., 1884-03-29

amount which congress appropriated for
1872 200 square yards.
II is said in the memorial under Exhibit 1,
"the price of the stone block pavement has
been brought up from $l.S7 per square yard,
the price in the fiscal year lSS0-1S81, during
which time there has been no advance in the
cost of labor until it is now desired to hand
over to the benehcisries Of tho system $2.75,
per square yard" To this averment there IN
no attempt at contradiction.
Mr.. West says: "If there was ono dollar
expended in excess of the appropriation the
treasury department would not let us rest a
minute" In the annual report Of Comp
troller Lawrence he asks for the authority Of
congress to settle accounts of the commits
sioners in which the expenditures have not
been made according to law.
In his statement of March 81, Mr.. Vest
says: II did not want the present figure Of
S2.2S put into the contract. Mr.. Barber said
that II ho reduced the figure here to $2.15 he
would have to reduce it in all other cities
He said. however that he would, in fact, do
the work cheaper, as ho had his plant here,
but people in Chicago would not understand
that. So it was agreed to let the figure stand,
with the understanding that he should do
moro work for the money. Tho result has
been that he has paved throe or four blocks
that were not in his contract Flo threw
those extra squares in. IL amounts to the
Shne, Oh COURSE as IeuuoinB the prlco Per
yard"
This is the statement of Mr.. West as pub.
lished March 2l. No contradiction or qualifi-
cation of the same appears to have been
made. The commissioners, IL would seem
from this statement of Mr.. Commissioners
West, have become corarceners to fraud
Their official sanction, If this statement is to
be relied on, has been lent to Mr.. Barber in
order to deceive the authorities of the city of
('hipagn Shnuld Mr. norhor foil in hu usinaeC
calamity which may befall any man engaged
in business, his assignees are thus given by
Gen. West to know that valid claim exists
on behalf Of the estate of Mr.. Barber for this
work on these extra" squares. Nor can
Mr.. West and his associates plead in bar
thereto, he having declared the transaction
to have been fraudulent in intent.
Under date of March %, Capt. F. v.
Greene, who enjoys a command entirely in
dependent of the board Of commissioners of
the District of Columbia and receives no Or
ders from them, but is assistant ito the engi-
neer commissioner, comes forward rs q volun-
toer and disintorested witness. Capt. Greene
says tho price Of granite blocks has increased
since 1850 from $35 to Si9.75 per thousand in
1888. This is an increase of $l4.75 per
thousand, or 42 per cent. The price in 1880
1881 paid for granite block pavement was
S1.S7 per square yard. 1t Is now proposed to
pay $2.15 per square yard, IN increase of SO
cents per square yard, or AZ per cent. There
has during this time boen no increase in the
cost of the labor which is required to furnish
the stone.
Capt. Greene undertakes to say that tho
facts in the memorial are twisted" When
facts are brought together and interwoven
into clear aud intelligible statement it be-
comes an implied compliment to say they arc
twisted" The matters comprising the state
ment are thus admitted to be matters of fact
and they are twisted" into moose which is
unpleasant to contemplate.
On the matter of asphalt pavements Capt
Greene Is silent A comparison with the cost
of pavement in other cities affords no par
ticular comfort when Mr.. West has declared
that nominal prices are stated as to work in
Washington in order that higher prices may
be obtained elsewhere. Capt. Greene admits
that when 100000 were appropriated the ex-
penditure was $305, ,72s42.
Exhibits Nos. 8, 4, and will now be taken
up: Secretary Tindall, in an interview Of
March %. said that the error in the calcula-
tion Of the memorialists was (is) that It
charged (charges) the district government
with having received the full value of the
various issues of improvement bonds, whom,
as matter of fact, the district received much
less than their face value This difference,
with the drawbacks on special assessments,
would (will), he said, mako up tho apparent
discrepancy.
The discrepancy is very apparent" 1t is
as apparent" as the sun at MONDAY in a
coudless sky.