New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-29
THE. GREAT AQUEDUCT JOB.

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THE GREAT AQUEDUCT JOB.
Gradually but surely the Senate Committee
is sinking its shaft into the muddy history OF
the Aqucduct, and it is now shown that from
the day the enterprise was conceived it was a
Job for individual and partisan plumber Even
under the respectable fgure-heads who formed
The original Commission, the plot for robbery
Of The city in order TO enrich few powerful
politicians and TO help along their schemes was
in progress. In fact, before a spade was put
into the ground, the arrangement was perfected
between the contractors and the leaders of the
two Democratic factions inf this city for d-
vision of places on the work, and the amazing
confession was drawn out of Maurice b. Flynn
Yesterday that it was then arranged between
himself, john keenan, Ohe same keenan, who
had his claws in all the jobs, and who is now
fugitive from iustice) and Colonel John Ii.
Mooney on the one hand, and Clark & OBrien
on the other, for an equal division OF the net
profits to be derived from the Aqueduct con-
tracts In the persons of Flynn ard keenan,
the power and influence of the County De
mocracy were represented and in that CT
Colonel Mooney Tammany Hall was recog-
nized.
Contractor Clark, who is in very bad COM
pany in this matter, acknowledged the exist
cnce Of this extraordinary agreement, though
he twas strangely ignorant OF the extent 10
which these "outsde partners" were Inter
estedn Flynn, il appears, relinquished his in
terest lust after the removal of Squire, and Mr..
Clark considered that Keenan's had "lapsed."
Colonel Mooney's however, remains to this
day. The contracts amounted to 81, ZOO, O0O,
exclusive of about $4,000 OF extra
rlaims.- II was expected that the profits would
be So. OO0. O0O of which each Of these silent
mariners was TO have one-sixth or $685.
3331-3 II was apparently pretended by Mr..
Clark that this interest had some relation 10
IN investment If capital, but 50 far rs conid
be ast CT aired from lynn, the iuN estme!t
was TO consist far more of services" than
money. They were, to be sure, pledged TO put
in 81 s, 600 each, but this, he says, was all, and
certainly it was as small sum upon which to
base the claim that the transaction had in it any
clement of honesty as could have been named.
realization of 1888, 1913 1-3 OH an invest
n,ent of 81 5, 1000 for four or five years appears
.on its face to be too rich for an ordinary COM
mercia explanation. The secret Of such an
agreement is to he found only in the investment
of - services"
What these services were can only be seen
in the general character of the three men.
They were politicians, leaders of the factions.
Flynn attempted to explain his services by say
ing that he had bought goods for OBrien &
Clark, but the sum fetal of these purchases
amounted TO less than another 81 5000. An
immense difference between the Investment
4 II. tod cof,, hac - "A
accounted for In one Of the sections, that
numbered -, Flynn voluntarily relinquished
his interest. Before doing so, he says, he had
talk with O'Brien and Judge Muller alb out it,
the effect Of which was that the contractors
paid Governor HIPS note for 10000, and
FLYNN contributed his sixth Of the profits Of
Section No. - TO help them out. 1t is an
edifying spectacle that is made of the Demo
cratic Governor of New York by this dis
closure. Summed up in a word, he left
public contractor who had indorsed his note for
SO, 900 to pay il ard enabled him to do it
out of public money by procuring him an ad-
ditional contract on bid $40 900 greater than
that Of the lowest bidder 1t is difficult to con-
ccve Of any satisfactory answer to the evil
dence which establishes this charge
lynn tNIucHSS INH'Ni~HS' PiN'NJ ''''"
reported on the ninth page. bore heavily
upon William X. Grace AID the young
man Wins. WINS, it seems, is
pupil Of Machiavelli. Ibid you ever
read NIachiavclis Prince ~ he slyly
asked Flynn while they were talking together
about getting rid of Squire. Flynn was COM
PEELED to admit that he was not the learned
man that WINS was, and then WINS told him
that according to Machiaveli, "subtlety, cum
ming and collision" were greater forces in
politics than integrity. Another glimpse of his
scholarly attainments was given Flynn when he
quoted Henry J. Raymond's remark that "the
public were asses and had to be fed on straw"
| The motives Of the Gracelvins assault upon
Squire were shown with elaboration and detail,
and completed the exposure of conspiracy
which, claiming to be work of reform, was in
Object and method as indecent as any conspiracy
alleged against Squire. The committee has still
considerable work before it, and the public is
| gratifed to know that the prosecution OF the
inquiry to the very end will be sincere and
thorough.
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| DnJ,y w. UIpS nor JTT(1I IDEAS