National Republican., 1888-03-22
THE LABORING MANS LOSS
IN CERTAIN CHECKS THE COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSE TO CANCEL.
Easy way of Escaping aResponsi-
bility-why the Wages Were Not
Paid when Due-suggestions in the
Interest of the Men.

Announcement has been made by the Dis
trict commissioners Of their intention to can
eel certain checks which remain uncalcl
for and thus relieve themselves Of ihg fp-
sponsibilty OF the money value of these
papers These checks are the accumulation
of the past ten years or more, and involve
upward Of 10000, which money is supposed
to be in the treasury to meet them when pre-
sented for payment, and until some disposi-
tion is made Of the matter the commission
crs will be held accountable for that fund.
The proposition to cancel the checks is sum
mary action and course not likely to meet
with Endorsement from the public, as the
principal sufferers will be poor laboring men.
Knowing that VIM. II. Prince, formerly
general foreman of county roads, had some
experience in regard to paying day laborers,
and how these checks happened to bo un-
called for, he was asked by reporter for
the REPUBLICAN yesterday in regard to the
matter.
"Most of these checks" he said, "belong
to men who worked on the street, and they
have not been taken up for different causes.
The system of paying men In those days
was "a bad one, and many man lost his
wages ON account of the delay he was put
to before getting the money, For instance,
u man discharged the first week or ten days
Of the month would not be settled with un-
til that month expired. His time would be
sent to the engineers Office, but the rolls
would not be made up until the month was
OUT
"Pretty good wait for q few dollars?"
'The result was that the man, getting
work elsewhere, did not go for his money at
the time the District paid, and the check
would be put aside: or, If he did go, his
name was spelled wrong, and Mr.. Stanton,
in looking over the checks, failing to find
one as he gave the name, and said there was
nothing for him. | have known of several
of these kind of cases. The result was that
the men would try and hunt up their old
bosses to get the trouble corrected Some
times they succeeded and sometimes they
did not. When they failed you will find
their check among those the commissioners
now wish to cancel"
"Would not power of attorney to some
agent be of assistance in making the col
lcctions?n
"Yes, to the agent, but not much to the
men. You see that in most cases the
amounts due each man are so small that n
claim agent would get the lions share, and
but little remain for the laborlng man.
While to engage the services Of lawyer
and secure aflldayits to prove the claim
would cost more than the face value Of the
check. j recollect one instance now Of a
man to whom the District owed $11, and to
obtain his check 1t cost him 50; so he did
not make much when he got it.n
"What can be done to remedy the mat
ter and prevent the destruction of the
checks?n
~ am not positive that anything can be
done. called this morning on Judge Dur
ham, the comptroller, ed made protest
against the commissci being permitted
to carry ont their In "a, Stroying the
checks. statoa = ... "A detu., grounds
upon which hastd my objection He ad-
mitted that under such facts as had been
stated the commissioners We .Le cause of
the accumulations, and thr' would notify
| them of my protest. 4, E.s suggestion
called on Commissioner Webb and stated to
him the injustice that would result from the
| boards contemplated action II carried out,
and that | had made protest against 1t.
met with such u cold reception and utter
want of sympathy for these poor men that
retired with the determination to make pub
| lie all the details Of the check business"
"lf these checks are destroyed, how does
| 1t help the commissioners"
at will relieve them of standing obliga
tions, and, by the destruction of these
checks, cause a loss Of upwards of $20,0O(
| to hundreds of poor laborers who furnished
honest and faithful service to the District
That this is no new matter you can see by
the following, copy of the letter | sent tC
the engineer commissioner In February,
1856, when ] called attention to II:
| Laborers team owners, blacksmiths, owners
| of gravel banks and Others have repeatedly
| abused me for discrepancies In their accounts
| and the mistakes have been traced TO YOU
office. Upward of fifty men can be produced
| VI you will grant them hearing that they have
time and time again failed to obtain the just
| amount due them, caused by exceeding tn,
| amounts appropriated by Congress. Hundred
| of checks are now IN the hands of your checl
| clerk due to poor laborers who have worked
| for the District and who are unable to obtair
them on account Of the unjust requirement.
of your office"
"ls there'any way of getting this money
to those TO whom 1t belongsYn
"Well, Judge Durham requested me Il
make suggestion upon that point, and
told him that, as the amount involved wa!
large, | thought that the commissioner
should he required to publish the names
giving the department In which the servic,
was rendered and also under what foreman
and that publicity would aid In finding tn,
men to whom the checks belonged. II the
commissioners destroy them then, If tn,
claimants appear, they can only be paid b,
an appeal to Congress, and as the individua
amounts due are small 1t is safe to say thai
nothing will ever be done IN that direction
and the result will be that the men will los