New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-20
ENRICHING WIGWAM MEN.
EVIDENCES OF CORRUPTION IN THE PUB
Lie WORKS DEPARTMENT.
FAVORED CONTRACTORS WHO GET VALUABLE
JOBS WITHOUT BIDDING FOR TIlnM-PhR-
TINENT FACTS AND FIGURES WHAT

FAVORED CONTRACTORS WHO GET VALUABLE
JOBS WITHOUT BIDDING FOR rH4M-pER-
TINENT FACTS AND FIGUREs-WHAT
COMMISSIONER DAILY SAYS.
THE New-York Herald" has been doing excellent
service in the Of honest municipal govern
ment by recent thorough exposures Of corruption
in various departments. Yesterday Il printed a
series of facts and figures taken from the records
of the city showing the scandalous way in whIcn
the taxpayers being heeced through the meillm
OF the Tammany Department Of Pubic orks.
Ever since the days of William ". Tweed the
Department Of Public Works has been frequently
an object Of suspicion. The last satisfactory ad-
ministration of that department ended with the
retirement OF Allan Campbell (who died on Sunday.
when that upright official became Controller ana
made way for Hubert O. Thompson and the gang
that surrounded him. 1t became then the rooSt-
ing-place OF small politicians of corrupt anecedents,
and they have made IT their objective point for
plumber without intermission They have generally
been able TO keep in with every change OF admins
tration. When the County Democracy was In con-
troll they were County Democrats. When Tammany
Hall succeeded in wrestling the department from It's
opponents they quickly became Wg~an men. Inc
vultures never let go their prey
Under Tammany domination things became, i
possible even worse than they were under lhomp-
son. whose dishonesty. exposed by The Tribune ten
years ago. was OF such a revolving character that
Cleveland did not dare TO appoint him Collector OF
the Port in 1885. but took the cOlorless ana inert
Hedden a compromise
THE LAW AS TO CONTRACTS.
The law requires that every contract which will
cost the city 1900 or must be advertised and
given to the lowest bidder. The County Democrats
who ran the Public Works Department in Thonnp-
sons time evaded this law by dividing up the
acquisitions that the totals would fall under the
sum. His 1899 contracts became notorious. Tam
many Hall made all sorts of professions when 1t
came into power. and its leaders promised that
with their advent came an era of honesty ana pro
bity.
But the records Of the department show that the
same system Of chicancry is continued at present
and that its beneficaries are members OF the ram
many Hall General Committee in the various as
tricts Many OF the favored contractors II is said
are the same persons who lived on the city before
the County Democracy's downfall. but VINO speedily
changed their coats and took front seats in the
Wgwam.. Where the original contractors have
ceased TO bid" either because they have retired
with a fortune or have died. their heirs and assigns
have stepped into their shoes and the work of
trickery and wrong goes on without interruption
THE REMOVAL OF DISTRACTIONS.
Among the steady contractors who draw large
sums from the city treasury is Patrick Corrsan
member of the Tammany Hall General Committee
of the XIVth Assembly District. now "bossei' by
James p Heating ex-warlen of Ludlow Street Jail,
Cookers old district Corrgans specially s reTnov-
ing Instructions lie puts in any bills that 20
as high as NcO0-that wouldn't be legal. During
1880 his Jobs ran IN value from 1913 20 1916 danger
ously near the limit, and aggregated during the
year the neat sum Of 1886 90 The Auditors report
does not show what these Instructions Were nor
where, nor other data. One interesting feature of
his account is that It contained thirty-fve separate
charges and that Of these twenty-sX were in sums
ranging from sJ03 TO $i9 Five each of $5i7,
seven Of si5. and nearly all the rest differed but
few dollars from each other. The subjonei table
will show the amounts Mr. Corrigan received for
"removing Instructions" in 1892: