The record-union., 1898-03-08
JENKINS SAYS IT IS FALSE.
DENIES ANY BOODLING WITH
McGRATH.
The Supervisors, He Says, Had No
Dealings Whatever With the
Dredger People.

Supervisor Jenkins was asked yester-
day by a "Record-Union' reporter
what he had to say concerning the
charges OF bribery alleged to have been
made by P. H. McGrath in connection
with the claim for bodybuilding on
Sutter Island, to which charge w q.
Writer'S affidavit was published thai
morning
Il was very much astonished," said
he, when l arrived in town this morn
ing and was told what had been pub
lished in the Record Union. The
statement is a preposterous one. In
1896 the Trustees of Sutter Island came
TO the board and asked US to help build
q road around the island on the levee.
and also across the island, and the
board agreed to stand one-half the eX-
pense. under certain conditions, the
district to stand the other half, and the
total not to exceed a certain amount
$1,000. / think The Trustees argued
that the district had always paid its
taxes to the county, and had never be-
fore asked for a road.
The County Surveyor was sent down
to make a survey of the work needed
and an estimate of the expense. Nc
Grath was a Trustee at the time We
did not know nor care who was to do
the dredging work; all we wanted to
know was what it would cost and that
it would be properly done. We had
nothing to do with the Golden Gate or
any other company. and had to deal
only with the district.
When a claim was presented for
$3.50 and the County Surveyor had ex-
1Jpina6 tf4aN and satisfied that
it was done to that amount, we paid
the demand the Trustees getting
81 40 and McGrath, as agent of the
reclamation district, getting the other
81, 40 We did not know the Golden
Gate Dredging Company in the matter,
as we dealt only with the district. We
had a plain contract with the district,
and when it had done the work to the
boards satisfaction it was to get the
money.
THAT was all there was of it, and
We could withhold nothing from the
dredger company, for we had no deal
ings with it whatever
When the Trustees said the work
was completed and put in the bill for
the remainder ofthe work the board
went down to see what had been done
up on the levee, raising it, but had not
been leveled off, and that no road had
been made. We told Mr.. Elliott and
the other Trustees that we would not
pay the claim until the road was built
according to agreement, as the county
would not pay for merely raising levees.
Il hear that it has been leveled down
since and the road constructed but the
board has never been notified of it, nor
has any money been asked for the work
since the first payment was made If
the district wants the remainder of the
money it must present its claims and
show that the work has been properly
completed.
AS for McGrath giving me any
money. he never did, and I do not know
of any reason why he should, nor how
il could make any difference. If the
district completed the work according
TO agreement il was entitled to its
money. and if it did not it could not get
it until it did. That is all there is about
it. We had no dealings with the
dredger company. as their agreement
was with the district and NOT with ne