New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-28

another to Justice Borst Of the su-
preme Court, and so on"
Dwyer was finally appointed, but he
could not say whether he was cred
tied" to himself or Governor Sulzer.
one of Gardner's followers named
Doyle. a shoe clerk. was made an in
spector Of highways.
Osborne brought out that one - the
31S contracts. involving $3,O0OOOO. APP
proved by Bensel, Reel, Peck and Foley
in half an hour on October %, 1917,
was let to the Mohawk Contracting
Company. This was for Restricting a
strip of road that ran past Akin's
house.
They paid $4,000 for that work, "
said Akin. 1T could have been done
well, with profit, for $4,000 They just
scattered a few stones on the top Of the
road and went over it with steam
roller. / could have done better with a
couple Of men and baby carriage. II
is now filed with holes.
at = o'clock I got there, when Trey
were starting the work, and at o'clock
the job was done"
Mr.. Osborne said that Beard, who
contributed $4,000 to the Democratic
campaign committee in 1912, was in
terested in the Mohawk COMPANY,
which got repair work for $4,000
Let Contracts as They Pleased.
The session to-day revealed that in
yitation bidding was substituted for
competitive bidding by Bensel, Reel,
Peck and Foley. All It seemed TO Os-
borne one had 10 do was to indicate A
willingness to contribute a generous
sum for campaign or other purposes
and one would be invited to bid on i
contract one was not in the least an
noyed then by competition.
Dudley E. Van Writ, OF the contract
ing firm Of Flood G. Van Writ. Of Hud-
son Falls, told how he got 'our main
tenance contracts in 1911 Of less than
$4,000 after contributing $500 to the
Democratic campaign. He contributed
$4,000 to the Democratic State Com
mittee upon the request Of Everett y.
Fowler the committees "bagman, -
now under Indictment in New YORK
County, in 1912. and his contracts
amounted to $76.636 Mr. Osborne
asked the witness if he did not include
his contributions in the cost of the
work he did for the state.
eve made money on our contracts. %
he said and We must have lad tie
money or it would not have been paid
over"
The activities i'm highway contracts of
Thomas Hassett, former private secre-
tsry to John A. Bensei. state engineer,
who was indicted by Whitman. again
came to the surface when John J. Riley.
of Amsterdam was on the stand. He
said when he sought highway repair con-
tracts in 1911 a letter was given TO him
to Hassett by a building material man
named Jerry Mccarthy. He said Hassett
assured him he would aid him in getting
whatever repair work in Montgomery
County he liked. After Riley had been
referred to Reel and Division Engineer
Sturtevant. he said that Hassett asked
him about his financial condition. The
witness said he replied that ne had
enough to start with and that Hsssett
then agreed TO take up the matter with
Reel.
Didn't you have an uncanny kind of
feeling when he asked you that?" asked
Mr.. Osborne.
Bensel's Secretary Active.
Yes; l thought he was not satisfied
with my financial condition. didn't
know whether was right or wrong
When he saw Hassett again about the
proposed contract he said that the former
Bensel secretary told him there was moth
ing doing and turned and left him. APP
pealiRg to Reel, he was told that a
change in conditions had occurred"
He said that Reel told him that before
he could get the work he would have 10
lrave the Endorsement of ex-senator
Gardner. of Montgomery County. and
County Chairman Wempe Riley said he
did not get the work he was after then
but job was given him later through
Governor SuZer.
Van Writ, in response to repeated ques-
tions by Osborne, said he knew only a few
politicians. one Of these. he said, was
formerly a Democratic State committee
man and one-time chairman of the
Democratic State Committee
III this man should go TO somebody in
the Highway Department and say you
were all right, don't you think it would
help some?" Osborne persisted.
II never knew of his word being ques-
toned" was the reply.
Winfield s. Huppuch, Governor Dix's
partner. whom ne made an upstate Pub
lie Service commissioner, and whose home
is in Hudson Falls. Is former chairman
OF the Democratic State Committee
Alto THIEVES ADMIT Pl ut