Evening star., 1926-05-01

about one third and that what hard :
ware 1t supplies to the District is
| furnished under contract passed on
by a committee. He said he does not
know who constitutes that commit
tee. He receives his pro rata of
| dividendS-about one third.
Does the fact that you are such
a large stockholder in that corpora :
ton influence the volume of what
that concerns sells 10 the District
under contract" Mr.. Gilbert asked
The Commissioner replied that it is
all done by competitive bids. He then
was asked if he is a large stock
holder in any other corporation do
ing business with the city. He said
he was not.
DO you feel that corporations
| competing with the Rudolph & West
| Co. have the same opportunity to get
| Commissioner and such a large
stockholder in the Rudolph & West
| Coz" he was asked by Mr. Gilbert
! Commissioner Rudolph replied that
he thinks other large corporations in
the hardware business get their full
share Of the District business.
| ASheu OI UFdndn contracts.
He was asked then by Mr.. Gilbert
about Edward c. Graham, president
of the Washington school board, and
to what extent Mr.. Graham's corpo-
| ration gets contracts for school sup
plies. He said he did not know. Mr..
Gilbert then asked: LAS District Com
| missioner, have you. ever thought that
you ought to look into it?"
! Mr.. Gilbert next asked Mr. Rn.
dolph about his acquaintance with
| Samuel j. Prescott, a contractor and
builder. chairman of the Republican
State committee. Mr.. Rudolph said
that he thinks Mr.. Prescott has no
contract with the District.
The witness was then asked con-
cerning Edward f. Colladay, Repub-
| lican national committeeman for the
| District. He said he lis q director of
the Second National Bank. Mr.. Pres
colt is interested in that bank. Re-
plying to questions, Mr.. Rudolph said
| that he may be on one of the COM
mittees under the Republican central
committee. but he does not hold any
office in the Republican organization.
| Mr.. Gilbert then asked If he is IA
miliar with section 32 of the compiled
statutes. which he read, as follows:
| "All contracts made by the Com
1 IIllSSlOnGTS tUOdTu OL puDllC WOThSb
| in which any member Of the board
shall be personally interested, shall
be void and no payment shall be made
| thereon by the District or any officer
thereof. P. 202, chapter XIX, the
| compiled statutes In force in the Dis
trict of Columbia"
Cites COunsePs Decision.
Mr.. Gilbert asked if, in his opinion,
he was indirectly violating that stat
ute when the corporation in which he
| has a one-third interest has such
| large contracts with the city. Mr..
Rudolph replied that he had an opin-
| ion from the corporation counsel,
| Francis H. Stevens, to the effect that
he was not violating this statute
Then. you had a doubt in your
mind?" questioned Mr.. Gilbert Com
missioner Rudolph replied that he
wanted to be sure of. his ground.
Mr.. Gilbert questioned to what ex-
tent the Rudolph & West Co. had
contracts with the District while Mr..
Rudolph has been Commissioner, but
the latter was unable to give any def
mite information. He testified that
this concern has been paying a 20 per
cent dividend for the last four or five
/ years.
Mr. Gilbert then questioned Mr..
Rudolph regarding the fact that Chief
Justice Mccoy. as one of the justices
| of the Supreme Court, appoints the
school board and has appointed Mr..
| Graham, and that Justice Mccoy and
Mr.. Fenning are very intimate
Says Complaint Is Made.
State whether or not it is difficult
| for any outsider to break into this
array of friends that seems to hold
so much power" said Mr.. Gilbert.
! Then. when Mr.. Rudolph gave no re.
ply that fitted in with this contention,
Mr. Gilbert asked, 'Don't' you, know
| that it is being a matter of COM
| plaint that with you and the other
! gentlemen whom I have mentioned.
| all intimate friends, holding the key
position. it is difficult for others to get
| contracts?" Mr.. Rudolph replied that
| other concerns can get contracts "if
| the goods are all right and the price
| is all right"
He admitted that the Commissioners
appoint their subordinates and that
these subordinates let the contracts,
| but that he doesn't think such sub
ordinates are Influenced. He express
| ed the opinion that the hardware firm
of Barber & Ross gets about as much
business as the Rudolph & West Co.
He again reiterated that he holds no
stock in other corporations that are
| contractors for city business.
Mr.. Rudolph, in answer to Mr.. Blan-
toms questions, said he has an income
| of about $4,000 a year from the Ru'
| dolph & West Co. You realize as
! Commissioner and as a business man
| that IL a suit was pending against
| the Rudolph & West corporation you d
be disqualified from serving as a. jury
MANI" questioned Mr.. BlanNon.
| Mr.. Rudolph next was interrogated
by Mr.. Blanron regarding his hold
ings Of stock in the Second National
Bank. He said he has 500 shares and
| admitted that it is practically impos-
sible to buy any stock in that bank