Year: 1874

Charities and Correction are now being IN
vestigated by the Grand Jury, and as the
secrecy usually attending such inquiries seems
to be removed we are furnished daily with
the names of witnesses and the bearing OF
the evidence they have given. We find that
MIR. Howe, the Commissioner Of Accounts,
who in his official examination of the depart
ment discovered fraud and illegality IN Its
management, was summoned before the Grand
Jury and swore to the truthtulness and cor
rectness of his report; that General Bowen,
the Commissioner of Charities and Correction
who refused to sign the reply of his associates
to Mr.. Howes exposition, has been q wit
ness. and that the Mayors son, who
sells tea to the department, and the
butter, have been examined. We are
also informed that Commissioners Lambeer
and Stern, who stand officially charged with
malfeasance in Office, with wllful violations of
law, with attempts to cover up and conceal
their offences by means Of altered invoices and
false entries in the books of the department,
and with allowing the city to be defrauded by
exorbitant charges, have applied for perm;s-
sion to give their testimony on their own
behalf. We have no means of knowing how
accurate these statements are in detail; but, as
they are given with much particularly and
are not denied, we accept the main points as
correct.


The duty of the Grand Jury in this matter
appears to be very simple, and it is not sur
prising that the extended examination they
are making should be looked upon with
some degree of suspicion. Six months
ago the HERALD commenced the expos
ure of the corruptons of the Depart
compelled first partial investigation by
former grand jury, and next the movement
of the Board of Aldermen which led to the
official examination made by the Commission
ers of Accounts. We showed the character Of
the transactions in dry goods between Com :
missioner Stern and his relative, Louis Stern
bach, by which the city was made to pay
about thirty-three per cent more than the
market price for the articles purchased Of the
latter person. These transactions were pre-
sented by grand jury as irregular, and
tending directly to corruption but the facts
that the dry goods in question had been pur-
chased in violation of law, and that the entries
and invoices had been fraudulently altered for
the purpose of concealing the offence, were not
then known; hence no indictment was found.
The present Grand Jury have before them
proof that the dry goods, -four and other sup
plies used by the department have been pur-
chased by Commissioners Stern and Laimbeer
in amounts prohibited by the charter; that
false bills have been rendered and false entries
made in the books of the department, with the
object of concealing the violations Of the law.
They have evidence that the prices paid for
dry goods to Sternbach by the city were ex-
cessive and that Sternbach, purporting to buy
for the California trade, received the goods on
the sidewalk only to cart them off to the de-
partment making out his own bills to the city
for the same articles at increased prices. In
one case they have the proof that Sternbach's
original invoice to the city for single pur-
chase of over two thousand dollars, made on
July 81, was afterward replaced by three
false bills dated July 80, July 81, and
August l, and that the original entry
of the transaction was subsequently erased
and false entry made to correspond with the
altered bills. If the Grand Jury desire evil
dence in regard to the -four purchases they
will be able to discover that samples Of the
-four have been examined by competent per-
sons and pronounced to be worth from two to
three dollars less than the price paid by the
Commissioners. With these facts before them
it is clearly the duty of the Grand Jury to
indict the Commissioners, for the violations of
law are clearly established, while the damage
to the public interest is self-evident The
defence of the accused Commissioners, if they
have any to make, should be offered in court
Of Justice and not in a grand jury room.


There is reason to believe, however, that
the corruption of the department under in
vestigation reaches deeper than the present
disclosures indicate The population under the.
charge of the Commissioners is represented as
nearly ten thousand. 1t is asserted that this
is a gross misstatement, and that the census,
honestly taken, will not show population of
more than eight thousand at the outside.
This number will include infants, children
under ten years of age, invalids in hospital
and others who cannot consume full rations,
as we'll as the employees of the department,


who are not supposed to be supported at the


city's expense in addition to their salaries.


Yet the consumption of beef and flour in the


department is sufficient to feed an army of


twelve thousand men on full rations In the


face of these charges it cannot be believed


that on honest grand jury will fail to find an


ers.


The DEMOCRATIC PRESS is little too fast in


claiming votes for William Dorsheimer on the


ground that he is ''of foreign parentage"


His father, the late Philip Dorsheimer, was