to
verify work paid for with that actually done. So severe was the strain
of this labour that in February he suffered a cerebral attack nearly
akin to paralysis.[1467] Of the character or purpose of his work no one
had any intimation, and guilty men who obsequiously complimented him
thought him weak and without the nerve to harm them. But on the 18th
of March (1875) he thrilled the State and chilled the Ring with a
special message to the Legislature, showing that for the five years
ending September 30, 1874, millions had been wasted because of
unnecessary repairs and corrupt contracts. Upon ten of these
fraudulent contracts the State, it appeared, had paid more than a
million and a half, while the proposals at contract prices called for
less than half a million. This result, he said in substance, was
brought about by a unique contrivance. The engineer designated the
quantity and kinds of work to be done, and when these estimates were
published by the commissioners, the favoured contractor, learning
through collusion what materials would actually be required, bid
absurdly low prices for some and unreasonably high rates for others.
After the contract was let, changes made in accordance with the
previous secret understanding required only the higher priced
materials. Thus the contractor secured the work without competition or
real public letting.[1468]

[Footnote 1467: Bigelow, _Life of Tilden_, Vol. 1, p. 285.]

[Footnote 1468: The Governor plainly illustrated this device. The
engineer having estimated the amount of work and materials, the
bidders added their prices.

A bid as follows:

100 cubic yards of vertical wall, at $3 $ 300.00
3,855 cubic yards of slope wall, at $1.50 5,782.50
2,400 feet B.M. white oak, at $50 120.00
60,000 feet B.M. hemlock, at $15 900.00
------------
Total estimate of A $ 7,102.50

B bid as follows:

100 cubic yards of vertical wall, at $6 $ 600.00
3,855 cubic yards of slope wall, at 30 cents 1,156.50
2,400 feet B.M. white oak, at $70 168.00
60,000 feet B.M. hemlock, at $3 180.00
------------
Total estimate of B $ 2,104.50

B was given the contract as the lowest bidder, after which the work
was changed as follows:

3,955 cubic yards of vertic