while I see by the contract between the Exposition Company and the Chicago House Wrecking Company, which is of record in office of recorder of deeds, city of St. Louis, in book 1811, page 195 and following pages, that the bid of the Chicago House Wrecking Company was accompanied by a check for $100,000, which amount represented less than 25 per cent of the amount of their bid, viz, $450,000. The specifications further stipulate that "A contract will be written by the Exposition Company for the faithful performance of this work, and upon the signing of same by the parties thereto, the full amount of said contract, less the amount of the certified check held and to be appropriated by the exposition Company, must be paid to the said Exposition Company by the contractor," while the contract between the Chicago House Wrecking Company and the Exposition Company, which is of record, provides that the Chicago House Wrecking Company shall execute and deliver to the said Exposition Company at the time the contract is signed four promissory notes three for $100,000 each, and one for $50,000, making a total, all told including the certified check, of $450,000, and allows them six months in which to make the payments. The specifications further required-- That a surety company's bond for an amount equal to the amount of contract must also be given to the Exposition Company by the said contractor to protect the said Exposition Company from loss during the execution of the work and for faithful performance contract-- while the contract referred to shows that the Chicago House Wrecking Company furnished a bond in the small sum of $40,000, or less than one-tenth the amount required by the specifications. From the above it is my belief that the Chicago House Wrecking Company was shown favoritism and that they were favored from the beginning of the deal. I was never furnished a full list of the property to be disposed of by the Exposition Company. I personally requested a list two or three times, as did Mr. Dunphy, but we were unable to get one. Had I been furnished a list of the property that I learn has since been turned over to the Chicago House Wrecking Company under their contract I would have gladly bid $800,000, and would have made a very handsome profit on the deal at that price. I consider the value of all the property turned over to the Chicago House Wrecking Company on November 30 was more than $1,000,000. I consider the manner in which the bids were handled was very irregular and not the usual custom in that the bids were opened in secret and not in the presence of the bidders, as requested by a majority of the bidders present, but as requested by Mr. Abraham Harris, who represented the Chicago House Wrecking Company. This is not the customary procedure when bids are called for by the city or the Government.