The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1857-04-02
9oljtjcal
Speech Of Hon. R. P. Buckland.
ON THE CANAL CONTRACTS.
Delivered IN the Senate of Ohio, FEB.
26h, 1857.
(CJpcWdcd)

Of the letting for said repairs, with the
plans and specifications Of said repairs
and the manner Of doing the same" I
contend, sir, that this law was not com
piled with in any respect Tn the first
place, fifty days notice of the time and
place Of letting was entirely too short,
considering the magnitude and extent
Of the public works It did not give
sufficient opportunity for those wishing
to bid to make the necessary ezamina-
tions and arrangements for bidding.
"Ihe plans and specifications of said
repairs, and the manner of doing the
same, required to be published with the
time and place of letting, were not pub
lishod at ALL if have correct idea of
what the law contemplated by this re-
quirement. 1t is true, that on the Both
day Of October, only fifteen days before
the letting, what are called "speciGca-
cations for repairs, were published, but
they are very indefinite and uncertain.
They give very little idea Of the kind
OF quantity of the work to be perform
ed, and l cannot see that any attempt
was made, even at that late day, to give
any 'plans Of the repairs or the manner
Of doing the same" The law contem-
plated that the notice should indicate.
with some degree of certainty, the ma
ture and extent, or amount of the re-
pairs, and the manner of doing the same;
and that the notice should be published
in time to enable bidders to examine the
work before the letting. What oppor.
tunity did this give to examine about SOC
miles Of canal, and ascertain the nature
and amount Of repairs to be done? ]
say next to none at all.
But, the specifications and notice were
entirely sufficient for the plans concoct.
ed by Hamlin, for the benefit of himself
the engineers, and favoritcs Of the Dem.
ocratlc members Of the Board.
The law also requires the contracts tc
be let "to the lowest responsible bidder
This provision Of the law was totally
disregarded. IT is claimed that the
word responsible means. not only a
pecuniary ability to answer for any
breach of the contract, but. also, capac
ity and fitness for performing the work
which, in my opinion, is a far-fetched
and unwarrantable construction. can
find no instance where such a meaning
is given to the word irresponsible. -
The responsibility for the performance
Of an act, and the capacity Of skill nee
essary to perform the act, are entirely
different and distinct things. When the
Legislature intends to require skill as
well as responsibility, some other word,
such as competent or skillful, is used
in connexion with the word responsible
But, did the Board let the work to the
lowest responsible bidders, competent to
perform the work? They did not. No
regard, whatever, was paid, either to
the responsibility or capacity or the
bidders. On every section, the lowest
bidders were men experienced in such
work, and fully competent to its per-
formance. They were just as response
bic, in every respect, as those to whom
the contracts were let on higher bids.
Take Cooper Shadinger & Co. They
were old contractors, well known to ev-
cry member of the Board Mr.. Bachus
the engineer, Cooper and Hamlin, all
swear that they and their securities,
were worth, at least, million of dollars
Their capability as well as responsible
ty, were beyond all controversy. Their
bid for section No. Z, was S8l 600 per
annum. Yet the Board did not give the
contract to them, but let it to FOrrer,
Burt d Co. at Sll8,O0O, making a diff,
ference of $4,000 a year, and of 1885,,
600 for the five years. The difference
alone makes quite a handsome profit
Mr.. Cooper was appoasod by being let
into this contract at the higher bid,
with a one-sixth interest; by which he
not only receives one-siXth of the prof
it he would have made at the bid of
S6l 600, but also of the advanced price;
his share of the advanced price for
five years, amounting to S3O,83 33. 1t
is easy to be seen that Cooper loses moth
ing by the change; but the State is de-
frauded out of Sl85,00 by a total dis
regard Of the law, both in the letter and
in the spirit. 1t must be perfectly ap-
parent to every Senator, that these con
tracts were all obtained by a fraudulent
combination, in which several Of the en-
ginocrs in the employ of the State, par
ticipated, and at which there is strong
evidence, that some Of the members
Of the Board connived, Several engin-
GERS were interested in the bids, and
sold out their interests, some before,
and some after the contracts were finally
awarded The firm, ofwhich Mr.. Bach
us was a member bid $4,000 per an
mum for section 6, and were bought off
by Samuel NJ Young & Co. for $4,000
per annum. BY this transaction, the
State was defrauded out of S35, 800
Two Engineers, Foster and Siford, were
interested in the contract for section 2,
and sold out their interest, one for
S4, 900, and the other for $4, 500 Ham
lin, who had been acting as counsel for
the Board from the beginning of the
project, or rather for the Democratic
portion of it, and who, as such counsel,
was employed to examine the law, and
get up the notice, specifications, &C.. af-
ter selling out his interest in one con
tract for 8l 900, and in another for "a,
600, turns up the owner Of one-half Of
the Sll8,OOO contract the largest Of ALL
And on this fact, Mr., President hangs
a tale, which would be very interesting,