New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-11
THE j ErFERsoN o1TY CONTRACTS

The Jefferson City Register gives the fol-
lowing graphic account Of the recent &C.
currences in Jefferson City, which led to
the prompt action of Governor Warmoth
and the issue of an Injunction by the Dis
trict Court:
CoUP D'ETAT-G Governor Wa,naoth Cap
tures the Contracts to Shell the Streets OF the
City of Jefferson. 1t is not as well known
to the public, probably, as it is to us, that
Governor WarmOth has opposed the giving
out of contracts in the City of Jefferson TO
improve the streets. He has used his per
sonal influence to prevent the work from
being done, not on the ground that it ought
not to be done, but on the higher ground
that it ought not to be done at the extrava.
CANT rates which he supposed the Common
Council would allow. He entreated the
authorities not to enter into extravagant
and selfish schemes, as he was IN measure
responsible for their conduct. We state
this of our own personal knowledge. 1t Is
but an act of justice to state this much In
vindiCation Of the Governor before we enter
upon the facts of the measures which ne
further took to prevent the completion OF
the contracts.
It will be remembered that an advertise
ment appeared in our paper on Saturday,
calling for sealed proposals to do certain
works, said proposals. to be handed to the
Council before ten A. NJ, Monday, the sew
enth of March. At and before the hour
above mentioned quite crowd of con-
tractors collected about the City Han and
handed in their proposals. The Controller
was all business, flying about and buzzing
like bee in tar barrel. He proposed to
do the fair thing by everybody and made
promises as fast as he could talk. All he
asked was patience. The world was not
made in day. and he did not propose to DO
things any faster than the first contractor
had done them. AS matter or course
every impatient cuss about the establish
ment said he had more patience than Job.
White lies.
About the time the hammer of the town
CLOCK ought to have struck ten, the Con-
troller felt his belly, and said he had to step
out. Only minute or two, said the Con-
troller, aud the thing will be concluded:
The intermission was granted, and the crowd
turned itself into great bee hive, working
| in and out, and buzzing propositions thicker
| than motions in country debating society.
Time slipped away, and the two minutes
grew into ten, fifteen, twenty, and still the
Controller did not come back. 1t was'a
horrible time. A tableaux in Lucretla Bor-
gia (burlesGue), where the amiabe murder
ess tells the jewellers that they have swal-
lowed "pisen," is the only appalling scene
does. All the proposals had $500 in them.
Suppose the officer had grabbed the pile
and taken q contract to keep the money?
A thousand absurd suppositions were started
and a hundred people kept them going.
There was but one fact in the crowd, and
that was that all hands had been sold and
paid for with their own money.
At last it was ascertained that the Cover
| nor had sent for the Controller and required
| him to bring the contracts to the executive
department. This was clincher. The
| Governor had the contracts and he had the
| money. The latter was safe, at least, what
ever might befall the former. 1t was great
relief
| All day the movement of the Governor
was the source CT town talk. He was ap'
plauded and he was cursed from one end OF
the city to the other. A great many people,
VINO though, just as the Governor did, that
the contracts were to be given out at e1-
travagant rates, approved the move
ment to defeat them; but an
other crowd applauded because they
were not benefciaries and because Republi-
ple did not seem to take much interest ir
the matter, for they wanted the improve
ments but they did not think the contrac
tors intended to make them.
! The Governor held the contracts unit
Tuesday and then returned them to the
Controller He had defeated the movemen
and that was ell he desired to do. Afte
what he had done nothing that the Council
might do in the matter would have beel
binding on the city. The deposits are nov
in the Controllers Office, or they have beel
paid over to the proper parties. AND g.
ended the scheme, and SO ends our story.