The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-02-08
AGENCY CRY, Feb. I'd, 1872.

EDITORS COURIER: In the Iowa
State Press of January cath, John
T. Irish devotes two columns to q
wall because / AIN, member of the
Capitol Commission. l regret that
the boy weeps SO long over his defeat
for a member Of the Board of Re-
gents Of the State University; l fear
his long ill-humor will sour his hith-
erto genial temper. understand he
boohooed over the result at the time,
but suppose he had got his eyes dried
and his nose cleaned 80 that he
would not blubber over whenever he
heard my name mentioned, especially
as l had so very humble part in the
result. He intimates that he made
a contract with the republicans on
the State House bill. Now, John,
please tell US all about it, with whom
it was made, what was to be the con-
sideration, to whom was it TO be
paid, and whether it has been CON-
piled with or not2 Please give us
all tho particulars. He further in
sinuates that it would have been of
great interest to the citizens of John
son county to have had q member on
the Board. have no doubt of it,
especially if the member was the
same style of man that his hackers
in the Legislature we're. AS to tho
constitutionality of my election, l
will refer him to the action of the
18th General Assembly when one
John P. Irish was elected o member
of the Board Of Trustees of the State
University; but probably he pro.
poses to decline the honor when he
gets old enough, plead the baby act
to save him from the responsibility
OF having accepted and defer to the
opinion Of the Attorney General up
on the subject. As to all this blather
about my getting assigned to the
SUPPLEMENTARY, and the work cost.
ing more while had charge than
when Appleyard had, the boy pre-
tends to speak from the records, and
as there is no such record, nor any
particle of truth in his statement, l
suppose he ia only doing what such
blnbbering boys often do, VIZ: see
how bad mouths they can make and
how many, and hard names they can
call. l have no doubt but that he
will feel ashamed of it when he gets
older, and make amends by saying
be was mad and so crawfish out Of the
whole of it. His other grave charges
that l counselled the men not to obey
Appleyard that l urged the accept
ance of stone not in accordance with
the contract of o. II. p. Scott; that
after the work stopped there were
five cars Of cement received and
slowed on the ground; that granite
cutters have been brought here by
the Board with . promise of win.
ter's job, and finally that the work
stopped At my instance these char.
ges are all in keeping with Johns
general character, and there is moi
one particle OF truth in any Of them
Making these charges, therefore
places him iathsunenviable positios
ofbelng wilful, detiborats odd ma
licious falsifier, and, ia my opinion
he would stoop low enough 10 Islander
the mother who bore him, and ther
if an action would lie would bring
suit for damages for the disgrace b,
alleged she had brought upon tn,
family.
| With regard to the lock stone.
did work to get them accepted, ant
have been we'll satisfied with the re
suit, although the Superintendent
threw every obstacle in the way tha
he could, and went SO far % to rejec
Pinch stone which the contract ad
mitted for no other reason than tina
he did not want to use that size'
stone. My reasons for wanting t
get the Lock stone we're first, Is year
exposure in the lock proved the qua
ity to be good. Second, we coul
get them completely dressed 70
$3.50 per yard, which would max
them cheaper than any other stone
Third. We had been delayed wit
the work so late that if we shout
get stone in the rough sufficient t
complete the work We expected an
desired TO do it would be impossibI
to get stone cutters enough to dres
them. Fourth. The Executive Com
mittee were authorized to contrac
for stone to make with what Tuttl
and Robertson were furnishing a
least ten or twelve cars per day, an
| I. h r. were only furnishing abou
six cars per day. The cheapest re
liable offer we could get was $18 s.
per yard in the rough, dressed 81. Il
making $3.50, difference Of So Co.,
yard in favor OF the Lock stone.-
Now this saving of five or six thous
and dollars TO the State, getting ,
superior stone and all this in spite o
the determined opposition of the Su
perintendent must not be let pass
without . sneaking lnsinuaticn tina,
| must be interested in the contract
The capital that John or his Johnny
Bull can make out ofthat shall MOI
begrudge them.
| Now about the alterations in tn,
plans which Mr.. Clark recommend
ed. They were the original plan.
which we first adopted, and instruct
cd the architect to 80 draw them, but
he made the change. Clark favored
the original as being better in appear
ance, much more Convenient, and also ,
saving to tho State of over u hm,,dret
thousand dollars, and without which
saving the house cannot be bull
with the maximum expenditure
named in the law. Mullet and ever,
other person who examined the pian
concurred in this opinion, but Johi
says the house would be spoiled, an,
doubtless John knows more than in
experienced architects of the govern
ment at Washington who have spen
years in our large cities and among
our public buildings, and never con
suited our John. Let us humbly bow
and cry great is John.
| And now about the transcendent
ability Of the great Appleyard, fol-
which we should thank God wher