The Morning herald., 1876-08-26

Now there are several ways to regard
this charge, and any of them under the cir
cumstances bearing upon It would be hon.
orable. The party that the paper speaks of
as Offering to do 1t for cents is the inevi-
table Simmons turning up again. This is
the same, who under Republican rule, when
Mr.. Davies was out Of employment and
offered to do the work of curbing, &C., for
9 cents when he was getting IL and ID cents,
said he had control Of that work and that
Davies could not set 1t at any price. This
Mr.. Candy as Chairman Of the Street Com
mittee knew and upheld IN Simmons. If we
consider It in the usual course of natural
laws it is but the return of one gift for
another, and If the Democratic administra-
tion of the committee refused to give him
the work, they followed but in the footsteps
inn planted upon the municipal government.
by the virtuous committee under the Candy
rule. We are charitable enough, and so
was Mr.. McMenamin not to consider 1t IN
such q narrow party light as we are conf
dent the other party would have done under
such very aggravated circumstances.
SOME OF SIMMONS BIDS.
The bid of Simmons in the first place was
not seven cents, 1t was eight cents, and It
was not for new curb that he bid, it was for
resettine old curb, an entirely different
matter. Even then he was not as low .
bidder for the work as Mr.. Davis, who was
seven, cents and got the contract. n
Now the next time It would be well for
the reporter to get his Information correctly,
and not give one side of the story, and e.
I pccially from one who has the strongest
reasons for giving statements favorable 10
himself. The contracts are at the clerks
office and can be seen at any time. T.s-=..1
This we hope satisfies the people, that the
milk in tho Democratic cocoanut is not so
sour after all. This explodes the Offer to do
It for one third less as tbele was really no
such offer ever made to Council.
Tho reporter then says: "There is no need
| for estimating so farias the item of tagging
and gutteringis concerned. For this Davis
has been paid twelve cents per foot, while
promtnAnt contractor said he would have
done itfor seven cents per foot and made
money at It,"
IN the first place, 1t is the standing con-
tract price allowed by Council, that curbing
shall be done at IL cents per square foot. It
is the same that was allowed under Mr..
Pickels administration, only that he allow
| ed ID cents sometimes, where little block
ing up was to be done. Mr.. Candy, who
now comes to the front as reformer, al
lowed the same thing. Can 1t be reckless
expenditure of money that Mr.. McMenamin
paid the same price as had always been
paid? For It is not and cannot be shown
anywhere that Mr.. Davis has ever been paid
over the standard price allowed for such
work BY Council, IL cents per square foot.
] The same paper says prominent contract
or, stated that he would have performed the
work at seven cents foot and made money
by it. The place for him to have made the
offer was before Council In the shape of
bid, and not to reporters who have not the
disposal ofthe work.
Here again the reporter follows with
lmass of figures, to show as he states the
number of feet Of curbing that Mr.. Davis
has laid since September last, at IL cents
per foot, and none of it by contract, and as
in the instance before, states only the
amount for each month with no idea of the
itemized work performed.
THE PRICE OF cURB1NG.
This IL cents foot for curbing, the re-
porter is disposed to dwell upon good
deal, and we think that little light can be
thrown upon the subject, If it is too dark
for those who do not want to see, and we
will therefore speak something of curbing
and guttering The standing price as we
have before stated for curbing, is IL cents
DER square #. This is approved by Council,
known by every one, and 1t can nowhere be
shown that Mr.. Davis has transgressed the
rule. For fifteen years previous to Mr..
McMenamin taking charge of the Commit
tee, cutters paved with brick were always
allowed to be charged up as double mea-
sure, or one foot counted as two. Mr.
McMenamin thought It was unjust and cut
It down to single measure. We would fur.
ther state that when Mr.. McMenamin took
charge of the Street Committee there was Il
combination among the furnishers Of curb
stone to compel the property owners to pay
5215 cents per foot for the stone. This Mr..
MciMenamin broke up and now they only
!. pay 81 cents per foot.
The paper further states that the tota
amount expended during the three weeks
of the present month is greater than iol
many full months. II the amounts were
itemized the public would be enabled to see
. that the work done in that time has been o
more costly kind
The writer then says "It looks very much
!, as though desperate effort were being
made to keep on as large number of work
men as possible go near election" Thil
can be explained partly by the fact that
Mr.. McMenamin is striving to finish up al
much of the work as possible before the
time Of the present Council expires, and l.
the work Is to be done what Is the differ
ence if it is done in the time of the present
Council? Mr.. McMenamin may be employ
ing a large number of men. But
there are two reasons for doing
so, one of which we have named, and tht
other is to help the poor working classes as
much as possible. There is no work doing
ou the reservoir, and by the employment
that he can give them it helps numbers,
and both Democrats and Republicans arc
among them. The number making applica'
tion at the etiice of the Street Commissions
every Monday is estimated at between sia
and seven hundred. The wages that they
are allowed by Mr.. McMenamin are $l.5(
| ner day. the paY rolls of old councils do no.