, 1876-08-10
THE COURTHOUSE RING AGAIN,

THE COURTHOUSE RING AGAIN.
It ID now painfully ovidant that the con-
tractors Ring in the County Board are not
to 10 disulnycd by Tho expression Of public
opinion, but have determined to go ahcad
uutil thay aha!l be- compollod by the Courts
to abandon their schema Of plauder, or until
thcy shall have lined their pockets with the
peoples money. The Committees having the
stone contract in charge have voted to report
favorably on EDWIN Walkers bid, which las
been tho indication all along. Tho conditions
for furnishing tho stone were arranged, in
the first plnce, so that it waa supposed no.
body but WA1KEn could comply with them.
First, it Was decided that only limestone
would be accepted, thus practically limiting
competition 10 tho Cook County and noigh.
borhood qunzrieg. This shut out responsible
bidders who offered sandstone (probabay
superior to any limestone that will bo fur
nlshed for tho Court uouse) Mt several
hundred thousand dol1ars loss than tho
limestone bids. Next, 1t was informally
decided TINT the contract should be let
only to one bidder for the entire work
Of cutting rs well as furnishing the stone,
that tho stone should oil bo taken from one
quarry (though all tho limestone is alike in
the various adjoining quarries), and that the
bidder should give tho county mortgage
On his quarry. These were the conditions
suggested in m article In thu Chicago Times,
and accepted by tho County Hing, in the in
terest Of WALKEn. It vas thought, as We
have intimated, that ha would ho the only
one prepared To comply with them. In this
tie Ring wore mistaken. Though several
le~er bidders were not in position to conf
ply With thess arbitrary conditions, ono firm,
Whole aid waa $1oo, 600 less than WALKERs,
wero ahls and willing to accept tie terms.
Thus the County ring Was forced to show
its haua. It Promptly voted down the lower
hid, md resolved to fayor WA1KKn's. Tho
vote on the latter Was ~ follows:
For 1gdlktr-carroll, C!tasy, Comfy, Mcca1rcy,
dgaiHst lfalktr-0 0ueu.hcr. Schmidt, a.d Lon.
| crga1.
Mr. LosEnoAN, it seens, whose friends
have always claimed that le had 10 corrupt
purpose In any vote which LIE na7 have dur
ing his term given with the maioities, voted
in tho minority; but his loss xas made up
| by the accession Of CLE1nY, orc Of the now
'nombers, who, whilo protecting TINT he
would like to know OF the Ring II thero was
one, did not wait to find out but voted with
tho Ring Immediately, al ht has seemed In.
clinod to do over siuce ha tntered the Dnard.
Mr.. DuaD1cK, ono of tie honest members
Of the Board, though MT member of this
Committee, denounced the actiot publicly
| ns part Of big steal and explained that II
really meant nut the neft of $1oo,o 600 alone,
hut Of 3397. 900, Or tlrco tinlus that amount.
Thu $1t3, 900 ip snsrsly tia difference be-
twosn thp bid # WoLr, Pa1oe l. KEnpEn aud
EDWIN WALtEa for this pArtienlnr lot Of
stone and york, Which ia not mars than on+.
third Of na antire stoua work TINT will bo
required hcfora tha building shall bu cosnplst-
ID. Ar. GuEarnrn, who likewise denounced
ths,ob as m unn,ltigntal outrage and down
right robbery, estimated thut the public
1ould be swindled out Of at least $500, ,Oo0
by tho operation, since WAIKEns bid il In
such terua MI to aaord abundant opportuui.
tios for "extras." How successfully this
item MAY DO swollsu IL illustrated by tho bill
Of "o1tras" " brought III by lIAaMs, tha 1sinp
contractor for tho foundation, which tloes
not fall far short o. his contract prcc, tht
eontraot calling for soma $S7, 7,0U0, white III.
bill for " oxtras" IL s70,o0O, II tha Count,
Hoard agroet therefore, to ray WALKRn scn,t
$327 900 marc than anntAer firm offered Il
take tho wark for nuder tho sa1l,u conditions
1t In nut unreasonable to ass,ln,s that tn,
difference will bn increased to ut lesst ho,f ,
million before th* job stall bs finished; bu
this will represent only about ono-half WIN
ID expectea will bs stolen Messrs. scunln:
End LoSEnoAN showed by their yotes tim
they wero Inclined to believe I'll that WI
cponly charged by Messra. Dunp1cE an
GuEH7uxn. Indeed, TIM Ring n,sntara d,
not stop to explain or defend themselYe:
but v'sed the Job through brazen!y,
II thu County Hcard approves tho actlo
ot tho Comm1ttea In THU natter, AZ tn
strength Of tha Hing threatens, then i,pmt
tllats ataI's should be taken tn sua uut au il.
jun:tion against thr ccnsunsmutlon Ut th
Hwiuala. Ths evidence OF fraud il so rlnu
that the coutsaet will ba ann,,l!ed III Il.
sai.la why u i sscei.. centyact made by th
lloarl Of Hsalth was aunulled. 1t ia
shameful statn Ut things that the pcopls c
Chicago aud Cook County must staud quie.l
BY and s4e hundreds of thcus.uds Of dulla,
Of their monsy votHd away by men, some q
whom ars actually under Indictment for rot
bing this county in other matters. but th
public caunot change IL. character of tn
Bosrd tilt tho next election, WHOM five no
melnhers are 10 BE- chosen In tbs inca,
tune, the assistance Of the Courts 1uust /