The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-10-07
MR.. NELLIS' CARD,

| we puDllsll III anOlueT place MI NclIls
defense of himself, which appeared IN yes
terday evenings News. We give ii in full
in order that our readers may see what
kind of defense he is able to make, and
that we are fair in our reply to it. 1t is,
and has been, from the beginning Of this
discussion, entirely foreign to our purpose
to do Mr.. Nelhs even the slightest injustice,
and we entertain not the least personal i'll
will toward him We have been prompted
in that we have said concerning him by
what we believed to be proper interest in
the affairs of our city, and have studiously
Avoided to say anything that we did not be-
lieve to be in strict accord with the facts in
the case under consideration. When Mr..
Nellis accuses US of meddling in his private
affairs be shows that he is laboring under
misconception, for We hold that contract
with the peoples representatives is a con-
tract with the people, the fulfllment or
non.fulfllment of which affects the public
good either for better or worse, and can
therefore not be considered in the light OF
private" affair Hence the people, not
those more directly interested, but the peo-
pie of Cairo who comprise one party to the
contract to which Mr. Nellis is the other,
have right 10, and do, hold him personal
ly responsible for the faithful discharge of
every obligation he has incurred by signing
the contract, and another more careful
reading Of the opinions of those who are
directly injured by his failure to meet the
requirements Of his contract with the city,
will not tail to satisfy him that with the
exception of one, they DO blame him for the
present condition of their street. Mr.. Nellis
does Us gross injustice when he terms our
just complaints an "electioneering dodge
In all our writings about him we have
scrupuously refrained from referring 10
him in any other way than as a party to
contract with the peOple of Cairo, and
have never allowed ourselves to even in
sinuate,that his political position in this
county made him any more culpable for
any wrong that he might commit than he
| would be as a private individual. II is
true that we did intimate, some time ago,
that his candldature upon the Republican
county ticket might perhaps interfere some
| what with the fulfllment of his contract,
and he is no doubt able TO say now whether
| our intimation was reasonable or not. But
this is about the only argument that Mr..
Nelis could make, and we could not posi-
bly, avoid giving him some ground for that
We do not think that we should
have regarded bis apparently will
full violation Of his contract with
profound silence because, per chance.
he happened to be a candidate for Office on
the Republican ticket and it seems to US
that his attempt to throw the discussion
out Of its proper channel into political
rut betrays the weakness OF his cause.
But suppose Mr.. Nellis were right. Sup
pose that we had in our publications con-
corning him, been actuated solely by de-
sire 10 furnish material for campaign
capital to be used in lessenlng his chances
OF success at the polls, why should that
serve as an apology for hm'
| Is the weight Of the blame thst rests upon
HIM through his neglect, any the less, be-
cause our motives IN publishing the facts
might have been of a partisan charactcr2
Certainly not. M Nellis says that he de-
liyercd 200 yards OF gravel here, four
times as much as is necessary to repair
Eighth street. Well, suppose he did.
That is only about onc-fifth of what his
contract calls for, and TO say that the street
committee might have placed what he
brought on Eighth street instead Of else
where is irrelevant. 1t is Mr.. Nelis part
to furnish the gravel and it is the street
committees privilege to use it as and where
they please 50 long as they comply with
the orders Of the council. We cannot see
by what process Of reasoning Mr.. Nellis
can justify HIS own neglect by reference
TO the "stonc contractors" failure to meet
the requirements Of HIS contract.
We are unable to understand what con.
nection Mr.. Nelis' contract with the city
had with that of the stone-contractor.
II we understand it rightly (and we know
we do), it was Mr.. Nellis' business to at
tend to HIS business, as he had agreed to
do over his own signature, regardless OF
what Others did or failed to do. Had he
done this, the street committee could easily
have obtained the necessary rock from
Jonesboro, from whence a carload OF good
rock arrived here yesterday, to be used for
curbing on Sixth street; and furthermore,
It would not have been compelled to send
to Island No. for gravel of mean order,
NaN