Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-11
THE CITY COUNCIL.

bune.
The adjourned meeting OF the city council
was held last evening with President Walsh
in the chair.
After roll call the city clerk read the fol.
lowing communication from the mayor rela-
tive to
OFFICIAL PRINTING.
To the Honorable City Council Of the City Of
Minnea polls:
GErrLEMBy-I returned to your honorable
BODY some time ago the notification Of the
city clerk that you had made the Tribune
lis lis 0m and bad PapSf Instructed n"p the
proper officers to execute the contract; and l
also called your attention to the siiedged fact
that the Tribune had deceived your committee
as 10 it's circulation, ct the same time asking
that you give the matter an investigation.
zee by your proceedings that my communica-
ton was referred tn the COMMITTEES on priut
ing. / trust the question raised has received
the attention asked for at your hands. =.
Since your last meeting contract. signed
by the Tribune printing company, has been
handed me, but have declined To sign it for
two important reasons, VIZ:
First-because I consider the matter as still
in the hands of th- city council.
Secopd-Becsuse the contract, rotwlth-
standing it has been approved by the city
attorney, is not In accordance With the bid of
the Tribune upon which the contract Was
awarded. The Tribune in its bid offered to
print the council proceedings and all sdvertis-
ing In BREWER type. This was accepted by
your honorable body and thereupon You de-
clared ths Tribune the official pap-r and
authorized the proper officers TO execute the
contract. / never saw nor was l consulted
about the proposed contract until 1t was
handed 10 me, signed by the Tribune. / find
CUENINGLY INTERVIEWER
into the proviso OF this instrument clause
about printing in noupariel and miuiou type
at twenty and half and thirty cents per inch
This is not what the council authorized the
proper officers to make a contract for. I
might as well substitute wooden beams for
iron Orders in some contract which the coun.
Gil night eek TO he executed.
1t ls il just such loosely and cunningly
drawn contracts as tue one in question that
the
"rHIEvrNG CLAUSES"
are most numerous. In dealing
with those whose honesty has been
q question for judicial investigation
and who have amassed fortunes by handling
other peoples money, when the owners be-
came proportionately poorer as the handlers
became richer, think too many safeguards
cannot be thrown around the ciy's treasury.
The contract under consideration should
provide against display heads, Trading, bas-
lard type and printing in supplement-; and
should provide for printing the council pro-
ceedipgs the day following the date the copy
Is furnished, and not at the convenience of the
publishers. Very respectfully, Your obedient
servant, A. A. AMEs, Mayor.
SPIRITED DEBATE
The matter induced spirited discussion.
Aid. Glenn thought the question out OF order
until some report on the previous communi-
cation Of the mayor upon the subject, and
which was still before the committee on print
ing, had been made.
Aid. Pillsbury moved to refer to the city At
torney for his opinion, he to report at once.
Aid. Glenn moved to amend, referring the
whole to the committee on printing. The
amendment was lost.
Aid. Watt then called for the
reading OF the contract. The city attorney
read the contract, prefacing the reading with
the statement that it was at his advice that
the original terms OF the contract had been
changed, and that he alone was liable to cen-
sure.
The city attorney then explained the circum-
stances OF the drawing CT the contract.
The HITCH
The hitch HINGED upon the fact that in the
bid OF the Tribune no type other than brewer
was mentioned, and the contract mentions
three sizes OF typo at three different rates,
when there was but one rate mentioned In the
bid.
Aid. Glenn, al the conclusion Of the reading,
stated that he did not wonder at the mayors
declining TO sign the contract. The fact was
self-evident that the city attorney and the
Tribune had doctorfd up the contract to suit
the interests OF the Tribune. He cared rot
cent which paper IS made the official paper.
He should want TO award it to
DEMOCRATIC PAPER,
had be the choice, but in the want
OF Democratic paper he had no choice
He only wished to have the contract drawn IN
the interests OF the city, and so as to exciude
all possible steaia
Aid. Watt arose TO correct the ciiygattol ney
in his statement that he had given tie com.
mittee certain Instructions, but az G member
OF that committee he knew that the committee
had received no snch advice.
AN ADMISSION.
Aid. Grethen did not propose to inquire into
the business of the two papers. he asserted
that the representatives OF the Journal had
admitted TO him that the bid OF the Tribune
was the lowest, and it Was from that fact he
favored awarding the contract to that paper.
ferred TO the city attorney for further explaus-
ton.
THE MAJOR
upon being requested, stat d that if the coun
ell refers any matter to HIM for his signature,
that signature should be withheld unless the
matter In question was drawn 10 the letter and
spirit of the city council.
The city attorney then made report from
manuscripts
PREVIOUSLY PREPARED
in anticipation of the discussion and the refer
ence which had occurred. He gave il as
his opinion that whether the con
tract was signed by the mayor
or not the T'ribuns was still
the official paper, and could collect accor ling
to the unsigned contract.
WILLING TO SIGN.
The mayor then explained that he was per-
fectly willing to sign any contract ordered by
the city council.
Aid. Grethen moved that the contract as
read be accepted and that the proper officers
be instructed to execute the same
Aid. Glenn arose to his feet on point of
order. The city attorney had decided that the
Tribune was already the city paper If that were
true, then the passage OF the motion before
the council Was out of order.
Upon vote being taken the motion of Aid.
Grethen was passed.
EQUALIZATION.
Upon the motion OF Aid. Pillsbury the re-
port OF the city board of equalization was
read.
After reading AID. Andrews offered a reso-
luton confirming the report OF the board aud
the resolution was adopted by the council.
MISCELLANEOUS.