The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-07
EXPOSING SOME ABUSES.
Attorney Woollen Thinks the County
Has Been Repeatedly Gouged,
And Let's Forth the Manner of the Same in
Lengthy Communication to the
Board of Commissioners.

at the opening session of the August term OF
the county commissioners board, yesterday
morning, President Smith and County Attorney
Woollen touched off a blast. the report of which
shook at least portion of the lower floor of the
courthouse. Or late charges have been made
that certain contractors had been enabled to
obtain access to the commissioners papers by
having them placed in drawers having no locks,
and from which they could very readily he alb
stracted; that they then resOrted to the steam
ing process of opening the envelopes containing
the bids of Others, thereby putting them in pos
session of facts enabling them to uuderbid these
and obtain contracts. Captain Fisher recently
charged, in an affidavit, that he had been COM
PEELED to pay $50 before he could get a correct
estimate of his work ana there were many other
similar rumors OF fragrant abuses. Mr.. John
Pfaff was quite indignant upon learning how
easy it was for these abuses to exist, and imme-
diately took steps to remedy the evil, soon as
possible, by having locks placed upon the draw
ers. The correspondence between President
Smith and Attorney Woollen is as follows:
To the Board of Commissioners of Marion County,
Indiana:
Gentlemen-From yonr president l received
letter, copy of which is as follows:
"MALorr PARK, July 80, 1888.
'Mr. woollen:
"Will you make an examination in reference
TO the reports that are In circulation In REFER
ence to the civil engineering and bridge work
that has been done for this county, and at the
earliest day possible report TO the board of com
missioners the result OF your investigation, and
after an examination of the law make any sug-
Eestions that you may have offer as TO how
these abuses may be avoided Truly yours,
have done what could in making exam
iuation of the matters mentioned in said letter
and inverting the order of the request, submit
The revised statues of 1881, section 5,747, pro
vides that you "shali sit with open doors" Sec
tiOn 5 ,765 provides that the "Auditor of each
county of the State shall be required to publish
in a newspaper of the largest circulation in this
county, a statement showing all allowances
made by the county commissioners at each term
of their court, to whom all allowances are
made and for what purpose: provided that the
printing thereof shall not exceed cents for
each allowance"
You aud are but the servants of the people
and are here to protect their interests They
have a right TO know what we are dong. To
this end every opportunity should be afforded
to keep the people advised of what is being
done They in turn will cordially help TO keep
the affairs of the county in good shape. 1t is to
their interest to do so.
May 80 1888, the Supreme Court of this State
In the case of the Board of Commissioners of
Madison county vs.. James r. Brown, decided
that any structure. though simple and print
tive, made of wood, stone, brick or iron over a
river. pond, lake or valley, ia a bridge within
the meaning of the law, and that the county
commissioners have control of all the bridges III
the county and are bound to keep them in re-
pair.
Then, it is readily to be seen that the matter
OF erecting and maintaining the bridges for this
county must be one of much Importance to the
taxpayers of the county.
At the regular session, 1872. of the General
Assembly of this State 1t was enacted chat it
shall not be lawful for any board of county COM
mtssioners In this State to make any contract
for the construction Of any court-house, Jail or
other county or township building, bridge,
fence or monument, until plan and specitica-
tons have been adopted by such board and such
plan and specifications have been deposited in
Office IA ia
inspection of the people of such county" and
also that said board shall not contract for
let the building of the same until they have adj
vertised such letting and requested bids for the
same for at least six weeks in at least one news
paper of general circulation in said county, and
by posting up notices OF such bidding, with the
time, plan, place and terms of the sane with a
Z reference To such plans and specifications" and
1t was ''prov1ded that the provisions of this
act shall not apply to buildings or fences when
the cost OF the same shall not exceed $500"
(Acts 1872, p. III
No person, [ think, can doubt the wisdom of
that law. In 1873, however. it was so amended
as to eliminate from it all that referred to
bridges and fences, and the amended act is the
law Of the State at this time. r. 8. 1881, secs.
4,243, 4,244) do not know why the change
made, but am sure that 1t was unwise. I
think il would be well for you to adopt as a rule
for your government the provisions of the law
of 1872. When a bridge is to cost than
$500 think you ought to employ an honest and
competent civil engineer to examine and re-
eeive the work, and that you should require him
to make survey and measurement of the pro-
posed bridge that Is to be built; that he should
make duplicate plan and specification of the
proposed work; that he should make close esti-
mate of the materials and work necessary to ac-
complish the proposed work TO accompany the
plans and specifications; that copy of the
plans and specifications shonld remain on file in
this Office and the other be delivered to the con-
tractor to do the work by; that the plans ana
specifications should be drawn with great "a re
aud particularly, and SO much so that when the
work Is completed there can not be a chance for
misunderstanding as to what is to be paid for.
The letting should be we'll advertised and
hon ha ban
string to do go should have opportunity to
bid for the work. Great should be taken to
see that the bids when once filed are not tam
pered with before they opened by you. The
copy of the plans and specifications retained by
you should be signed by all the contracting par
ties and Kept under your immediate control, 50
that there cannot be a possible chance for their
being changed In any respect without your
knowledge.
In my Judgment, YOU ought to have an honest
ana competent superintendent of construction
and repairs. who should have charge of the con-
etructiOn of all the bridges of the county and
he ought to give bond to the county for the
FAITHFUL performance of his duty, and the ac-
counting to the county for all labor performed,
money expended, and material used. He also
should have charge of the repairs of all other
property belonging to the county, and strict
account should be kept OF the same, NV rea-
sons for making these suggestions are based
upon rumors and facts like the following:
Rumor has it that commissioners drawers
have no backs; that duplicate keys are out, ana
that oids are subjected TO the "tea-kettle pro-
cess" 10 Is afaet that at the letting of the con
tract for the building OF the bridge at Clermont
gentlemen who had bid on that work remained
here during the dinner hour to see that their bids
were not tempered with.
Again, it is fact that in reference to that let
ting, the specifications so drawn that the
engineer could make it mean "dimension stone"
when he talked with Mr.. Hege, who had in the
lowest bid for the stOnework, and that he will
say, when it comes to receiving the work from
the contractor who got the job. that 1t only
means 'rubble stone" 1t was this that lost
enc county the advantage OF the bids of Mr.
Hege, and those who bid with him for the ex.
oavatlons. The hubble stone costs So per cubic
yard less than dimension stone, and rubbe stone.
as am informed, Is being delivered to construct
the abutments under said contract.
Again, it has appeared in public print and ha q
not been denied, that the contractor for that
work approached gentleman who was going
10 Dld and said TO him. Put in your bid as low
as YOU can, and Phi get the engineers to give an