Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-06-28
THAT BRIDGE MATTER OUTRAGE.

Tast week we offered some remarks touch
ing the dilatory manner with which the
contractors had allowed the work Of build
ing the bridge across the river TO drag along
until months past the time when it was TO
have been completed, when notice IL given
TO the public that the business of Wichita
must be partially suspended for number
OF days, right in the busiest season, and
thousands of farmers Inconvenience ard
annoyed. In our article of last week we
made but one mistake: the contract time
expired on the 18th OF April instead of in
March. In every other particular we were
correct. II seems our article stirred I'D one
OF the bosses, or parties interested, who
went about in high state OF Indignation,
hunting, or pretending 10 hunt, for the ed
itor Of the EAGLE, and making unwarrant-
ed expressions, until he found defender
in shelton's Times. We have only TO add
TO what we said last week that all the bridge
contractors and their bosses, together with
all the lawyers and papers they can buy up
in the state, cannot force US TO sit quietly
by while the whole business interests Of the
city are made to suffer, that some outside
firm might profit thereby. The contractors
were not only allowed ample time to do the
work, and nj time when the river was
fordable, but several hundred dollars were
added 10 the price in order TO make the
bridge what an engineer said IL should be.
Not only that. but when the EAGLE on two
different occasions, called attention to the
fact that the contractors were not living up
to the spirit OF their obligation, but were
fooling away months OF valuable time when
the river was low, the county commission.
ers thereupon directed the clerk 10 write TO
them demanding an explanation, and Com
missioner Steele also wrote them personal
letter. One Of the firm, in few days, put
in AN appearance aud threw all the blame
on the sub contractors Tor the stone work.
but promised TO make amends by rushing
the work along. The stone men, upon the
other hand. claimed, we are reliably in-
formed, that the reason they held back was
on account OF the non-reception OF money
due for work. And now the idea thai any |
member or any boss of that firm should, at |
this late day, pretend to get indignant and |
make threats, aud the idea that such an one |
could find a newspaper that would under |
take to defend that which l. simply an out |
rage upon every business man and tax pay |
er in this city and county, to say nothing of |
the Inconvenience to farmers in harvest |
time and the loss OF trade 10 our merchants is |
We have no more interest, i'm |
than any other citizen, in the mat
ter, but there is but one course for an hon.
orable paper and that is TO demand square |
dealing, when the public interests are at |
stake. The whine about cold weather and |
the labor troubles of the East is too baby
ish to notice. II the firm is SO responsible
and preferred 10 disappoint, Inconvenience
and damage our people, till they got read.,
let them he made to come down on their
bond. IL they will only fool along month
or two more the river will be down again, bat
in the mean time il any more threats reach
our ears we will endeayor to make IL inter-
esting for the bridge company, with at least
twenty thousand people, or our entire pop
ulation excepting the editor OF the Times
and the aforesaid indignant boss, at our
hack