The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-05
THE NEW STATE HOUSE.
The House Rejects the Commission
ers' Bill by Vote of As to 40.
What Commissioner Seward and Contractor
Denig Have to Say-POor Pros
poets for the Building.

The House of Representatives, Saturday, in
| definitely postponed the commissioners State
house bill by vote of 45 to 80, and thus stopped
| any prospective legislation regarding the con
| tinuance of the work on the building. At the
| afternoon session of the Senate Mr.. Spann in
! troduced a resolution authorship the commits
sioners to continue the work and finish
the building within the $2,OO0,O00 limit,
| but this also defeated the action
doubtless being Influenced by the vote in the
House The defeat of this measure is attributed
| by its friends principally to State Treasurer
/ Cooper, who for obvious reasons wants the
money to remain In the treasury, and to some
| dis appointed contractors, who wanted another
1 chance at the job.
| WHAT COMMISSIONER SEWARD SAYS.
Last evening Journal reporter asked Mr.. W.
B. Seward, of the Board of state-house Com
mssioners what effect it would have9
| at leaves the board either of two alterna-
| tives," he replied; zone of which is to let the
contract for completing the building upon
the most advantageous terms offered, or to pro-
coed with the work ourselves. The law specifies
i that we may employ workmen and purchase ma
terials, charging the cost TO the contractors but
| Think 1t improbable that we will take this
| course. We will, 1 think, advertise for bids
without delay. Some changes will have to be
made in the plans and specifications, hut they
are not of nature to materially increase the
| cost of the building on the contract price,"
do you think the building can or will be COM
peted at a cost within the limit of 50, 900 0002"
NOT without contractors are bigger fools than
think they are. do not think new contractors
! can take up the work now and complete the
building for the balance of the S2,000,00o. Had
/ the bill submitted by the investigating commit
| tee been adopted, we would, believe, have sue
ceeded In completing it within the $4,000, 900.
Howard & Denig had sgnlfied their willingness
to take new contract for doing the work for
SAC, 1000 less than the limit, and if any body could
do for that amount, they surely.could"
would you accept n bid from Howard 81
| Denig for continuing the work?'
81 hardly think that the board would, under
the circumstances, although no contracting
| firm is prepared TO do the work at little cost
as they are. l don't think that we will receive
any proposition for less than $2,O0O,00O and [
am quite certain that we will accept none for u
| larger amount"
"Then what are you going to do about it?''
at Is hard to tell, We certainly no longer
| work wi hin $2,000,00O, and we are determined
| that II shall be no more 1t would he hazardous
for us 10 undertake to complete the work our
| selves, as we would have to buy
| our material and employ work
| men according TO the ruling prices There is no
estimating what the cost would be in the end.
The Legislature has done the very worst thing
possible for the interests of the State. Even If
We get an acceptable bid, work on the building
VIII he delayed at least one year, and this delay
would be an item OF expense to the State of
not less than $4,000, to say nothing of the dan
| ger to which documents and property are sub
| Jected by the present unprotected condition in
which they are left. L fear that even under the
| most favorable conditions IL will now be impOs-
| BILE to complete the building in less than five
| years. The damage TO the interests of the State
| by the action of the Legislature cannot be CAL
| eulated. They have made great blunder. and
| thousands of dollars will be lost by it,"
In subsequent conversation Mr.. Seward said
that the action of the Legislature was brought
about largely by the influence Of the present
Treasurer of State, with the aid of Representa-.
| tive Mccormick, who is a disappointed bidder
| for the work, and by contractors who seek
| ing to get the contract. The men procuring It's
foil oil IN In NOS mill haN rnh
| The accumulation of funds in the treasury by
| the delay of the work would amount TO several
| hundred thousand dollars.
General Morris and Mr.. Nelson, the other
| members of the board, decided aud deter
| mined in their views as Mr.. Seward General
| Morris thinks it impossible that a new contract
can be made for Keeping the cost within So, 000,
| 000 and Mr.. Nelson expresses determination
| to favor no bid for larger amount.
WHAT MR. DENIG SAYS.
| A Journal reporter last night interviewed Mr.
r. s. Denig, the contractor, regarding the int en-
ton of his firm concerning the work. Mr.. De-
mig said that at this time he was prepar ed tt
state exactly what steps they would take, as
they had not had sufficient time to consult OF
| the subject. He said that when Mr.. Gibson
stated in the House Saturday that the contract
\ ors had been before the last Legislature asking
| for 100000 additional appropriation, he either
wIllfully misrepresented the facts in tine OF
| his information wrong. They had nevel
| asked one cent additional from the Legislature
| ana mad during TINS session only asked
that they be guaranteed from further
loss in they finished the work
They already heavy losers, and did
not expect to make money by carrying out then
contract. He confident that the building
could not possibly be completed by any other
contractors within the 100000 limit and
neither could his own firm do it, unless some
| changes were made in the plans. The bill which
was defeated in the House he considered per
| fectly reasonable, and calculated to advance the
interests OF the State. Under existing circum
stances however, he is of the opinion that there
| is prospect for the speedy completion of the
| building, nor is there likely to be- soon.
| He also says that it is absolutely impossible to
| construct the building properly under the old
plans in many particulars, and that should the
! board of commissioners undertake the work un-
| der the provisions OF the contract allowing them
| TO employ men and purchase material and build
| the house, it would not give them the right to
make any changes whatever, and should any be
| made, however small, the bOndsmen would
| thereby be released. In answer to question as
| to tools and machinery, Mr.. Denlg says they are
| all the property of the firm, and will not in any
event, become the property of any other persons,
unless by purchase.