The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-02-28

! members OF the committee on the subject ap'
| parently desiring one of the Republican mem'
bers to suggest that as the Mayor was In the
coal business to some extent, it would be better
for him to buy the coal without advertisement
When he could not get such suggestion from
this person, he made the suggestion TO him,
and vas told that il he bought the coal with
out advertisement he must do it on his wn re-
sponsibillty. While matters were brewing, so
| to speak, this member Of the committee was
informed by Mr.. Sargent, as he reports to us,
that it would make no difference to him
| (Sargent) whether the coal was furnished
| by himself, by the Mayor, or by Mr.. Priuce
| Finally. at one Of the meetings of the commit
| tee, the Mayor, apparently being convinced
that there was no other way, suggested adver-
Using for proposals to furnish coal, and it was
! decided to do it. Thersupon, instead of hav-
log the City Clerk draft an advertisement, the
Mayor, himself, proceeded to draft one, and
after two or three failures, produced one with
which he was satisfied, and directed it to be
published In order thatits peculiarities may
be clearly dscsrned by comparison, we pub
| lish this advertisement and the one issued the
year before, together.
| MAYOR LIBBY's ADVERTISEMENT.
The Committee on Public Buildings will re-
/ ceive sealed proposals until Wednesday, at
| noon, June 58 1882, for eight hundred and ffTS
| tons of best quality Lehigh coal(hroken)and two
| hundred ana thitY Ii ge IONS best quality Le-
| Nigh coal (sgg sizs) 2240 pounds 10 the ION, tO
DO delivered aud put III and trimmed in the
| pens at such of the Public Buildings and
| school houses of the CITY, and at such time g.
NAV he designated, the coal TO be In all respects
tbs best quality and IN the best order, and toeLt
! screen d on the agh0rJ before deliUe'y al,
toeighed By such toeigher as the city may deS5g-
| nate.
| The COMMITTEES reserves the right to rejeci
any and all bids that may not be deemed for the
interest Of the city.
| Address proposals to
CHARLES 2. LIBBY, Chairman.
June IS, 1882.
MAYOR pEERINGs ADvERTIsEMENT.
The Committee on Public Buildings will re
ceive sealed proposals for such Quantities
| the committee may direct, uot to exceed eighi
| hundred and fifty tons broken, aud two hun
| dred and 6ftv tons. egg size, 2,240 pounds
| The ton of ScbuylkiH hard Whfte ash cod!,
| shipped from Philadelphia, to be free from
slate aud deLiUeTea in good shipping order, put
in and trimmed IN tue Oins At such OF tue pub
| lie buildings and school houses and at such
times as the COMMITTEES NAV designate.
The committee reserves the right to reject
JoaN W. DEER1Na, Chairman.
May I6. 1888.
Mayor Libby stipulated for "best quality
Lshigh eoal'' and Mayor Dsering for
"schaylkill hard white ash coal, shipped from
| Philadelphia" Mayor Libby specified that it
should be sin all respects OF the best quality.
and in the best order and we'll screened on the
wharf before delivery, and weighed by weigh
| or appointed by the city," Mayor Deering speci-
fed only that 1t should bs free "from slate and
in good shipping ORDER" making no stipula-
ton for screening, and none for official weigh
ing. Yet Mayor Dseriug is the man who, W.
are told by the Argus, "has proved his right
to the name OF the city's guardian"
In due Tins the bids were opened and it was
found that three persons had offered to supply
the city at the same price, their bids being
lower than the rest. The Mayor at first declar-
ed that under these circumstances no bid
could be accepted and Mr.. Prince moved thai
the Mayor be authorized to purchase the coal
| Bat gentleman who did not mean that the
Mayor should do this thing, being con-
| vinosd that there was bat one way to prevent
| 1t, 81 ggsstsd that he would be willing to vote
| to give the contract tJ Mr.. Sargent who was
one of the three lowest bidders. The Mayor
| caught at this at once and Ii was so voted
| There the matter rested until, in the course
of time, member of the Committee on Pub
lie Buildings found out. by chance, one Sum-
mer day, that the coal was being put into the
| public buildings, and that it had already been
put into one of the buildings of which he had
charge, no notification having been given to
| him. Thsreupon he went to see Mr.. Sargent
to inquire why the business was done in this
way. Mr. Sargent, he says, told him that he
was acting under the Mayors express orders,
and that the Mayor had directed him (Sargent)
to tell his drivers to tell any member OF the
committee, who wanted to put the teams OIL
the scales to weigh the coal, ITO go to hell"
| Mr. Sargent said, however, that he had not
delivered this message; but had told the driv-
srs If any member of the committee wanted
the coal weighed, to have it weighed.
| This member OF the committee inspected
| the coal that had been delivered, and found
| that 1t was a poor lot, hard and softer coal
mixed, unscreened, and in poor condition. He
went to Mr.. Sargent, and said to him, "You do
not pretend to say that is all hard white ash
coal?" "Well," replied Mr.. Sargent, "som,
of it is hard. I guess" That was, likel,
| enough, true. Mr., Sargent finally told this
gentleman, as he reports, and we have good
| reason for believing he has said so to others,
that he got the coal of Mayor Deering, know
| log he could not get it of anybody else without
having trouble with the Mayor, and all he had
| to do with it was the eating; and Mr.. Sargent
I L l.
were in the name of John w. Deering as con-
/ signee, and in them this coal was not described
| as hard coal. but simply as "White Ash Coal. ("
| That is the stuff which the watchtul care.
| the dsinterested fidelity, the business talent,
| Of Mayor Deering, procured for the city's coal
| supply at the price of So Is ton, for which It
| may be presumed the other bidders would ha, G
| supplied tho city with better article. So far
| as can be ascertained, the coal, If weighed al
| all, was weighed only by the ostensible con-
| tractor, who delivered it,-Mr. Sargent. NJ,
disinterested weigher or inspector was appoint
4 ed on behalf of the city, as has been the Gus
tom heretofore. It is the belief Of persons who
have investigated the matter, that there was a
! wide margin for profit for somebody In this
coal contract. But as for the Mayor, the Ar,
! gus says. "his face is firmly set against all
jobs
| A day or two ago, at the instance Of the
| PRESS, gentleman visited one of the school
houses to inquire about the coal Meeting the
| jAnitor he asked him what sort of coal he had
this year. "Coall" he replied, "you had bet
ter call it dirt; you never saw such stuff" Co.
ing to the basement he saw heaps of wretched
unburnable refuse from which the coal fit Il
use had been gathered out. 1t was the testi-
mony of this ianitor that he never had to use
such mean stuff before.
We well know that the Mayor cares nothing
about the city ordinances. He has treated
them with contempt throughout his ysar, ex-
cspt when he thought he could Justify his con.
duct by them. Indeed, to member of the
City Council who presumed once to suggest
that the ordinances forbade something he pro.
posed, he exclaimed, ~ don't care damn for
the ordinaucesl" feet which has been sufit.
ienily evident. But there is statute of the
State for which he ought to have some le.
spect, and 1t reads as follows:
THE LAW OF THE STATE.
| No member Of any city government shall be