St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-02
THE CITY HALL RING.
Alderman Cutters Famous Job Of Re-
modelling the City
Hall.
First Estimated at $4,000, But Cost
the Taxpayers Nearly
$4,000.
A fragrant Job That Cries Loudly
for Thorough Investi-
cation
And the Overwhelming Defeat OF
Cutter at the Polls on
Tuesday.

For months the GLOBE has held in abeY-
ance an expose of the methods of Aid. S.
G. Cutter. the Republican candidate for re-
election as alderman from the Fifth ward.
1t has frequently alluded to gross Irregular
tiles connected with the famous remodeling
of the city hall building. 1t has frequently
charged that for making certain changes in
the interior of the four-stOry structure, the
taxpayers of Minneapolis have had to pay
s. G. Cutter nearly S33, 600 in good round
numbers, but the GLOBE has thus far re-
Trained from particularizing. The time has
come now, however. when it becomes the
duty of this paper, as an honest exponent
of the interests of the Democracy in par
ticular. and the citizens and taxpayers of
Minneapolis in general. to remain silent no
longer. To ignore farther, the egregious
outrage, would be next thing to compound
ing felony. Therefore the expose.
). Z. Cutter is contractor and builder.
Fortunately for his ends. Cal w. Clark,
president of the council, appointed the
greedy Cutter to the craftsmanship of the
committee on public grounds and buildings
Gutter entered upon his duties with a Zest
that should have at once aroused suspicion,
but strange to say it did not. He looked
over the city hall. and estimated that it
could be remOdeled and put in first-class
shape for about 3d. 900, and everybody
looked at the prodigiOus sum aghast. 1t
was the opinion of several architects and
builders that it could be done for So, 900
less, yet the city council felt disposed to be
liberal, and authorized Mr.. Cutter to make
the alterations he had planned. Section s,
chapter of the city charter prohibits any
city official from having any connection
whatever with city contracts. consequently
the sagaciOus Aid. Gutter turned the
work over to one S. s. Boyn-
ton, a foreman in the employ of
Aid. S. G. Cutter. Blindly the alderman
supposed he had
EVADED THE OPERATION
of the law, but he was in error. Now as to
the cost. Bills kept pouring into the COM
mittee on claims until the amount, to the
establishment not only of the city council
but of the city at large, rose up in solid
array reaching $50. 656.76.
The council could stand it no longer and
peremptOrily called halt. Aid Cutter
was unified, but he thought discretion the
better part of valOr, and held his peace, and
very little more work was done on the
| building.
On account of this colossal job the Re
| publicans of the Fifth ward undertook to
defeat the willy Cutter in the nomination,
but by hook or crook he defeated them and
is again candidate, asking for an indorse-
ment.
The following card from a contractor is
| in point:
To the Editor of the Globe:
| wish to certify that sometime during the
| month OF December. and also IN Janu-
airy, the books of S. G. Cutter came regularly
/ into my hands for perusalS. / saw in the
books the payroll of his employees on the city
/ hall contract on pages $50, 182, 196 and 279
| particularly. The records show that he was
receiving from the city for each employe at
| least so cents day more than the men
| actually were paid by him. And would like
TO know II 1t is as s. q. Cutter alleges that S.
| s. Boynton was doing the work why the &C
| counts and pay-rolls were recorded on his
books, the books upon which he (Cutler) en-
| tiers all his accounts in the regular transac-
| ton OF his business. D. d. SMITH,
1919 Second avenue south.
Mr.. Smiths attOrey took transcript of
! certain pages in Aid. Cutters books, show
ing that the men employed on the building
were paid by the city from $3.50 to So
per day, and it is positively known that this
money never reached the men. The city
comptrollers books also show that Cutter
was allowed from $3.50 to So per day for
his men. The following affidavit furnished
| by one of the men employed. proves that he
only received $3.50 per day, whereas the
pay roll reads 50 per day. In addition Mr..
Garland, the affiant, states that in the first
month he only received S1.25 per day
following is the affidavit:
AN AFFIDAVIT.
State of Minnesota, County of Hennepin, ss.
&C. NJ. Garland came before me personally
and being duly sworn depoSes anu says that
he commenced work on or about the LIST day
of April, A. D.. 1885. on the city hall as u
common laborer, and worked on the same up
to the l4th of December same year; that he
received as compensation therefor the sum
OF $3.50 during said time.
G. NJ. GARLAND.
Subscribed and sworn before me on this
31st day of March, 1856. JOHN T. BYRNEs,
Notary Public Hennepin County. MINI.
Other affidavits to the same purport are
at the disposal of the GLOBE. as is the
transcript from S. c. Cutters books, and
can and will be published. Further
more the GLOBE has transcript of the
city comptroller's books.