The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-01-20
ANENr The COURT HOUSE..

| The court house muddle has subsidized
and the building committee ofthe board
of commissioners has adjourned. 1t is
very clear from ali evidence at hand
that Architect Haley is entirely too
fresh, and when he presumed, as it is
evident he did, to run the entire county
of Blue Earth, he did not stop to fully
consider the Job he bad undertaken.
Those who had heretofore stood by the
architect on his representations have
lost the major part of their confidence
IN him from the fact that he has been
dealing in sort of double game with
the commissioners and contractors. For
young man such as is Mr.. Haley, if
the matters brought ont at the meeting
on Wednesday be sufficiently re-
liable upon which to base opin-
ions, he is left in anything
but an enviable light. and bis reputation
for truth and veracitY is badly shattered.
So far as the FREE Pass is concerned it
has heretofore maintained discreet silenc
In the controversy between the archi-
tect, commissioners and contractors, ex-
cept TO give publication to such matters
as were ola public nature Under ex-
isting circumstances it feels warranted
in denouncing the action of the archi.
tect and in making plain the belief that
the contractors, Messrs. Ring & Tobin,
are not entitled to the excessive bill for
extras which they claim. That there
may be three or four hundred dollars,
worth of extra work which these gentle
men have been called upon to do and
for which they are entitled to pay there
can be no doubt in the light of present
evidence, but that they are entitled to
any snch sum as four or five thousand
dollars is not borne out by the facts thus
far ELECTED. The board of commission
ers have been very lenient with the con-
tractors, The latter placed themselves |
under bonds to have the court house |
enclosed the first of August last, but in- |
stead of this We find less than one-hslf
the work completed on the 18th daY Of
January. 1t is of course understood
that some changes have been necessi-
tated on account of poor material,
and for this reason the Board
have very reasonably made
no complaints on this score. But when
the contractors presume to come in and
make an excessive claim for extras 1t is
about time for the commissioners to rise
mp and assert their prerogatiYes, There
is nothing to be gained by longer hiding
that which has become patent to all who
have closely investigated the matter,
and that is that there is concealed some
where colored individual of very huge
proportions. The taxpayers of the
county now demand of those in suthori-
ty that further foolishness cease right
here, and that future work connected
with the completion of the court house
be conducted on strictly business princi-
pies. And IL we rightly interpret the
feelings Of the Board this is just what
will be be exacted. Blame for past eys-
'ions and possible omissions cannot, in
he light of Mr.. Haley's own statement,
De justly charged against any member of
he Board. 1t can only be said that he
was allowed too much rope, and the
ength of his hemp was discovered just
u time to rave the county from being
stretched over hot, heated furnace of
misplaced confidence.
While having nothing definite upon !
Which TO base the statement, We are led Z
o believe that the building committee J
4 the commissioners will refuse TO allow
Ring < Tobin anything on thelF bIll of
xtras aside from some 800 which the
board itself ordered, and which the
,lans do not call for. The question, in
act, will not be determined until the :
farch meeting, and in the meantime the !
curt house question viii remain inl
dtu quo.