The sun., 1890-05-17
BRIDGE SCANDALS In LINE.
TEE CAR ADVERTISING SCHEME
BEA TEN, NON COMES ANOTHER.

Tim Cautpbell ana Ait Friends VIII Not Get
that $4,000 Privilege Tor $4,000 or
Any Price-Somo 1ueer Stories About
tho Secret Awnrs OF y Contract for
PrintinE 100000 Bridge Tlcketa.
One jobdeIeated and aIresh one brought to
light is yesterdays recorder developments re-
Rrding Brooklyn Bridge management. Just
asarranRements had been completed for pro-
ceedings in court against thu trustees to pre-
vent the contamination OF he bargain with
Hess, Campbell, and their associates, the whole
scheme was precipitately Abandoned by all
concerned. President Howell vas enabled to
make lis retreat without compromising him
self witt his associates or giving the benoflci-
aries an chance to complain, by The receipt Of
the following letter;
BRooEtTN, Nay IS 1880
re Hcr. Joles Hocell President oJhe Bodrd or T1,tees
pthe NeUT-ore and Brooklyn Bridot
Sta WshSe received your request as to eur opinion
as to the Vaiy Of the resolution passed BY the
tees at their lst meeting accepting the proposition OF
the 1nternatoal Railway and steamship Advertising
COMPANY for ,lease OF ave years with privilege Of
renewal for hVearA the spaces OF the bridge cars
for advertising prposea In opinion resolution
Is sbeyoud tho poers delegated to the trustees and,
therefore it Ia unwful and void Since parties who
make contraehwh public officers take the risk OF the
validity thereof an are presumed to know the limits
Of tho powers OF o officers It follows that no rights
have been acquired by tho advertising company re-
ferredto Very respectfully, BERGEN a DrKnAN.
President How'll seemed very much pleased
by this letter rem the Boards legal ad-
visers. He had DIM all he could to secure the
big prize Tor Hes Campbell, and the others,
and 1t certainly ws not his fault that there
had been failure. Ee announced positively
that he would not ign tho contract, and ho
said further:
There will be nodvertislng on the bridge
cars When at first 20 received the offer Of
$4,000 year for the rivleRe OF advertising
in the cars. 1t seemed tine a big thing The
offer was bigger onethan we had ever had
before, and 1 realized 70 fact that this sum
every year would pay allbe official salaries Of
the bridge for six months There was no deal
made with anybody onlyt first 1t seemed to
mo that it was like pickfy up $4,000 in the
street II we accepted theofier of Mr.. Hess
and his associates. AfterI returned home,
at the conclusion Of the meeug OF the trustees
on Monday, thought the wole matter over,
and just then the opinion o learned New
York Judge oame to my mindIn which he de-.
oided that one official body ike tho bridge
trustees could not pass an act Vat would bind
their successors in office. Thu as 1 recol-
lected that the present bridgetrustees only
had one more year OF office to In, It seemed
to me best before l signed tho cntract to ask
legal advice. l did 80. with whs result Won
know. 1 have since como to th, conclusion
that after all it Is perhaps best noto lease tho
bridge cars to advertisers. The hdge ia too
big a concern to bother with sail affair
OF this sort, and 1t Is too Insignificant a
matter for the two cities to 10 into.
or course this decision OF mine seled the
matter: besides, the representative othe In
ternational Railway and Steamship Ayertis-
tn.y NJ hoo I'd NloN
will accept the situation and give up to idea
OF forcing the matter. Our lawyer Mr.Dyk.
man. has consulted with Mr.. Hess, and a,atis-
factory agreement was arrived at 1t semod
to me at one time that it might be neceSary
order that the resolution granting the ader-
tsing privilege TO this New York comnny
that we viii have to do this, As said ID at te 6e
start ST the matter is settled aud that is abat
proposition Of the International Railway and
Sns resS M Res Es
resolution from Trustee Edward 7. Skinner.
Board. despatch from Albaw to The Sun
The International Railway am Steamship
2. 1889. has toE trustees John J. Herman. Ed
Ee5d sfRnS5 fmehy Charles a. dS Iscqp
Cozans. and William H: Williams. j. Kier:
nan + T. Skinner and Charles A. less have
where he got 4 the Propositlon which Ir. Riley
Mr.. Riley told the truth about the natter as
gave "a 81 him the oIer and i i receiyediti diifnsr from
it. Nr. Hess asked me several days beSres tho
meeting II i N wS1!d be Of 1 a1y @ use to nah such
| DrODOSitiOng haan
ferinG $1,000, but better, offers had bea re-
was crazy to offer such price and told hfS so e
hut was entirely ignorant Of the value ot5uch
deayor 10 secure the acceptance OF the no
! would present it and the Board might d, as as
about the matter, aud he said he thought S. 90
or $4,000 was the largest sum that had ben
such h fenrss m G as Si500o which told him taS S
Hight here 1t should be called to mind one
nesday that he never heard OF the proposition
until It was read at the trustees meeting OF
The above quoted despatch from Albany was
shown to Mr.. skinner, and he said regardngit 1t:
" hat is true. | WAS one OF tho incorporators
OF the International Railway and Steamship
Advertising Company last December. but have
no connection with the company now. and |
SES nS I4a The Tfy ST
to until they were ready to make a contract
street. at the time pulled out They offered
$1,000 year at first. l believe TO, the adver-
tising privilege on that line. brit dey put the
bid UP to something like $4,000. and then
withdrew. | thought that an exorlitant price
to pay and didn't see any moneyin the en-
terprise on such basis
These are the plain facts about my con-
nection with the company and aboutNhe origin
of the proposition to the bridge BoiId. and /
don't care how much publicity Il eiven TO
them. There was no deal Of any desription.
The offer seemed to me to be one we Nlght as
a matter Of business 70 accept. II the Fivilege
Is worth $4,000. still believe we ough not 10
allow such source OF revenue to be neAected
! see no objection to using the cars all sta
tions for advertis ing purposes. but wold not
favor putting advertisements on the ridge
itself"
No sooner has the advertising contract can-
du been disposed Of than another mattercon-
necled with bridge management seems tdcall
Tor investigation. a fow days ago q contact
was made with the Hamilton bank NoteI;o.
for the printing OF L0.OOOO00 tickets for usdon
the br dye during the ensuing year. There ra
certain very peculiar circumstances connecfd
with the granting OF that contract, The laY
requires that air bridge contracts shall h
awarded only after bids, have been advertisei
for. received, and opened in the usual way. 4
has been the custom 10 notify the various banl
noie companies by letter OF the competition
This year none OF the bank note people saw