San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-13
AT LOGGERHEADS.
MIDDLE BETWEEN BRYAN,
PREFER AND BRADEN.
The Gar Disapproves of Prefer
and the Laborers Suffer

and the LaborerS Suner.
The cautious observer has undoubtedly
noticed that often. and especially of late,
the men who are working at the two
new bridges had ceased work for day or
so and then resumed it. Yesterday it was
rumored about the street that this spas
modic delay of the work on the bridges
was due to the fact that all was not
serene in the camp of King Bryan; that
Bryan and Prefer were out: that the
contractor and sUb-contractor did not
quite agree, and that the workingmen
had not received their pay since Satur-
day, and were ready TO lay down their
jobs Immediately. After short search,
a LIGHT man found diSinterested party
who happened TO know the inside work.
ingS of the whole affair to T. After
some persuasion, the individual withdrew
from the political groups in front of the
court house and told his interesting tale.
Here it is as short and concise;
NV knowledge, as it can be made:
The work began all right on the
bridges and continued so until the men
1ached the level of the water in the river
and bailing became necessary. | believe
the contract demands that when bailing
becomes necessary the civil engineer is to
furnish time keeper and the city pays
for the work then. When Prefer was in
formed that water had been reached he
let the work 60 on under a time keeper
and said that he would pay at the end of
the week. The time keepers report went
in and Prefer, so it is said, raised kick
at the wages of the foreman who received
q. 80 per day. refused to foot the bill and
discharged the entire gang. Thereafter,
to the best of my knowledge, the city en-
gineer took the work in his own hand but
were TO be paid out of the city treasury.
The time keeper handed in his pay roll
the city engineer turned ii over to the
clerk, who wrote out the check. the
mayor endorsed the check and ii was then
turned over to the Braden boys who col
lected the money and paid the men. This
went on all right for a few weeks and all
seemed smooth. when suddenly, and
without word of warning. so il is
sign the check on the grounds that it was
too eXorbitant. though | am told there is
not twenty dollars difference between any
Of the pay rolls What made the mayor
decide that this last pay roll was eXor-
bitant when he had endorsed the first
ones. do not know. | have my doubts
whether ali is so very serene between the
mayor and the city engineer. At any rate
the wOrkmen have not received their pay
from last Saturday, and don't think they
are likely to-"
1t appeared as though the reporters in
FOrmant knew something more about the
muddle, but all pumping proved of no
avail.
Later in the day Mr.. Martin Braden.
who conducted the contracting business
during his fathers absence. was cues
cd al haF af raF It,t Il 49,
reticent. Il will say this on the subject.
The delay is in no wise our fault. Accord
ng TO the contract the city pays for the
abOr when cOtferdamming becomes nee
aSSary. and whatever delay or difficulty
there may be. lies between the city and
the men it employs" When questioned
as TO the men not being paid since
last Saturday, he admitted that the
city had not paid them since that
paid them out of its own funds rather
than have the work seriously delayed by
the men quitting.
Mr.. Braden seemed to thinkt hat if there
was any trouble be wen the city officials
or their employees, it was none of his bust
ness and he refused to say anything else
on the subject.
Mr.. Paul Prefer was also seen by the
but he was even more reticent
than Mr.. Braden. This official replied to
the reporters statement, that he had
heard that the city had not yet paid the
working men at the bridges, but the re-
ply was not what was wanted. He said
In effect that the contractor. and not the
city. paid them.
AS TO the mayor refusing to sign the
check to pay the men with, he spoke as
though he did not know anything about
this and dismissed the conversation with
Il do not know much about the matter"
The parties concerned in this Squabble
are lying low, but they are on the lookout
for what the next council meeting will
develop, as they confidently expect TO