The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-10
IT'S HOWELL'S OWN BOARD.
THE BRIDGE TRUSTEES REFLECT
MN AND SUSTAIN HIM

|
| Howell was reelected without opposition and
O majority of the Board celebrated the event
by dancing upon Official proprietes and pubic
interests. In tho first place they substituted on
tho proposed Board OF Experts, which Is &c
| consider the matter OF improving the terminal
facilities OF the bridge, for Chie1 Englheet
Martin an engineer to DO appointed py iresl'
dent Howell. The openly avowed reason ior
this was that the report OF the experts might
| DO reflection upon tho management Oh tne
| bridge. and therefore the trustees ought 10
have some ono on tho Board TO look alter thelr
| interests! Then tho trustoes repuulateu the
advertisement for now bids for printing ucKets'
ordered all bids received TO be returned I'M
| opened. and rassed n resolution approving OF
| President Howols original action In awarding
| tho contract to one Of the highest oiddersl
Having thus undone the only good official
deeds they could remember having committed
recently, tho trustees voted S2'zoo OF pubic
| money to private CORPORATION. ana ADJOURNED.
or course Comptroller Myers was vigorous
and consistent opponent Of this sort OF BUSH
ness, but he was almost alone, helng support
cd throughout only by Trustee Schwab.
Trustee McNulty was made temporary Chair
man while the Board went through the form
OF reGlectlng President Howell and Vice-Iresl-
dent Wormser. no other Candidates being
speech. In which he thanked the Board Tor
thus expressing it's confidence in him.
MIR. Tim Campbells bridge-car advertising
scheme WAS formally disposed OF by the re-
scinding OF the resolution granting the con-
tract. and then letter from Chief Engineer
Martin was read. In It Mr.. Martin called at
tention to the fact that he had requested that,
in the bill sent to the Legislature he be not
included In the Committee OF Experts to con-
slider terminal facilities. and he renewed the
request in regard to the similar committee ap-
pointed by the trustees at the last meeting de
suggested that II seemed to him improper that
any ono so clearly identified with the bridge
should be appointed an expert in such mat
ter. Mr.. Martins request was promptly
granted, and Trustee McNulty as promptly
moved that President Howell fill the vacancy.
oh. no." exclaimed Comptroller Myers,
that won't do We want some ono entirely
independent Of tho trustees"
Trustee Anderson thereupon made q formal
motion that tho vote by which tho resolution
had been adopted be reconsidered. and that 1t
be amended 30 as to provide that there should
be two experts appointed. one by Mayor Grant
and the other by Mayor Chaplin. and third
ono appointed by President Howell. Trustee
Riley moved that the third expert be APP
pointed by the other two, but whom he found
that that was lust what Comptroller Myers
wanted he withdrew the motion and made an
apoogetic speech. in which he explained that
he had offered it only because he thought the
might like to DO relieved Of the labor OF hunt
ing up an expert who would be satisfactory to
the public and willing to perform the service
Trustee Sciwab suggested that the third
expert be appointed by Mayors Grant aid
resident Howell ,iideetted about with his
fingers as though he were pulling strings;
ierbv ba W32dn DO to have Inc ex
pert appointed BY the other two because may
le Mayor Chaplin wouldn't appoint any and
Howell Kept trying TO put the question. and
finally the resolution reconsidering the orIgi-
Now. Mr. President" said Trustee Anderson.
move that a! that part OF the resolution
makes Mr. Martin member S OF the e
lieu thereof the PRESIDENT be uncovered to ap-
point an expert"
trustees" protested Comptroller Myers, we
want this thing TO be entirely independent OF
President Howell was fidgetting again. and
this time it was Trustee Swan who popped up
There is no one" he said. who has had
engineers than our worthy and honored Presi-
don't We have Just reelected him unani-
that il we hadn't fuIi confidence in him. /
think that we can safely leave this matter in
-" Oh. don't wish the power put upon me
I'd rather not have it." said President Howell.
evidently feeling better.
rodco isnt question non, OF AZ Mr. H3weIS eTpe
10 be presumed that the Mayors will appoint
two able and EXPERIENCED men and they Will be
the proper ones TO select the third EXPERT;
What we want is an entirely independent body"
" his Cowmiltee Q; Experls'.n said TIus!se
Horid Is 'n in ceTtap sense TO review our
work. and it is for that reason eminently proper
that we should have something 10 say about
w IN mi ~ n
any giving way on the part o. this Board.
There has been too much Welding already TO
perts are practically TO review and INVESTIGATE
the management OF the bridge during the past
lew years. ana we want a representative oil the
d" 1t is Just because II is to review the man.
aRement Of the bridge that We don : want any
entirely OF outsiders" said Comptroller Myers.
impatiently. and then he added. with fine
eGm eeery one es smiled at It,
" the management OF the bridge is so good that |
we ought not to hesitate to let Il be examined |
TO discover that can throw any discredit upon |
the management, and why should we Insist |
upon having having it made by man appointed by
President Howell who had been getting
more and moro nervous tried TO stop DEBATE
nored entirely the suggested amendments.
and started to put the, original notion giving
roer My yee o66Tsf d. aa %Gsn that
motion to have the third expert appointed by
The other two had been withdrawn exclaimed;
Then make ii now.
President Howell put It and declared II lost
80 quickly that nobody knew what had hap
pened. Then he tried again 10 ring In the res,
button to put the power in his own hands. ana
got a roll call begun on II. but t9mptroller
Myers and Trustee Schwab obiec ed SO vigor-
ously that he backed doTn and Put the Gues,
mont On the roll cali. only Trustees SchWGb.
Eiillabrandt, and Stanton voted with the Comp
roller and the amendment was lost. MIR.
Schwab's amendment that the Mayors appoint
he third eXpert was then voted down. and tho
original resolution placing the power Of APP
in Howell's hands was passed
Trustee Iiiey then offered a resolution that
III the new bids for the PR hitting OF package
ickets be- returned unopened and that the ac-
ion Of the President in awarding the contract
@ tho Hamilton Bank Note Company be- ap-
proved. Comptroller Myers got up and with a
determined shake OF his HEAD stopped MIR.
lowell as he was aboutto put the question.
" Tho object of advertising" said the Comp
roller, IL 10 have the work done by the low
,st bidder: otherwise, what Is the use OF ad:
yertisingl know il Is the object of this Board
o conduct tho public business PLACED in its
lands fairly and Justly TO all concerneGpnd TO
ho public interest, The Hoard has raARlyed
hat all work shall he awarded. on bids, 70 the
owest bidder. l understand that in this case