Morning journal and courier., 1891-07-09
That Board of Public Works Invest-
 fSAttOn.

fgatiOn.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Said prominent citizen yesterday, who is entirely outside of local politics. The board of public works investigation bids fair from the present outlook to amount to nothing. Now, am disinterested ob- server and have watched tho proceedings of both boards as reported in the daily papers with close attention and have noticed that there has been a great deal of smoke, but very little fire. Now, investi- gations of our public boards will do no harm, but imagine that it will be found that there is very little corruptness or very little of a fragrant nature to complain of. In short, I think it will befound that our city will compare favorably with any city in respect to honesty in the administration of public affairs. All this talk about Mr. Atwater, for instance, what does it amount that one democratic paperhas passed yer dict upon MT. Atwater and pronounced sentence with the investigation incomplete and yet pending and without waiting to hear the report or the finding in the case.
 Let us look at the real facts. MT. At water is charged with having fixed the price of carriage at 30 cents cubic yard an extravagantly high figure. The fact is that the high price was fixed upon when Mir. Atwater was away down south in Florida. When Mr. Atwater returned he called attention promptly to the fact that the price was too high, and furnished ashes for the filling required at 124 cents a cubic yard, total saving to the city of more than 100 per cent in the case.
 Then, again, from reading the papers, one would suppose that MT. Atwater was practically the contractor, instead of one of the bondsmen in the cases spoken of - cases where contracts were not completed by the contractors The facts are that in all these cases where contracts are not finished by the contrac- tor they were not finished by the bonds man or bondsmen, but were finished by the city, and that there never was an in- stance where the bondsmen finished the contracts, the unfinished contracts being completed by the city, and in every case the contract, the city in no case being obliged to call upon the bondsmen for funds. MT. Atwater became bonds- man for contractors in good many instances, the only benefit he de- rived therefrom being that the contractors felt in honor and equity bound to trade with Mir. Atwater for supplies, provided his prices were as low as anybody else's What kind of a man would he be who would take his trade away from bene- factors In the language of deceased gov ernor of Connecticut, what kind of a man is he who will not stand by his friendsa
 Now, MT. Atwater js a good citizen, as all know, and when ali the facts are known about the public works 1nuddle it will be found that there is great cry and little wool.
 Apply the principle about bondsmen for others not being allowed to hold public offices and where are you coming out? Are there not many of our public officials who are bondsmen for others? Just think moment on the subject and you will find lots of public and etate officials are bonds men for others, and that the bondsmen do not feel obliged, if they are merchants or manufacturers, to put up sign over their places of business forbidding the men who they have thus accommodated for trading with them or patronizing them.
 As for the charge that MT. Atwater had 6 few loads of dirt carted to his land from this city, have no doubt it will be found that MT. Atwater gave back in kind to the city three-fold, if not ten-fold, all he ever received. JUSTICE.