Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1891-11-07
MAYOR VS.. COUNCIL.
MERRY LITTLE WAR WELL UN-
DER WAY
All About Little Bill for Work on Tenn
pie Street.-The Mayor Will Fight and
the Councilman are Angry.

The tempest in the city hall teapot,
over the little 1926 bill for work done on
Temple street, is bubbling merrily, and
all the contestants are bound to get
some fight and fun out of it. The facts,
as boiled down from recent article in
the HERALD, are that the council ordered
McLain & Hall to 60 ahead and do the
work without contract, requisition
or anything else. The contractors went
ahead, finished the job, and are now
surprised over the difficulty they are
having about getting their money.
When McLain & Hall came into the
hall with their claim, it was found that
a number of technical difficulties were
in the way to prevent payment. The
legal formalities had not been gone
through with, as for example, the two
thirds vote requisition of council neces-
sary in all cases of expenditure less than
$500, where the law does not call for ad-
vertisements for bids.
1t is said that when the unfortunate
contractors felt sad and sore over this
difficulty, they were consoled by mem
bers of the council, who assured them
that things would be Strengthened out.
Sure enough, on last Monday the requi-
sition necessary was passed by two
thirds vote, and was sent to the mayor
for approval.
This is where another hitch comes In,
for the mayor has expressed his deter
mination to stop this kind of upside
down business. From what could be
learned about the mayors office yester-
day, it is reasonably certain that his
honor will return the document to the
council on Monday with his veto instead
of his approval. The next thing in or
der will be for the council to pass the
ordinance over the veto, and then the
fun will become fast and furious, for
Mayor Hazard is bound to apply every
technical obstacle in his control to stop
this payment.
Councilman Samuel Reese, in speak
ing of the matter yesterday, said: THAT
requisition business does not bind us at
all. What nonsense it would be for
council to govern it's own actions by
regulations passed by itself. Council
adopted the requisitiOn method in order
to control or systematic the business of
city officers as far as minor expenditures
are concerned. The council never need
to consider itself bound by any regula-
ton itself has adopted with reference to
the expenditure of money, as long as
the amount does not exceed $500, for the
charter gives us the right to spend any
sum less than that without contract or
advertisement for bids, and says moth
ing about requisition. 1 am glad that
the mayor expressed himself so plainly
because we may now govern ourselves
accordingly"
City Attorney Mcfarland thought
that though the mayor might technic-
ally cause some difficulties, yet the
council beyond doubt has the right to
spend a sum OF money less than $500 in
the manner it has done in this case.
Eventually, he said, the council would
win in the fight, if the mayor made one
after next Monday. The mayor, &C.
ccrding to Mr.. Mcfarland, has repeat
eddy signed acquisitions passed after the
expenditure had been incurred. exactly
as in this case.
Thus the quarrel goes on. The whole
affair is picayune one; but then en-
pires have warred, so history says, over
royalty's whiskers.