St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-03
A CHANGE OF HEART
That Came Over Aid. COPELAND
on the Garbage Con-
tract.
Possibility That Preston and
Grant May Pull To-
gether.

A meeting of the special committee
on garbage was called yesterday after
noon by W. r. johnson, chairman of
committee. There was full attend
ance of the committee, and Mr.. johnson
said he had called the members togeth-
er on account of the passage of the res
Olutions by the board of aldermen at
the meeting Thursday afternoon. Some
thing, he thought. should be done in the
matter of letting the contract at once, as
the situation was serious one. Mr..
johnson read a letter from W. j. Preston
agreeing to take the garbage and other
refuse matter ten miles from the city
and dispose of it either by cremation or
reduction. After reading che letter the
point was raised as 10 whether the COM
mittee could take any action on the
resolutions passed by the board of al
dermen unless they had been concurred
in by the assembly. MesSrS. COnley
and DAILY thought the committee could
go ahead without the delay which
would be occasioned by waiting for the
assembly to take action.
Preston, to whom the committee had
recommended the awarding of the con-
tract, which had been also agreed to by
the assembly, was present In response
to Mr.. Copeland'S questions, Preston
said be did not have the cremation or
reduction plant erected, but should the
contract be awarded him by the other
branch Of the council he would have
everything in readiness in ten days.
While the plant would not be as extern
sive Oh the start as it ought to be, still
it would be sufficient to dispose of the
matter in good shape. Mr.. DAILY thought
if one of the contractors had the right
to make an amended bid or proposal
the others were entitled to the same
privilege. MIR. Johnson said none of
the other bidders were affected by the
letter from Preston agreeing to crema-
ton or reduction in disposlng of the
garbage. MIR. DAILY thought otherwise,
and named Guion 81 Wyman, whose pro-
posed plan was to take the garbage ten
miles from the city and dispose of it.
To this, Mr.. johnson said, the committee
had decided Guion & Wyman were
not responsible bidders. AS far as he
was concerned he had been in favor of
awarding the contract to Isaac A. Grant,
the next lowest bidder to Preston, Mr..
COnley wanted an adjournment taken
so as to have all the bidders come pre-
pared to say what they would do under
the resolution of AID. Ingersoll provid-
ing for the awarding of the contract
only to those who would dispose
of the garbage by cremation or
reduction. MIR. Johnson said, as
chairman, he would rule that
the resolutions passed by the board of
aldermen on Thursday could not be
acted upon until concurred in by the
assembly.
Mr.. Conley appealed from the decision
of the chair, and Mr.. DAILY seconded the
motion.
The assistant city attorney was called
upon to give his opinion on the question.
The action of the committee, the attor-
ney said, was merely advisory, and any
action taken by them was not
binding. In case the assembly
should not concur in the action taken
by the committee, the work would be
killed and that would be all there would
be to it. No action of the committee,
he said, could become law or have
any binding effect until it had been
passed by the council. AS matter of
eXpediency the committee could go on
with the work. On the vote to override
the decision of the chair. Messrs. Cope
land. Montgomery and ReardOn stood
by the chairman, and MeSSrs. COnley
and DAILY voted the other way. Mr.
Conley then moved an adjournment, as
nothing more could be done. Mr.. Cope
land wanted to go ahead, but was re-
minded that he had just voted the other
way.
Mr.. Reardon moved that the commit
tee recommend the contract be awarded
to Preston, with the proviso III the con-
tract that the garbage be disposed of by
cremation or reduction. Mr.. Copeland
| said it would be best to have the con-
tract let for only one year. This was
| considered bad policy, as it would ne
cesSitate the motion going back to the
| assembly for concurrence. Mr.. John
| son explained that the assembly had re-
| fused to make the contract for one wear
| at its last meeting. The sense of the
| committee was that by adopting the
motion of Mr.. ReardOn the board of
| aldermen could vote to award the con-
| tract. the objections as to the disposition
of the garbage being removed by the
| letter of Preston agreeing to cremation
or reduction. The motion of Mr., Rear
| don to recommend the awarding OF the
| contract to Preston was carried, all vOt-
ing for it except Mr.. Daily. A rather
peculiar feature was the voting of the
contract to Preston. At previ-
Gus meetings Copeland had been ex-
| tremely anxious to award the con-
! tract to Isaac A. Grant and
his swinging into line for Preston was
the cause of much comment. One of
the representatives of large firm
which bid for the contract, but was con-
| sldered not responsible, thought it
looked as though Preston and Grant
| had arrived at a conclusion to work to-
| gether. This idea was laughed at by
| the Prestonites. who claimed there had
| been. no such agreement.
Attorney J. E. Markham, who ap-
| peared for Thomas Gahan, one of the
bidders, said the committee had no right
to take cOgniZance of the amended bid
| or letter of Preston without giving the
| other bidders a chance to send in one
also. He was also of the opinion that
| the committee could take no action un-
less the assembly had concurred in the
resolutions passed by the board of alder
men. Mr.. Preston said he would agree
to the reporting system as set forth in
Mr.. Cullen's resolution. The report of
the committee will come up for confir-
nation in the board of aldermen meet
ing on next Tuesday night, and at the
assembly meeting Thursday night.