St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-24
At SKIES AND SEVEHS.
THAT IS HOW THE TWO BODIES or
THE, COUNCIL STAND,
THE GASOLINE CONTRACT.

the Aldermen Vote to Cancel
and Advertise for New Bids
New Anti Pool Room Ordi-
nance Passed.
The two branches of the council ar e
''at SKIES and seyens" over the award
ing of the contract for the gasoline
street lighting. The board of aldermen
at its meeting yesterday afternoon
adopted the report of the Joint commit
tee Oh gas. recommending the rejecting
OF all bias ana the readvertislug for new
proposals. The assembly at its meeting
last night refused to concur in the
action of the aldermen, and by vote
of s to l awarded the contract to
the Acme Vapor Stove company.
This complexities matters great
ly, as under the circumstances
the action of the assembly will
have to go back TO the board of alder
men for concurrence. 1t will take
eight votes in the board of aldermen to
concur in the awading of the contract,
and the question is whether that num-
Der OF votes can be secured. Only three
members of the board OF aldermen were
opposed to the readvertising for new
bids, but it was stated last night that
the vote on the awarding of the con-
tract would show different division.
The next regular meeting of the
board of aldermen will be held Dec. 5,
and, unless special meeting is called
for an. earlier date. the company
awarded the contract by the assembly
will be hard pressed for time, should
the aldermen concur in the award.
The action of the aldermen in reject
ing all bids and ordering new proposals
was not brought up in the assembly
until the other business had been dis
posed of. After the report had been
read MIR. Doran made a minority report
showing in detail why the bid of the
Acme Vapor company was lower by
$1,000 than the Seeger bid. The propo-
sltlon to increase the number of lamps
from $500 to 8. ZOO. Mr.. Dorau said. was
not to be entertained, as there was but
$4,000 in the fund. and the amount
would not allow any increase in the
number of lamps. In concluding his
reason why the contract should not be
awarded to the Acme Vapor Stove COM
pany. II. F. Stevens reiterated the
statements made at the aldermanc
meeting yesterday afternoon, and said
the awarding Of the contract to the COM
pany which was the lowest responsible
bidder was question of fair dealing,
a nf
OF the members of the council.
Harris Richardson, attorney for See
ger. maze talk for his client, contend
Ing that the Acme company could not do
the work. and that it was for the best
Interests of the city that the contract
should not be awarded to inexperienced
men. Mr.. Lightner said that if the
assembly had any business sense If
could do nothing but award the contract
to the Acme company, the lowest bid
der. The points raised by Seeger's at
torney showed plainly to him that it was
necessary to accept the bid of the low
est firm.
Mr.. Reardon said thathe had intended
not to speak on the matter, but the OPP
portunity was too good to be lost. The
same kind of wrangle had been wit
messed in the council twice before. The
lowest bidder, he said, last year was al
lowed to Withdraw his contract, and the
city attorney had an affidavit showing
that $1,000 had been paid to have the
bid withdrawn. Three years ago the
same thing came up. and he could prove
that
BRIBERY HAD BEEN PRACTISED,
and it was over in Saltwater the people
who did the bribery should be instead of
dding on contracts. He called on the
city attorney to substantIate his
statements, and that official stated
there had been such sworn
statements made in the answer to
Comptroller McCardy, on file in the suit
commenced in the district court last
spring. Mr.. Van Slyke was in favor of
the report of the committee being
adopted. The city, ne said, could not
afford to take chances on the lighting
of the city by inexperienced men. He
was fearful the city would be in the
same position Minneapolis was. There
the contract had been let to a firm which
defaulted. and the consequence was the
work was now being done at an in
creased cost. He moved as a substitute
for the motion of Mr.. Lightner that the
report of the committee be adopted.
There was no second to his motion, and
Oh the roll call for the awarding of the
contract to the Acme Vapor Stove COM
pany all but Mr.. Van Slyke voted for
the award.
The resolution giving Market hall to
the st. Paul Trades and Labor assembly
free of charge for an entertainment to
be given for the benefit of the unem-
ployed street car men gave rise to some
discussion. Mr.. johnson said resolu-
ton had been passed by the assem-
bly, at the last meeting imposing fee
of SIS for the use of the hall at all en-
tertainments where an admission fee
was charged. He moved that the reso-
luton be amended by inserting sis, in
stead of free OF charge. The amendment
was adopted by vote of to 4, Messrs.
DAILY, Reardon, Van SlYke and Wolter-
storff voting against it.
As the entertainment was given last
night and the resolution will have to go
back to the board of aldermen for con-
currence, it would appear that the pas
sage of the measure was a trif1e late.
Later in the evening Mr.. Van Slyke
moved for a reconsideration. aud Mr..
Johnson insisted on some reason being
given. Mr.. Van Slyke said the trades
and labor assembly were doing all they
could for the men unemployed and, as
it was pretty tight times. he was in
favor of allowing the use of the hall for
such occasions free of charge. Mr..
johnson announced that he would go as
| far as Mr.. Van Slyke and give his salary
| for month to the cause, but he wanted
| to be consistent. The assembly
had nassed aresolution making a charga