The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-27
Office. and 1 think he iass wanted to make


q big bluff"
Mr.. ENGIIsH's STATEMENT.
In relation 10 the statement that Mr..
Woollen said Mr.. English did not signify
that be was bidder until after he
tWoollenl bad begun TO open the bids.D Mr..
English said to Journal reporter last
night that he did not believe Mr. Woollen
said it exactly that way. but that If he did.
he was mistaken. On the contrary. both
the Mayor and Controller at first indicated
Willingness TO receive she bid. but some
of the other bidders objected. IL was after
that that the bids were opened and read.
MI English further said his own statement.
as publlshed IN an afternoon paper. he be-
heyed was substantially correct. EXCEPT
that it did not mention n claim he made at
the time he was ct the Controllers office.
that technical advantage should not DO
taken In n matter of this kind where the
public interests were involved. ana that.
as time pieces varied, few minutes was
not fatal. and that even q construction
that 1T Is nine until 1t is ten" would be
justihable. Dir. English gave notice imme-
diately. when the bids were read. that his
bad was more favorable TO the city than
any of them.
The statement referred to IN the forego-
ing interview 10 as follows: Il started TO
the Controllers Office and Arrived there
before any of the bids were opened. Some
minutes were spent In conversation with
tie gentlemen present, when / signifed my
desire 60 submit a bid, as. think. another
gentleman did also. The Controller. adj
dressing the Mayor. said: Shall the bids
be recelvedP TO which the Mayor replid,
Receive them immediately several gen.
tlemsn protested on the ground that nc
was then after . o'clock-some said three
minutes after, and threats were made by
several who had already handed IN bids,
that they would withdraw them. Finally.
after considerable wrangling, my bid was
not received. and toe other bids were
at par. For the bonds l was proposing TO
take l was Offering premium. This. l
think. is about the substance of what oc-
CURED but L have no bad feeling on the
subject. and do not trd fault with any,
Can you tell me. Mr.. English. what your
bid would have been had you been ale
lowed to put 1t inf was asked by the re-
porter.
''It would have been at premium" he
will you tell mo at how much of @ pre-
miumW
these bonds will be for sale some time
again. lt will be found out that the pro-
cedure at the Controllers Office yesterday
morning was not legal, aud that all of this
will have to be gone over again.<
will you take the necessary steps to
prove that that procedure was not legalfS
IL have not yet made M my mind as to
that"
Before the interview closed Mr. English
again said that the reason that he would
not tell what his bid would have been WAS
because he would want to bid on the
bonds again. and that the PROCEEDINGS IN
the Controllers office yere not legal He
eaid that il had always been customary 10
consider il Q o'clock until IL was 10 o'clock.
even In matters pertaining TO courts and
that be thought the Mayor and Controller
exercised undue haste in the matter. Mr.
English said that some of the gentlemen
had become quite violent IN their oblec-
tions TO him putting in his bid when he had
offered TO. but he did not mention any
names.
No better example OF Mr. English's the
Dry that it is o'clock until it is 10 can be
found than in the action of the Board OF
Public Works when it advertised for bids
for the street-railwsy franchise. They
were advertised TO be opened at o'clock.
but il was after when tho first one was
read.
Controller woolIen Is feeling badly about
certain iptimauons that have been made Co
the effect that he has acted In collision
with John L. Frenzel IN the matter of rbe
disposition of these bonds. he said IN res
in collision with him. why did not accept
his first otferi Ii would have been o good
thing for Mr.. FrenzeL But i rejected it.
ana you see the result have saved the
city a sum something like Sl1.as0 by doing
this readvertising and John Frenzel did
not get the bonds either. No. sir: il any
one says that they are not telling the
truth. have acted wholly on my own re-
sponsibility in the matter. and feel as
though q great weight had been taken OF
my mind"
MIR. Frenzel expressed himself as of the
belief that better bid had been received
for the bonds than could be gotten again
If the Controller were 20 advertise them for
two months.