Omaha daily bee., 1893-08-09


simultaneously protested against the city
electrician being heard PrCsidet BcChel sus-
tanned the objections and read the rules,
which provide that a two.thirds vote is
necessary to suspend the rules TO permit
any other than member of the council
speaking upon question under discussion,
when objection is made.
MIR. Howell said that he desired tho in
formation before voting and moved suspen-
sion of the rules.
Points OF order were raised by Mr.. I'd
wards and Mr., Steel and ON the vote the
necessary number for a suspension of the
rules were not recorded.
Explained Their votes.
The roll call then proceeded ana with but
few exceptions the members explained
their votes.
| MIR. Bruner made speech and it was as
| torrid as the temperature of the day. lie
| denounced as an outrage the refusal TO per
| init the electrician to be heard. He said he
was not aware of the movements OF ed
| wards and Steel with the blue print
while in Chicago, but it struck him
| as very peculiar that at the time they were
! at the Worlds fair the request of the city
| electrician for leave of absence was
| denied.
When MIR Howell's name was reached he
| again asked that the city electrician be per.
! mitted to give the information desired and
| he refused to vote until his request was
| granted.
Objections were again made and the
| gentleman from the Seventh passed for the
time being. At the end of the roll call his
name was again called Again did Mr..
| Howell object to voting until he secured the
| information he desired.
President Bechel held that in view of the
| objection the electrician could not address
the council and that MIR Howell under the
rules was compelled to vote.
| MIR. Howell was wrathy by this time, and
| he said: ut is wrong to ask man to vote
on question and at the same time deny him
| the privilege of securing information when
| it is at hand and to be had. | am generally
pretty quiet but when forced believe ]
can be mean, and in this instance as mean as
old Nick himself. You can drive horse to
water, hut you can't compel him to drink.
| That is my case exactly. 1t is wrong to
force me to vote and at the same time deny
| me information which desire"
Upon motion of Mr.. Steel Mr. Howell was
excused from voting.
MIR. Wheeler was the only member voting
against the mayor, the other members sus-
tanning the veto. However, Mr.. Hascall,
Mr., Steel, Mr. Edwards, Mr.. Parker and
Mr.. Prince explained that they were voting
contrary to their own views and the sacri-
flee of conscience was made to permit the
case going to the courts to be decided.
Another Veto from the Mayor.
The second veto from Mayor Bcmis occas-
stoned considerable discussion. 1t was as
follows:
l respectfully report that I have vetoed an
item of $1,000 in the general appropriation
architect and superintendent of the city hall.
In view OF the services rendered by MIR; Bein-
is to me simply astounding that another pay
ment of $1,000 should now be made.
regard this proposed payment OF 81 900 as
reckless and unjustifable expenditures of the
peoples money. The members of this council
aware aWu end Of tho faS but it is fact " everthc
less, that Sl7, ,5Ss.63 has already been paid TO
Mr.. Beindorr for his services as ar, architect and
of this large sum of money have been made
without the existence of any written contract
between the city and Mr., Beindorf but upon
his claim that the same were in accordance
with the architectural charges for profess
board Of architects it is q motors
ious fact, and can be proved beyond
numerous biunders Of the architect the city
has been put to many thousands of dollars OF
eompIotion Of the city hall. it's alsc notori-
| Gus fact, with regard to which there can be no
; reasonable controversy, that Mr. Beindortf has
{ city hall, but that the work of constructing
and eomplsd5n9E the city hT vin hn.
} out any superntendcnce whatever except
by officials of the city and snpetMintsndennt M en- tn
t ceived for his services $l7,5So.6s. This sun
: as made in writing February 1s, 1892, nnc
which covered the sum OF S4,277.5S for ser
vices aS superintendent, ana tne sum OF NlS,
475 for his commission at 3h per cent Of the
e contracts let making IA total of Sl7752,5S
] | Notwithstanding this statement, when practi
+ cally no service whatever has been rendered
: by him since that time, he now proposes Il
I secure from the city treasury the additions
l sum OF 81 900. ! ;pn more than convinced tina
: Mr. Beindorr has already been paid muci
q more than he is entitled to receive
t l do not believe it is just to th
4 taxpayers of the city of Omaha t
6 pay him another dollar; TO continue theS s
= payments from time to time without any deli
o mite settlement is unjustifable outrage ol
3 the taxpayers of the city. 1t is an outrag
j. that should not be permitted. and for the in
IT no councilman may misunderstood the facts
= ! have endeavOred in this message to detal
them somewhat at length.
Mr.. HascaIl Wanted to Know.
Mr. HascaIl and Mr.. Howell wanted t
l. know. MIR. Jacobsen, who introduced tn
J. resolution to allow 81 900, explained that tn
J. architect based this claim upon the advel
a tisemenu for bids for construction of th
V building, and that he was unaware tina
c there was ever a contract executed betwee
a the city and BendOrf
a MIR. Munro favored referring the claim t
2 the city attorney for investigation.
e Mr.. Wheeler read the advertisement
l. which provided that the city should ALLOW
If the architect the rates fixed by the associt
" tions of architects He wanted the veto nc
a sustained and said the mayors words wer
,e mere claptrap and promulgated TO cate
d cheap votes.
IS Mr. Howell thought the gentleman froi
n the Fourth was going little too far. Th
in city is not settling the claim, but is onl
At making a partial assessment.
l. Mr.. Wheeler and Mr.. Hascall compl