Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-05-10
The New WhatcOm City Council Cut
ting GOrdian Knots
A MATERIAL MANS CHARGE
Secret and Open Sessions of the Coun-
ell Yesterday Accomplish
But Little Work

Inc New WnatcOm city council met
in adjourned session at 2:3O yesterday
afternoon. Mayor Slade and Council
men Cooper, Taylor, Roeder and STEM
ger were present at roll call
After roll call Cooper said as there
were three councilmen absent he did
not propose to take up any business
until those members were present. 1t
was an important meeting and these
councilmen represented their wards
and should be here.
Mayor Slade said they could send
out posse Of police and bring in the
absent members.
While the advisability Of senling the
city marshal after the absent ones was
being discussed, Arnold came in, and
Deputy Clerk Appleby telephoned
Likins and Cosgrove to put in an ap-
pearance forthwith under pain of being
escorted to the council room by the
marshal.
Taylor wanted the full council pres
ent. He didn't want Cosgrove or any
other councilman, after the business
was transacted, to say, "If | had been
there this thing would not have been
dOne,n etc.
The clerk reported that Councilman
Likins was on his way to the council
room, and business began by empower
ing the janitor to procure stoves and
place them in the vaults to dry them
out.
Likins arrived; and a communica-
ton was read and filed from Long d
Merritt, city hall contractors, explain
ing their position in regard to their
bill for extra work.
The mayor thought to act intelli-
gently on the great amount of business,
growing out of the city hall contract,
the council should go into executive
session, get along as it were and con-
slider the various matters intelligently.
Cooper did not want to consider this
matter in open session. When he got
through considering what bills the city
should pay, he was willing that every
body should know it.
Taylor remarked that the law pro-
vided that the councils business should
be done publicly, and Cooper interpola-
ted the remark that he didn't want 10
hold a star chamber session, merely to
get out the bottom facts.
A warrant was ordered drawn in
favor Of the city marshal for $40 on ac-
count of rebate of taxes TO William
Lemm, and the council adjourned to a
committee room and went into secret
session.
So far as could be learned from some
Of the councilmen the "secret session.
was fiat stale and Improbable, and no
headway was made in coming to de-
termination of what the council should
do to unravel the knotty problem
growing out of the city hall contract.
SO the secret conclave adjourned until
Z o'clock.
NIGHT SESSION.
The council again reassembled at :
o'clock and went into secret session
once more, and at 9:l5 they came into
the council room and at once passed
the following city hall accounts:
w. NJ. Frizzell S221.49; +. Il. Croft,
S79.S7; Roeder d Roth, S445.57; Shahan
d Booker, l,lS5.2l.
When the account Of Shahan d
Booker was about to he voted upon, Il.
A. Long objected, and warned the
council to go slow on that bill. There
was halt and attorneys, contractors
and councilmen joined in the discus
sion. Shahan d Booker were allowed
81, ,ll5.04. Then the following accounts
were allowed:
Frank Mcdonald, S29.55; Stoddard d
Hem, Sl22S5; Underwood d Minturn,
$2S.55; Miller d Sons, S472.53; b. b.
Iron Works, S2i3.25; w. l.. Miller.
S1.35; b. B. d B. G.. r., Sl4.OI; R. G.
Stephens, $50; II. G. Watson, $40; II. L
Morse, S65.55; j. II. Mcleod, S2l2. rs;
o. p. Having, $2l; j. &. Lake, $40. 80;
A. Philbrick, 1856: j. Baker, S377. so:
A. Tennant, $5.59; j. II. Taylor, SO: b.
B. Water Co., S33.95; B. b. National
bank, 1854: w. Schmidtlapp, S2.55, II.
J. Smith, S3l.3O. Peters q Miller.
$5775O; L A. Seal, 1902. 10; Fairhaven
Land Co., 1875.
When the claim of the Portland
brick company was reached Roeder
asked what disposition was to be made
of that, and Cooper and Taylor answer
ed simultaneously that they should
withhold il and let the parties settle 1t
themselves.
Mr. Robertson, of the brick company,
said the last brick had been delivered
eight months ago. The council, it
seemed, had not intended TO pay the
bill; his company was to suffer for the
contractors negligence; they would
have to go to law, and that they didn't
want to do. There was something be-
hind the throne; the majority Of the
council seemed TO stand in with the
contractors.
Taylor said the brick had not been
furnished at the proper time. The
council was annoyed then, the brick
company was annoyed now; the shoe
Waa ON the other foot. He did not