The morning call., 1894-10-21
LAW TO HIMSELF.
Registrar Evans Knows
No Other.
HE ORDERS THE BALLOTS.
The Election Commission Is
AStoniShed.
THE BILL WILL NOT BE AUDITED.
A $1,000 Job Given Out Without
Inquiring the Probable Price.
Bids Called For.


Mr.. Registrar Evans has, from the first
DAY of the sitting of the Election Commits
sion, been source of great anxiety and care
TO that body. Mayor Ebert is an athletic
man, but it has required all his activity
and strength very many times TO drown,
by beating his desk with his gavel, the
high, blatant voice of the Registrar. which
has a way of disregarding all form and
decorum and moving on and on and on.
without regard TO time or ordinary re-
mon STRANGE.
He has come to be common nuisance
so far as the commission is concerned,
| disregarding its orders and wishes right
along doing and undoiDg things that lie
wholly within the province Of the CON-
mission and entirely careless Of its re-
mOnstrances and protests
| They thought they had become pretty
well acquainted with him, but he unde-
| ceived them at yesterdays session in a
manner that nearly precipitated a panic OF
stonishment.
| The other day the customary daily hos
| iiities were started by Mayor Ellert call
| ing attention to a small advertisement
which Evans had placed In the papers
without stating any previous intention to
the commission. Evans pleaded the ne
! cessity of his having TO act at once in the
| matter, but the Mayor declared that the
| commission meet daily and there was no
excuse for his taking any step entailing
the expenditure of money without at first
consulting the commission about it, Ii
was allowed to pass at that.
Yesterday morning. having no other
special business that il knew of, the CON-
mission was quietly looking over some
| bills when the Registrar incidentally men,
toned that the ballots for the coming
election were now in process of being
printed.
It was impossible to realize the full ex-
tent of this audacity with simple state
lnent.
The Mayor caught his breath and ex-
claimed, "Whatw and the other members
| looked at the Registrar as though a spring
| had been touched, the lid had flown ur
| aid lie had just jumped into view as a
| Jack-in-the- box, all Tigged out with horn
and coat of fur.
The Registrar swung his corpulent
young person back and forth once like g
pendulum. and answered YES" with a
steady stare In bis eye that said as much
as: "This is war and l know it, but ]
have consulted Dan about it. and you
mustn't think I'm afraid"
The Mayor looked down the line OF
Commissioners on his left and then on his
right, and seemed for the first time in his
| official career to have met situation that
confounded him. He waited for some one
else to speak. But all were slow to rise to
the occasion.
tfnn cidar that this sio
has nothing whatever to do with this cleo
tion? ?" inquired the Mayor, quietly, hav.
ing gotten himself in hand.
"Oh. yes, certainly" said Evans 'You
have certain duties, but have mine, too
| The ticket will be printed all right; that is
a part of my business. The law requires
me to have the ballots printed, and am
! attending to it."
''But don't common courtesy require
that you consult the commission about it,
seeing that we are here to look after just
such matters" said Commissioner Block
! disgustedly.
Evans shrugged his shoulders. ''This
was purely business matter, and it did
not occur TO me that courtesy was called
for, any more than always treat the CON-
mission with courtesy" he said.
TIE Mayor leaned back in his chair and
impaled Evans with one of his long-dis-
tance steady stares as be said icily: 'If
we are 10 have nothing to say in ordering
this work we will certainly have much to
say in paying for it. That work should
be let to the lowest bidder for it, and will
sign no bills that are not contracted that
way"
To this sentiment Broderick readily
assented. and Block added Nor will l."
Cresweli, always cautious and inclined
to smooth rough places, said he would
look into the law of the matter.
ut will only be waste Of time to adver-
tse for bids" said Evans, ''for the only
house in town that can do the work is the
one | have given it tto-Hicks, Judd & Co.
and they can't dc it all, but will share it
with Crocker Sc Co. The ticket will be
18x33 inches In size. and they have the
only press big enough to take the FORM"
II would like to make certain of that, -
said the Mayor. lit seems very impro ba-
ble."
Evans declared that he had Investigated
and knew what he was talking about.
You should have made known your in
vestigations to us and gone about this
UIIuR plUpSEiys k1o IL les WO VIII duFtIlIoe
for bids and pay DO bills for work not or
dered by u.s."
'slf you try to advertise for bids you will
not get the work done in time, and take
chances on invalidating the election, and
besides, II the bill Is not considered exor-
bitans. the court will compel you to pay it,
and"
But by this time the Mayor had gotten
his gavel working in good form. and
stopped 1t long enough to tell Evans that
the commission was well able TO conduct
its business without his advice.
"What was the amount you agreed upon
for the work ?" inquired Block.
mo price was fixed" said Evans. "The
printer said the price would be reasona ole
The figure last year was about $1,000, but
it will probably be more this year."
And you fixed no pricep" reiterated
lie Mayor.
No"
The enormitY of this offense against
business methods again deprived the COM
mission of voice for a moment. and then
the Mayor remarked that bids should be
called for. 1t was decided not to adyer-
tise, but to communicate direct with all
the printers IL the city. This done. the
commission, incapable of any other work
for the time being. adjourned.