The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-08-25
THE SECRET GIVEN OUT!
The Mayor, Council and FL
nance Committee Make
Deals With
Capt. Barker, and the People
Commanded to Submit to
Their DEGREES.
The Telegram Boldly Endorses
The Wicked Deal to Rob
The City.
'THE ERBDGlNt. CONTRACTS
of WCdnc day.


matter now being bufetcd about be-
tween the common council and the
board of public works which the Even
ing Telegram Will not pretend to dis
cnse, and that is the legal phrase Of it.
No legal question can be settled by
any lawyers opinion or by, the opinion
of any set Of lawyers. The opinion of
the best lawyers in the United States
frequently set as n9ught by the courts,
consequently when lawyers disagree,
the city and the public must use their
best Judgement.
No one will deny for one moment that
the person most concerned as To the
validity Of the bonds to be issued for
this harbor work are the owners of the
bonds IfCapt. Barker should get the
work and be satisfied with the validity
of the bonds, is he not the person who is
taking all the chances? So much and
no more about the legal statue of the
matter.
The contract must be let to be paid
for in bonds, if the work is to be done
this summer.
The bids for cash therefore can not be
considered.
If the job is let to Capt. Barker there
is a rebate of $, 100 coming to the city,
really making the price of the work III
bonds less than any other bond bid.
The mayor and finance committee of
the city practically pledged themselves
last spring to give this contract to Capt.
Barker provided the captain threw up
his old contracts for the same work,
which Capt. Barker did.
IF the contract be awarded any one
else but Capt. Barker, the city sinking
fund will be short l.! per cent of $43 900
and there is no way to make it good.
whether it was good sense or bad
sense at the time, the fact remains that
the finance committee and the council
made such a deal with Barker last spring
that they made it practically impossible
10 give this work TO any one but Barker.
We want the work done now, gentle
men of the council and Mr.. Mayor, and
lyon will let some short sighted, blindlv
prejudiced member ofthe board of pub
lie works get on his bicycle and run
abort town to interfere successfully
with 'public improvements, it is about
time the public knew 1t,
We do think the city got into a scrape
when it made the deal with Capt. Barker
lao h., l., - i
the city must stand by it. Capt Barker
has got the best Of the city, and is get
ting undoubtedly a good thing; he will
make some money, but the city cannot
help it. The city made its own bed.
st must lie in it, and have done with it.
If the mayor and council cannot get
the thing fixed and let somebody get to
work at once, then the mayor and com
mon council, and not the board of pub
lie works, should be abolished.
After reading the above from the or
gan of the administration and and Capt.
Barker, no honest citizen can ask for
the adjustment of the board of public
works. The board may not he perfect,
or all we would desire, but it is, ali the
same, check upon the council, and
may expose fit cannot avert, its shame
tui acts Of Jobhcry.
Here is a clean confession of con
spracy to insult public Justice, entered
into months ago. The job was promiS-
Ell to Capt. Barker last spring and the
late bidding was Il mere formalitv TO
deceive the people, and most of the
people would have been deceived, and
the truth never known, had not the
board of public works shown such de-
cidcd opposition to such fragrant viola
tons of all law and Justice
According to the Telegram Capt Bar
ker has the city fast within his grasp
and can do what he Will with it, and he.
of course, demands his full pound of
flesh. This talk about the questionable
quality of the bonds is all bosh. Fit be
true, where does the city get its author
ity for issuing " bonds of questionable
validity " under any circumstances?
Capt. Barker is not taking that kind
Of paper for his work; or if he does it
Is understood that his servant, 20 coun-
ell, Will take money raised for other
purposes and redeem his paper on de-
maud, rs on former occasions. But the
great trouble with the captain is, he
wants to get to work on his fat take "
80 that he can get it done and his cash
safe in his pocket this fall He fears
the people may become enraged and
elect different class of men for couu-
cilmen next spring, and he would then
never get the job.
This one transaction should be enough
TO open the eyes of the people of this
city as the record their officials are
making for them.
The late strike cost this cn,Dtrr -,