The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-03-21

Mayor Cox's veto of the sidewalk con-
| tract was the talk of the town yesterday.
| SO much has been said about 1t, that the
aldermen who supported IL, have felt the
| necessity of an explanation. Here 1t Is:
To the Editor Of the Eagle.
VIII you allow space to the undersigned
members of the city council TO say some
! ching TO the taxpayers about the celebrat-
| ed sidewalk contract which has been ad-
vertlsed and contract for the construction
| OF same awarded several times by three
| fourths or more OF the members or the
council voting in the Affirmative.
Ga June 10. 1898. petition from
many citizens OF the Second ward
asked that pavement sidewalk, twelve
feet wide, be made on the w-sJ side OF
Main street from Douglass TO Elm street.
After much objection by some of US (as
much of the property was vscsnt) the peti-
ton was granted and owners given thirty
days to construct the walk.
Only small per cent complied with
the order and stone, cement, brick aud
jasperite were used, and being put on
proper grades, left the street almost i'm
psssa BILE, the old walk being much below
grade. On November 10 the city clerk
was ordered To advertise fer bids To con-
struct all unfinished walk on Main and
fifty feet on Market street.
Bids were opened November q, and Mr..
SYMPTOMS was ls1z per foot for cement,
Bull and Smith Is cents land Doth parties
had been building walk on the same street
for II and IL cents. Mr.. Kepley's Was 12$i
cents for vitrified brick besides the agree
ment 20 have all the walk completed IN
forty-five days. The contract was awarded
to him by vote of 10 to l, the mayor be-
ing absent, the president OF council being
in the chair aud the city attorney and
engineer present. Mr.. kepley a. once
ordered his material sent from Topeka be-
fore the city had found an error on its
part, in regard to specifications, which
error was corrected and another advertise
ment made and bids were again opened,
December IL. This time Mr. Sumption
and Bulla e. Smith bid 1614 and ~ cents
for the cement and Mr.. Kepiey l2s4 for
brick, and he again got the contract, and
four weeks afterward the mayor vetoed
this contract for the reason that the stat
ute required an ordinance passed talthough
the city had been having walks con-
structed without this ordinance). lie was
passed January IS and thirty days more
given property owners. The time having
expired, bids were advertised for and
opened March Il. Mr. Sumption had bids
for two kinds of cement walk Ut 1511l add
ID 4, Bulla q Smith cement 10 and Drick
81 Mr.. Kepiey vitriiied brick 123I, and
oGher bids for stone aud bricks, but tue 81
was the lowest of any, yet nine OF the
tHbtFt DeIi6bluS Iudt Tue
award to Mr.. kepley was made in good
faith by all parties, and having brought his
material here with the understanding that
all WAS right, and then after the contract
was given him and other parties knew his
bid. they offered to do it for less changing
their bids three times for the same kind OF
walk felt that it was just aud right for
him To have the contract. acting the same
for the city as we would il i'll our indi-
vidual contracts.
Kepley's bid was about 5000 the lowest,
when We first let it, and it was no fault OF
his that we had not complied with law.
Should any of us want house built and
our workman here would ask 81 $40 and n
Topeka man would offer to do it for 81 200.
and after we let the Topeka man have the
contract we would not then give it to our
home mechanic even at $500.
Hoping that the citizens will fully in-
vestigate all our actions before censuring,
and believing that we have done our duty
to the city and acted fairly with all con-
cerned, we are, respectfully.
j. II. MCCALL,
r p. FAIRIES.
JAMES W. b RToN,
p >. MELLINGER,
w. l.. JOHNSON,
c. O. ALBERTS,
G. L. HORNER.