The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-02
THE FAMINE,
Auditor Frederick Calls the
Contractors to a Show
Down.
FOUND THEY WERE BLUFFING.
Supplies Are on Call for at Least Two
Weeks and the Scare Is
over.

Auditor Broderick 'called" the con-
tractors yesterday and discovered at the
showdown that they were not in the
game.
Before noon the Auditor could have stood
on the ground floor of the rotunda and
kissed his hand TO the people on Market
street from above the unroofed tower, such
big man did he grow Immediately follow
ing his successful encounter with the con-
tractors.
The Auditor only did what he intimated
he would do. He told the contractors that
if they declined to furnish the City with
supplies that would be a fracture of their
contracts, in the face of which he would
decline to audit their bills for April.
They read in the morning papers some
thing of his intention to do this, and they
were at his Office early and in body, to
see about it. The Auditor anticipated
busy morning and was at his Office early.
Captain Thomas also looked forward to an
interesting session and had gathered to-
gether all the claims of the contractors and
had placed them on the Auditors table,
and Mr.. Broderick was engaged in looking
over them when knock sounded on his
of well-groomed gentlemen, who have oc-
cupied great deal of the anxious thoughts
of the City Fathers during the past week
or so.
There were Messrs. Scott and McCord,
the hay and grain merchants, A. M.
Ebbets, Thomas Morton and 2. Lynch,
coal dealers; j. f. English, the potato con-
tractor, representatives of the Pacific
Supply Company and T. J. Parsons of the
Del Monte Mill COmDanY
They were disposed to be little naughty
at first and indignant at the mere sugges-
ton which they had read in the news
papers that the Auditor might not audit
the bills for goods which they had already
delivered.
but you have notified the City that you
will not furnish any supplies to-day. That
is breach of your contract and l have no
right to audit your bills if you break your
contract"
1--WE are required to know the condition
of the treasury before furnishing supplies, J"
said Parsons, land it is admitted there is
no money in it for any further supplies.
We don't intend that the City shall get any
further into debt to us"
Every well" said the Auditor with ag-
gravating composure. And then he added:
"In the first place [ don't believe that say
ing about knowing the condition of the
treasury, although / have heard it a good
many times. The time to find out about
the treasury is when you make your con-
tract. The contract is a clean cut affair
without any proVisos to it. 1t requires
you to furnish supplies through the year.
If you fail to do that | will not audit your
bills for April"
There was pause in which these con-
tractors-who for the past several days
have been carrying their chins a little
higher than usual in their confidence that
they had the City where they wanted it
looked at one another in disguised sort
of astonishment,
One of them intimated that the Auditor
could be compelled to audit the bills and
that his bondsmen might be held respon-
sible.
Every well,'' said the Auditor 'The
Finance Committee has been trying to find
some means of getting this matter into
court. 1t will no doubt please them if
you lead the way. They would prefer to
be defendant anyhow / am sure"
The contractors easily realized that he
had the best of it. 'If we go on furnish
ing supplies we will simply lose by it,
said Parsons.
perhaps so, but contract is contract
I have known plenty of men who lost
money by them, but who were, neverthe-
less, required to complete them"
Suppose we continue to furnish supplies
get decision in the matter from the SUI
preme Court?"
"All right" said Broderick.
"Will you sign our warrants then?"
81 may; l will let you know at that
time"
'But if you don't promise we stop right
here"
But they didn't. Broderick stuck close
to his text and kept cool about it and grad
ually the disguised contractors clambered
down off their perch and got on to foot
ing with him. Broderick then assured
them that there would be some $4,000 in
the treasury after the payment of the April
bills and that money would be coming in
all right as time went on.
They finally agreed to go on furnishing
needed supplies for at least two weeks, and
in the meantime they will do something
themselves in the way of getting opinions
from the court.