The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-29
GO AHEAD.
.Flimsy Pretexts to Stop Build
ing of the Bridge.
The People of Topeka Want the
Bridge.
THEY VOTED FOR 1T.
Willing to Pay $4,000 In
Guiding Plans and All.
Commissioners Should Delay the
Matter No Longer.
LET'S GO ON GROWING
And Not Fall Into the Fossil
iferOus Habit
Of Opposing Every Public I'M
provement That's Projected.

The people of Shawnee county have
Just said in emphatic votes, by an over
whelming majority that they want
Melan arch bridge across the Kansas
river to cost about $135,0OO, plans and
all.
The county commissioners are the
agents of the people to carry out and ex-
ecute the will SO plainly expressed.
Let the commissioners proceed with
their duty.
Don't let Instructors of public progress
or the minority which has been opposed
to the bridge all along now defeat this
great and needed public improvement.
The Capital has spoken against the
new bridge 1t says now the new struc-
tnre is to be a mud bridge" Before
election that paper supported the pro-
posed bridge, but it is a well known fact
that John r. Mulvane has been an op-
ponent of the bridge proposition from
the start, and it is not surprising that the
Capital should come out against it, since
that gentleman has assumed the man
Agement of that paper,
The people understood what kind of a
bridge was to be built, and many of them
understood that the Melan bridge had
been approved by the best engineers in
the country. The commissioners knew
1t was a patent bridge when the PROPOSE
ton was submitted. These same COM
nissio1ers asked the Melan company to
furnish an estimate of the cost and this
was submitted to the board at $135.OO0
and the estimate included the price of
the plans and the royalty.
The people fully understood that the
bridge was to cost in the neigh borhood
0f G12E mn and the CanifaI vuOnid
have them believe that the commissioners
are to pay several thousand dollars extra
for plans, when the original estimate in
cluded the cost of plans, royalty and
everything else.
Another fact that has escaped these
obstructors is the fact that if there was
no patent on the bridge the plans would
cost slmost as much. In fact the board
had almost made a contract with H. Y.
Hinckley to furnish the plans at 5 per
cent. which is only 212 per cent less than
asked by the Melan company; and Mr..
Hincklev knew absolutely nothing about
Melan bridges. The board can better af-
ford to pay little more on the assurance
that the work would be done by the
Melan company than to employ an engi-
neer who knows nothing about the kind
of bridge to be built
Even if the county must pay one or
two Thousand dollars extra to the Melan
company for royalty on the patent that
much and more would be spent within a
year for repairs on the old bridge.
What the people of Topeka and Shaw
nee county want is the bridge and the
sooner work can be commenced the bet
ter. There is no doubt about the Meian
bridge being a safe structure and it can
be built cheaper than other bridges of
the same style. The piers should be
built in the winter because in the spring
the high water will interfere.
Let the commissioners proceed with
the letting of the contract in such way
as to allow of the freest competition
The bridge has been decided on. The
money has been voted Quit threshing
old straw. Let us progress and build
and quit discussing things that have
been settled and get to work.