St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-29
SOME LITTLE CONTROVERSY.
Como Bridge Superstructure Con-
firned-Another Lighting
Resolution offered.

|
President Copeland. The remaining
eight members were all in attend
ance
The paving contract was taken up
at once, but it was not confirmed
at once, some twenty minutes being
| consumed by discussion, while the
unexpected eXtinguishing of the cleo
trio lights plunged the council cham
Der into darkness for another ten
| minutes. Mr.. Lewis precipitated the
controversy. AS soon as the clerk
had read the report of the board of
public works recommending the
award of the contract to Hennessy
q Cox, in accordance with the spee.-
hcatlonS, which call for granite
tooth1ng adjacent to the rails, Mr.
Lewis raised this point: Inasmuch
as the street railway Companvs
franchise required it to pave the
space between its rails and tracks
with the same material as the city
paVeS its portion of the street, might
not the provision of the contract
calling for granite toothing invali-
date 1T in case either party should
afterwards want to delay or pre-
vent the work? .
William 2. Murray, who was on
hand to represent a number of Wa
basha street property owners, ex-
planned that the specification pro-
Vldlng for granite toothing was in
serted solely for the benefit of the
street railway company, and there
fore no alarm need be felt on that
| score.
STREET RAILWAY TALK.
AT this juncture Mr.. Mum, the at
torney for the street railway COM
pany, remarked, soto voce:
The company hasn't accepted It
YET -
This significant observation was
distinctly audible to MIR. johnson
who promptly rose to his feet and
expressed his opinion of a companv
that would presume to take adyan-
tage of a technicality of this char
| acter
have always stood by the street
railway company" said Mr., .Jobn-
SON. When L was convinced that it
was In the right, and have been
cfltlclsed for so doing, but would
never place any faith in it again if
III should dare to take advantage off q
technical irregularity inserted in the
contract for their sole benefit AS
for me, 1 am going to vote tn con-
Hrm this contract now"
MI. Mum was then permitted to
speak. He disclaimed on behalf of
the street railway company anv in.
tentlon of the company to even at
tempt TO evade its duty in the mat
Ter on the technical grounds re-
ferred to. But there was one most
important matter that the companv
could not overlook. It was the hid
GERS pond, in the sum of $1,000. Mr..
Mum contended that the street rail-
way company was entitled to GER
tain rights in this matter. The COM
pany would insist upon reliable sire
ties, and for that reason preferred
10 nave a bond signed by a re-
sponsibie surety company. mas
much as the paving contractors had
given ten-year guaranty to main
tain the pavement for that length
OF time, and as it would be neces.
sary to repair that portion of the
pavement between the tracks sew.
eral times during that period Mr.
MUM argued that a surety COM
pany would be preferable to indi-
| vldual sureties who might die or
leave the city or otherwise become
insufficient.
The sureties on the bond of Hen
messy d Cox are James G. Dom
nelly and A. H. Rogers. Mr.. Mum
however, made no reference to these
particular gentlemen. In response
TO his argument, Mr.. Johnson re-
minded Mr. Mum that if the con-
tractors had been compelled to fur
nlsh surety company's bond, which
would cost them something, thew
would have added that cost to their
bid, but as there was no such un-
Outstanding they bid accordingly.
and If the street railway company
was anxious to have the contractors
furnish bond signed by a surety
company, why they could pay the
cost thereof, and doubtless Hennessy
& Cox would gladly furnish such a
bond.
Mr.. Mum made no reply to this,
and the discussion ended. Then the
clerk called the roll on the motion
of MI. Parker to confirm the contract
1t resulted in ayes and mo-" Mr..
Robb, who opposed the final order,
voted in the affirmative. Vice Pres
ident Van Sykes name was the
last called. In explaining his vote,
Mr.. Van Slyke said:
81 desire to say that while voted
against the final order because
am opposed to asphalt pavements
on business streets, I shall vote
against awarding this contract fol-
an entirely different reason. I am as
heartily in favor of street improve
ments as any member of this coun.
Gil, and will never stand here as
an obstructionist, but also wish to
declare that I will never vote tc
award any contract so long as one
of the sureties on the bond in this
instance appears. I vote no."
The clerk then announced the vote
as standing to 1, and Vice Presi.
dent Van Slyke declared the con.
tract to be confirmed.
COMO. AVENUE BRIDGE.
The assembly met and confirmed
the contract for building the super
structure of the Como avenue bridge
1t was about to adjourn when. Mr..
| Reardon handed up petition