The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-07

the sewers. the contractors have been per-
mItted to ignore the contracts: and incap-
United the taxpayers to be grossly i'm
posed upon by their acceptance Of work not
honestly done. or not done AT all. Public
improvements have been made without re-
gard TO the rights or wishes OF property
owners. Costly improvements nave been
forced upon the small property owners In
depressing and impoverishins them. while
thoroughfaTes In the business centers have
remained unimproyed ct the behest OF rich
holders of property. who had influence
with the administration"
IL will be recalled by most OF the citizens
OF the South Side that one OF the first I'M
provements laid by the city after the new
charter went into effect was on CoDurn
street. The brick pavement Was built By
Robert Remington. and has been a source
IL Is now in a deplorable state, and mas
needed repairs for several years, but mas
never had a new brick put into II since
the day IL was put down. At the present
time the city is having trouble with 1T and
a lawsuit lis the inevitable result Inc con-
tractor has refused to repair II. although
II was built under the ordinary guaranty oi
five years. The reason he gives for his re-
fusa1 is that the repairs are not such as ne
Is bound TO make. He says The workmanship
entire fault is that the material with which
the street was built Is not OF sufnclentiy
good quality 10 stand the wear. he claims;
however, that this is not his fault, and
that IL he had been notified that he was
using material not up TO the necessary
standard he would have used better, out
Democratic engineer and his assistants,
after a careful inspection and proper tests.
he is not responsible for the city's negli-
gence in not knowing whether the brick
were good enough. He says he bought
them, or. rather. submitted samples and
then bought them. believing they were OF
proper quality. The samples were exam
med by the city engineer and were pro-
nounced good. and when the brick were de-
livered on the street there was some talk
about them not being of good enough quail
enough. and authorized him TO put them
in the street. With this Statement Of facts.
IL has been looked upon as somewhat doubt
full IL the city can main tain its claim for
the relayfng of the surface where 1t Is
worn out. Mr.. Remington says he will
wait till the five years o. the guarantee are
up and then demand the 70 per cent OF
the contract price which has been held for
security for repairs, and III ii is not turned
over to him he will sue the city for II.
This IS the history of the part the Demo
cratic party played in this matter; the
Republican side is different. The present
administration has always maintained that
Remington was as much at fault in put
ting in soft brick as was the Democratic
administrator in knowingly permitting II,
and that he Is therefore responsible for
Board of Works and the one that preceded
ii attempted to compel Remington to make
WAS finally decided to wait until the guar
anty ,sxpires. which Will be In December.
1896. and then have the street placed in a
city and charge the amount to- the fund
held by the city for the guarantee OF the
work.
With this street built by Remington con-
tinually in a bad cond...on, and he refus-
ing to make repairs. the Democratic adj
ministration continued to give him con-
tracts. and up TO the change in the admin
istration, two years ago. he had built the
following streets: In 1S91-Coburn street,
from East street to Madison avenue. In
1s92-Pearl street. from Pennsylvania to
from South street to the Union tracks;
Court street. from Alabama to East;
South street. from Pennsylvania to Del
Vermont street to Michigan. All of these
are brick streets, and wherever they are
much used. are In bad condition. The last
change Of the administrator two years
ago.
There was a change when the new Board
of Works took charge of the affairs. 1t
Immediately announced that no more con-
tracts would be let TO any contractor who
had been remiss in his duties. and from
that time on Mr.. Remington was refused
recognition by the board, with the result
that no more such streets as he built have
been put down in the city. He is not the
only one that has had similar treatment.
tinually since hat time to refuse to open
a bid submitted by a contractor known
TO be unreliable. or IL the bids have been
opened BY mistake they have been thrown
aside without being considered. 1t was
only a few days ago that. when the bids
were opened for the White river inter
cepror, there was one from a tabooed con-
tractor. The board Immediately announced
that IL would not be considered, and would
not have been opened il Ii had known who
submitted II. This has been the uniform
practice of the Republican Board of Works.
which has endeavored to do the best that
could be done for the interest of the prop