The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-15
COT IT Second handed
Dunn Bros. Awarded Monroe Avenue
Paving Contract.
FIRST GIVEN TO BARBER co.
Bat When Five Barber Adhercnts Had
Gone Home the Dunn Men Moved
u Reconsideration aud Car.
ricd thc Day.

Common council last night voted to
award the Monroe avenue paving con-
tract to Dunn Bros. for 1928 per square
yard which IL 50 cents a yard less than
the Barber Asphalt Paving company
proposed to do it for.
1t may be possible that several of the
common councilmen will be greatly sur
prised upon reading this to learn that
the Barber company did not get the
job, for they voted with majority of
| their brethren to give it to them, heard
the chairman decide that the Barber
| people were awarded the contract and
went home assured that the Barber
| people had the contract.
But the Barber people haven't got the
| contract and the reason that they
haven't got 1t is this going home of
| these several members.
1t was this way.
AL the members of council, with the
exception of Mr.. Seamans, We're pres
ent when the matter of awarding the
| contract came from the paving COM
| mittee, and by vote of 10 to 1t was
decided in favor Of the Barber Asphalt
| company. AS the meeting progressed
the attendance thinned out, and by the
| time the ninth order of business was
reached there were only fourteen men,
bers present. Chairman Grier, who
/ W as Il buIiIi IIlhIl. HaPpCiiCu W oiHV up
the body at this juncture, and discovered
that the five men who had departed
were all Barber adherents. J
| While Mr.. Keller held the councils
rapt attention with a red-hot speech
| against suburban counclmen making
themselves perniciously active in the
affairs Of his and the other central
wards. Mr. Grier called Mr. Oliver and
MIR. Flanaghan to the desk and hur
Lat, III hi Ia lob
caused their eyes to open. The whis-
pered message was passed to each of
the Dunn supporters and by the time
Mr.. Keller got through talking clever
| scheme had been arranged.
Before the five remaining Barber
people could collect their wits, council
had returned to the third order of busi-
ness, leconsidered the Monroe avenue
paving contract. tabled the resolution
awarding the Job to the Barber Asphalt
company and adopted a resolution CIV
ing II to Dunn Bros.
WOULD NOT EXCUSE HIM.
Mr.. Zeidler. a Barber man, started a
movement to break a quorum, but
Chairman Grier would not excuse him.
He started to 60 without permission,
but Mr.. Keller frightened him into
staying by saying he would prefer
also told him in fatherly kind of
way that he would get himself into
trouble if he left without being regu-
larly excused. The other four Barber
men were headed for the door. hat In
hand. but could not resist the tempta
ton to see what Zeidler who stood on
the threshold. was going to do, and as
a consequence the whole thing. which
required about a minutes time, was
| haf tn hat hot
they at least would not have been sent
to Jail If they had rushed out and there
by broken the quorum.
| With "A smile that was aggravating
in the extreme. Mr.. Keller. at the con-
summation of the clever coup. turned to
Mr.. Zeidler and said: You may go
now" Yes. you may go now." chimed
in Chairman Grier. And Mr. Zeidler
went.
This paving fight was one of the hot
test battles that was ever waged in
common council. After being besieged
by the representatives of the two COM
panics and two factions of the property
holders for the last two weeks, the COM
mittee last night brought in two re-
ports, the majority report, signed by
Messrs. Noone, WenZel. McGrail and
Gordon favoring the Barber bid, and the
minority report signed by Mr. Keller,
| U
tract to Dunn Bros.
MR. KELLER'S SPEECH
Mr.. Keller made a lengthy and strong
speech in favor of the minority report,
reiterating his contention that the only
question before the committee and
councils was the selection Of the lowest
responsible bidder and that the quality
of material and all that was a matter
which the ordinance and specifications
leaves entirely in the hands of the city
engineer. He also took occasion to re-
mark that he could not see what could
. influence councilmen to vote to virtual
ly rob THE people of the four blocks of
Monroe avenue out of So, 100 as they
proposed to DO In voting to give the
contract to the Barber Asphalt COM
pany. He showed how the city and
property holders would be protected
even in case Dunn Brothers should de-
, fault or fe.il to live up to their contract
and argued that it was establishing a
bad precedent to award a contract to
, the higher bidder, discouraging COM
petition and bringing criticism on the
body. Mr.. Keller concluded by pre-
/. majority of the property holders pray
ing that the low bid be accepted.
Captain Moir, in whose ward are three
!. | of the blocks which are to be paved.
also spoke in favor of the Dunn bid.
Mr. McGrail got himself heartily
, laughed at by getting up at this juno
, ture and making an explanation that
didn't explain, to wit: That he and
other majority members of the commit
a tee were befuddled by the bombardment
of lawyers, asphalt agents and the like
snd brought in their report so that
4, there would be two sides of the Ques-
tion presented and councils could dc
the rest.
. Mr.. Oliver also spoke in favor of the
: Dunn bid along the lines Of Mr.. Keller's
arguments.
VOTE ON THE MATTER.
Q The vote on the adoption of the mi.
t nority report favoring Dunn Brothers
was then taken and resulted as follows
Ayes-Loftus, Simon Thomas, X. =.
Thomas, Flanaghan. Moir, oliver, Keller
Grier-S.
. Nays--Gordon. Regan, Glroy, wenzel
Wirth, Sweeney. Nealis, Zeidler, Noone
McGrail, Martin-l1.
!. Mr. Flanaghan said he was surprised
g that councilmen could bring themselve.
: to so openly beat the people. 1T Is {
$ shame" he said, "a black mark on tn,
4 council and a thing that will be remem
bered by the constituents of those whit
!. have stood up here and voted ava,
J. peoples rights and money"
3. Mr.. Keller said that the stand he hat
o taken was said by the city solicitor t,
i be good law. The city engineer Is tn
e man to Judge Of the material that vii
go into the pave. and the councilman
y who votes against the low bidder con
IS stitutes himself judge. Mr.. Kelle
org,ied and n1eaded with Tho ruop,hor ~