Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1896-01-29
Politics, Dirty Politics.
WAS WHAT II. D. RYDER CALLED THE SEN
sATION SPRUNG BY GEORGE A. WESTON.
Annual Corporation Meeting Adjourned until
Next Monday Nlght.-C. S. Moore Demands
Investigation OF Charges. l.. N.
Read Appointed to Investigate and Report.
Bad Blood and Much Talk.

Investigation OF Charges.--Judge l.. N.
Read Appointed to Investigate and Report.
Bad Blood and Much Talk.
All day yesterday it was talked on the
streets, in the shops, and in the mills that
there was going to be fun at the annual
corporation meeting in the opera house in
the evening. 1t was said that the Weston
and Ryder cohorts would lock horns and
an exciting contest would result. 1t is
well known that Mr.. Weston and Mr.. Ry-
der, two of the present board of bailifis,
have not always thought alike on matters of
public policy, nor always worked together
tremendously. Previous to the meeting
Mr. Weston's supporters were quite conf
dent that the measures he advocated would
be supported by the voters Of the corpora
ton. 1t was even intimated that Mr.. Ry-
der, who had fall Sunday, was playing
sick because he did not care to come to
the meeting and face sure defeat. The
election of moderator was considered by
some test of strength between the con-
tending factions, and it may fairly be said
that Mr.. Weston's supporters so far are
! aucdl. buJ lllc Gnu Is IlOJ yCl, lHc Uu-
journed meeting next Monday night will
draw a larger house than any other show
/ this season. 5E
BY 7.30 o'clock between 400 and 800
voters had assembled. The meeting was
called to order by Moderator George A.
i Weston and Clerk F. A. Bolles read the
warrant The first article was taken up,
the election of moderator. j. II. Blakley
nominated A. n. Swain and Eugene f.
Keefe, George A. Weston. The result of
the ballot showed that l56 votes had been
cast, 70 being necessary for a choice. OF
these j. H. Williams had !, A. n. Swain
j 80, and George A. Weston 96, and MIR.
4 Weston was declared elected and grace
fully accepted the honor i'll a few well
chosen words.
AUDITORS REPORT.
The second article called for the reports
of the various officers for the past year.
and the auditors report was taken up. 1t
was moved by some one in the back of the
house and seconded by laughter that the
report be taken up by reclamation. 1t
was then moved that it be taken up by
departments. The report Of the water
department was considered and accepted.
The report OF the street department was
then called, and Mr.. Weston stated that a
claim for over $3.50 belonging to A. l..
Adams for concreting had not been allowed
by the board of bailiffs. Ryder had signed
an order for the payment Of the claim, but
he and Higgins had refused to sign the
order, he himself considering the claim too
much and an improper one.
d. p Higgins said that he did not sign
the order because Adams charged 60 cents
per square yard for walks and 70 cents for
crossings, and he had understood that
another party had offered to do the work
for 45 cents.
At this iuncture there was little spar
ring and insinuations about money sticking
to fingers, etc. c. S. Moore, superinten-
dent of the street department, got the
floor and and said that he had been very
wrongfully accused. A man named Pike
from Lancaster, n. H., had some talk with
! him about doing the work, but after inves-
i tigation, he became convinced that Mr..
! Adams work was the better and so engaged
him.
j Mr.. Weston then went into details
about prices and offers. One man had
offered to do it for 80 cents, and he had
/ in his pocket Pixies affidavit made in the
opera house that night that he had offered
to do the work for IS cents. According
/ to what Mr.. Moore had stated to Mr.. Iiig-
gins, Mr.. Pike had said that if there
was $500 worth of work the job would be
worth 5000 to the officials
/. GETS HOTTER AND HOTTER.
st this iuncture in response to request
| by S. j. Cray that the whole matter be
gone into, Mr.. Weston produced an order
/ for $20l so bearing date Of December
/ 1894, for concreting, made payable to A.
L. Adams or G. S. Moore and signed by
H. d. Ryder, David Savage, and j. A.
! Eaton, then the board of bailitfs. He said
/ that the g or G. S. Moore" was in differ
ent handwriting from the rest of the order,
and that c. 5. Moore alone had Endorsed
the order and drawn the money. Suspect
ii ing some irregularity he showed the order
to Mr.. Eaton first with the " or c. s.
Moore" covered and Mr.. Eaton said it was
his handwriting. He then showed him the
remaining phrase, and Mr. Eaton trembling
with excitement declared with much empha-
sis that the phrase was not his handwriting.
Mr.. Savage also declared that the words
sor C. s. Moore" which were written in
small letters were not on the order when
he signed it.
RYDER PRICKs THE BUBBLE.
/ Excitement began to run high. Even
the man who wanted to take up the report
by reclamation had forgotten his hilarity.
/ One could hear pin drop. II. d. Ryder
! got the floor and said that the whole sensa-
ton had been sprung for politics, dirty
politics. The words g. or c. S. Moore
had been put on the order by order of the
baiiffs, he thought he put them there HIM
self and it was done to facilitate business
inasmuch as Mr.. Adams was not in town
and had no authorized agent here to sign
his orders. He said the order was all
! right. and the whole thing had been done
/ to kill Mr. Moore politically because some
/ body else wanted his job.
1t was suggested that Judge L. NJ. Read
be asked to investigate the insinuations
against C.. s. Moore. and Mr.. Moore said
he should be very glad to have the matter
investigated, in fact he would not run for
any office until he was proved innocent.
The report of the street department was
accepted, and DIR. Edward Kirkland moved
:. that Judge l.. NJ. Read be appointed to
investigate and report on all alleged irreg
ularities on the part of the corporation for
the past five years. George Ii. Babbitt