The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-09
ogden. Dec. 9.
THE ROADS CONTRACT.
Sealed Bids VIII Be Received Up to
Noon Today.


ITO the Contractors Of Weber
County: Up till 10 o'clock today sealed
bids will be received at the court house
for the construction Of two roads UP
Ogden canyon, beginning at WinsloW
and running one to Eden, the other 10
Huntsville. Further information may
be had by APPLYING to the board OF
county commissioners.
Still further information may be had
by the perusal of a few facts mere
given.
In the Judgment of hundreds of cih--
zens of this county, including some OF
its best attorneys, if the contract is let
ii will be let illegally, and can not Dlnd
the county. 1t is generally conceded
that the three members OF the Doard
of county commissioners who VIII nave
charge of the construction or the road
building are opposed to the ROADS being
constructed at the county's expense
They are opposed to it on general bust
ness principles, in addition TO the cppo-
sition, on the ground of the action be-
ing Illegal,
illegal
Some of the grounds on which the
opponents base their claims Of Illegal
ity are as follows:
The law plainly states that MAJOR
ity of the freeholders OF a precinct N
which a road exists must petition for a
change before such change can De
made.
The power company claim TO nave
received a majority Of the names or
the freeholders of Eden to a petition
for the change of the road. A large
number of Eden residents deny this,
Among them are some whose names
are on the petition They come out
with a counter petition, setting forth
hal NV
representation, undue influence and
trichery, and that they formally with
draw their names. But assuming that
they have not the right to Withdraw
their names, it is still denied that they
constitute a majority of the Eden free
holders. A large majority of the actual
citizens of Eden are known to be on
posed to the county changing the road,
unless il is done at the expense o. the
corporation making that change neces-
sary The resolution providing for the
changes were rushed through at a
special meeting of the commissioners,
for fear they would be enjoined from
making a contract so Instantaneous
with the Pioneer Electric Power COM
pany. But supposing that a majority
of the Eden freeholders did petition, the
employees of the power company seem
TO have overlooked something, even
though they We're working under the
The freehOlders of Huntsville have
as much to say as those of Eden in
the matter of closing the present
county road. No petition from Hunts
vile freeholders has asked for the
closing of the old road yet part of the
old road is in Huntsville precinct. It
is stated that such a fact does not
appear on the map from which con-
tractors are asked to prepare the bids
but The Herald has already pointed
out that that map was prepared, not
by the county surveyor, but by an
engineer for the Power company. 1t
was prepared at a time when the
chairman of the board for the county
and the right of way agent for the
power company-both offices held
by one individual E w Wade
had not expected that a petit
ton from either Eden or Huntsville
would have to be sought. Part of
Huntsville precinct is left off the map
and when the proposed dam is built
part of the roadway to Huntsville viii
be under water. With all their fine
work il looks as if the gentlemen had
overlooked a very material condition.
It is not so easy as it first appeared
to override the will of the voters of
Weber county even though every
newspaper published in that county
argues in favor of the plan.
But the spectacle of how the county
commissioners attempt to subserve the
will of the corporation is humiliating
in the extreme. Undoubtedly the COM
nissioners will attempt to let the con-
tract today. Probably no effort will
be made to enjoin them. When they
attempt to carry out an illegal con-
tract then is the time to stop them
It is the business of the contractors
TO look out that they are not damaged.