Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-22
ABOUT BOGUS REFORM.
The Freak Nature Of the Expiring
City Council.
How It Didn't Know It's Own Mind
in the Matter of the Garbage
Contract-It's Shutting Course
as to the Price Of Natural Gas.
Money Spent MISUNDERSTANDING a
Club House Of the City Hall,


MI.
There are a good many things which
illustrate the ull-headedness, queer dis
position and freaksh nature Of the eN-
piring Republican reform Council. one OF
these was the determination 10 be eXtraV-
agaut generally when it would have been
very much better 10 nave been economi-
cal. another was the set determination to
pass a loan ordinance in the spring and
early summer of 1880, still another was the
dog-in-the-mauger policy as 10 natural
gas. one more was the hXed purpose,
which was carried out, 10 give no relief
TO the crippled gas department out OF the
increased taxation, and again Il was
shown in the garbage contract foolish
ness No matter in what direction you
turn or what is taken up for examination
there is at once discovered tendency TO
spend money reCklessly d contempt lor
precedent and business methods, - u
shuniiug. unstable, facilitating ana lnde-
cisive manner characteristic OF the mem
beers from first TO last Any one Of the
matters We have enumerated will Illus
trate the point. Take the garbage con-
tract Tor example. In February, 1896.
Council ordered advertisements for bids
for the collection of the city garbage for
two years. The bids came to hand
promptly-hfteen Of them-ranging from
s. $40, by Thomas Coffey, 10 $l2,iOO, by
Charles Becker. the latter the old con-
tractor The Committee on Health met
February 2lst. in secret session, opened
the bids ana recommended that the con-
tract be awarded TO Mr.. Becker, the high
est bidder. who was the best garbage
contractor the city had ever had. This
recommendation went TO Council Febru-
airy 18th. and the Second Branch passed
the resolution letting the contract by
majority vote of Is ayes to @ nays. 1t
lacking Il two-thirds majority, the resolu-
ton went over TO the next meeting for
another majority vote. Council met again
March l0,h when the Second Branch
promptly turned on itself and rejected the
contract it had adopted at the previous
meeting. by d vote Of Z to 10, and sent
the whole matter back to the Committee
again for new bids The Committee then
showed it was fully as uncertain a guam
tity as Council, for after asking for and
receiving new bids TO the number of
seventeen. on March sd it turned squarely
around on its decision at its former
meeting. and recommended that Council
award the contract to Thomas Coffey. the
lowest bidder. at his tender OF $500. Then
it was Councils turn again, and at the
meeting of March 2lth the Second Branch.
with "a record of first adopting the highest
sF,.. In -
tracks for the second time and calmly
rejected the lowest bidder by u vote Of 8 TO
p, AS an example Of reform legislation
this was a strictly first class exhibit.
This was the situation when, on the 30th
day of April the old contract between
Mr. Becker and the city expired, and of
course he had to continue to do the work
az the figures called for by the old con-
tract while Council was in the position
of having rejected a bidder who was will
ing to undertake the work for two-thirds
less. and MIR. Becker himself had offered
a bid less than his old contract, which
had likewise been rejected. on May 18th
the Second Branch of Council adopted a
resolution asking the Committee to report
bids for the third time. This was rubbing
10 I'm on Il Committee which had once re-
ported the highest bidder as the best man,
ana again reported the lowest bidder as
the best man, both of which recommended
lions had been cheerful,y and promptly
rejected. 1t was hard to tell what the
Committee would DO next, or what Coun-
ell might give as its next performance.
The new bids came in, fifteen or eighteen
of them. and Mr.. Becker was still the
highest but had scaled his tender from
$l2.l9O TO $1l 800. Although the Committee
had. 10y it's reports. once assured Council
that Sl2l0o was the proper figure, by re-
jecting all lower bids, and again assured
Council that $500 was enough money for
the work, by recommending in the second
report bid of that amount. it promptly
made out a third report. recommending
the highest bidder. and Council, after
having rejected both the former reports
of the Committee, adopted this recon-
meudation Of the highest bidder. by the
decisive vote of 10 to .. the First Branch
promptly concuring. The whole conduct
of the garbage contract affair was about
the worst exhibition of lack of business
methods and regard for the interests of the
city ever seen at theWheeling City Hall.
The Committee on Health appeared to be
willing to recommend anything, from the
highest bid to the lowest. and Councils
action was past an guessing. As REFORM
crs these Councilmeu We're peaches.