The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1897-03-03
CAPITOL COMMISSION.
Minority Report Of Investigate
ing Committee.
Biokford and Cole Roasted By Re.
preventative Whiteside For
Alleged Jobbery.

He stated that in reaching the.
conclusions i'll his report he did not
'.,~ :,,sHead e: OF he4no5H 49,, "s,9o- not
mittcd to the commitS.s r. IT su1G s,;11o - !,
lie is in turn charged b, IKE awaitf wal &
iority of the Investigating committee,
and also by the Anaconda Standard,
as being entirely subject to the
influence Of Sam Word, A. J. David
son and others who were opposed to3
the selection of the present capitol
site, IN fact Word is generally recog-
nized as the author of the report.
Among other things lie says:
There has been expended by the
board since it's creation the sum Of
forty-nine Thousand six hundred and
twenty eight dollars and twenty one
cents (s49, G2S.2D, and to show for
this expenditure the state has a
partial set Of plans Of very doubtful
utility and small hole in the ground
on the proposed site. .....-.
or the sum expended, four thous
and five hundred and tWenty-thrce
dollars and eighty cents (S4 ,523.S0)
has been paid to four members Of
the board for per diem and milage,
tue governor, as chairman, receiving
no extra compensation.
With two members of the board,
viz: c.. e. Cole and w. NJ. Bick
fork, ! have no hesitation in saying
that the chief motive that actuatcd
them was direct financial considcra-
tion. Commissioner FloWcrree's
name was not signed to this contract,
and the record shows he voted against
it's adoption. ..-
In tile early part Of 1896 the board
advertised to receive competitive
plans for a state capitol building and
in connection Herewith they issued
rules and regulations to govern the
submission Of plans and to define the
terms and conditions upon which
prices and payments should be made
to the successful architects, the con-
ditiors relating to prices and pay
ments were as follows:
TO the architect whose plans
should be adopted, for the building,
5 per cent. on the first five hundred
thousand dollars expended, and four
per cent. on all further amounts eN-
pended on the building.
TO the winner Of second prize. tif-
teen hundred dollars.
To the winner OF third prize, one
thousand dollars.
10 the winner of the fourth prize,
five hundred dollars.
Under these rules and regulations,
every architect entering upon the
competition to furnish plans for the
capitol building could only expect
payment Of the fee for first prize up
on the money actually expended up
on the building, yet in plain viola
tion Of the rule in lines IL and II, II
page 4, the board made a contract
> with George r. Mann which bind:
S the state to pay Scyen-tcnths OF thu
full fee Of forty-fve thousand dol
lars before a single dollar is expended
d on the building. They bind th'
state to pay him u further price Q
five Thousand dollars If the buildin!
is constructed within the limit 0
cost ISL, 900, ,00O, and then lest b.
> some inadvertencc the state shoul'
escape this payment, the contrac
further provides that the architect
if necessary, shall cut down til
plans until the cost shall come with
s. in one million dollars. There is
further provision inserted in the con
tract that to get this bonus of tiv
thousand dollars, tue building mus
be constructed within four years
but this provision amounts to moth
ing, for any delay caused by the con
mission or any change in the pla
would deprive the state Of the benz
fits Of this proyiso.
"A In negotiating with the di1fcrcn
architects, the scheme was to contrt
not only the selection Of the plan
construction as we'll, for the amour
that could be made out Of the plat
1 was entirely inadequate to satisl
the ambitious Of the commissions
who were in on the deal. The COZ
tract was to be controlled by the Il
q chitcct, that is, it was to go to tt
party who stood in with him.
The contractor was to purcha:
certain stone quarrics and oth'
property Of nominal value thrcug
E. D. Edgertun, for the sum of OF
hundred and twenty thousand dc
lars s120, ,000), to be paid as follow
Fifteen per cent. Of each paymcI
ly received on the capitol building w
he to be paid on this contract until II
Of full one hundred and twenty thou
and dollars should be paid, when tt
certified check Of ten Thousand dt
WAS to be returned to the contracto
thcamoney thus paid to E. D. Edge
ton, except small sum for the re
value Of the property, was for tt
benefit Of the capitol commissions
who were in the deal, and On the
part, the commissioners contract
and agreed that the building shou
e. not be made to cost, outside Of e
tras, more than six hundred al
thirty thousand dollars $780, 00t
he but this was by no means to be t
no limit of revenue that the gentlem
20 intended to derive from the CO
= struction Of the building. In ord
d that the firms of persons who shou
furnish materials or supplies to t
contractor, should contribute thu
proper percentage to members OF t