The San Francisco call., 1897-12-07
SIGNAL VICTORY
FOR THE PEOPLE
Two San Jose Council
men Opposed to
Jobbery.
Prevent the Payment Of Illegal
Claims Against the
City.
Krieg and DIttus Carry the Day
In the PreI minary
SIIirmiSh.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL


SAN JOSE, Dec. 6.-It has been an
nounced by Mayor Koch and is a gem
erelly accepted fact that there are now
outstanding claims against the city aggre-
eating between $4,000 and 800, 900. The
preliminary skirmish over the payment of
these was fought out tonight at the meet
ing OF the Common Council, at which all
the members were present, and the victory
lay with the people, through the efforts of
Councilmen krieg and Dittus.
Noting and Dittus constitute the Claims
Committee. According to the rules of the
Council, all bills before being considered
by the Council must have the approval of
the Claims Committee. When the meet
ing was called TO order tonight Dittus'
desk was Iiusrsd with bundles OF bills that
had already received the signature of
Noting. who had placed them before Dit
tus for the latter's approval But there
they lay all through the session, and there
is small likelihood that they will be anv
nearer to the city treasury next week.
SEortly after the session was called to
order the veto of the Mayor on the now
celebrated Wehner claim for $3.50 was
read.
The important issue was raised when
the bills for the payment of a new patrol
wagon and for coal were under considera-
ton.
Councilman Krieg called attention to
the fact that IN many cases bills against
the city were assigned before they were
legitimate claims The assignment vas
made, he saiG, before the bills had re-
ceived the approval of the proper COM
mittee and before approved by the Clai ms
Committee. In some instances, he de-
clared, duplicate claims were thus as
signed He offered a motion that the
City Cler be authorized to notify the
purIic, through the official organ, that
claims not approved in the regular way
mad no value.
This did not meet with the approval of
the Mayor, who declare that the Council
was not responsible for such bills. Krieg
spoke for his motion, saying that his pur-
pose was TO ascertain who was ordering
good for the city without authority. He
added that he thought an expert ought 10
be engaged 10 90 over every bill to ascer-
tain whether ii was legitimate or not.
Mayor Koch tried to hurry matters
through by critlciZing the dllatory meth
DDS of The CounciImen.
Il Will state, gentlemen" he said, THAT
it is the duty OF the Claims Committee 10
come here and examine the bills during
the week and not at the meeting of the
Council"
Noting claimed that he had been over
the bills and signed them.
krleg submitted his resolution in writ
Ing, as follows:
l move that the City Clerk be authorized to
noufy the public through the official organ
that all claims against the city OF san Jose be
flied with the City Clerk on or before Friday
December 10, 1897, for approval.
Tho roOt;O, ,ro- Ioe+
and Noting voting against it, and Krieg
and Dittus for it.
Noting moved that all bills be laid over
until next Monday. krieg remarked that
he wanted TO see every bill, except those
1or regular salaries, before ii was passed,
he moved for a reconsideration of the
coal and patrol wagon bills, but his mo-
ton was lost sight OF IN the discussion
that followed.
At this point Noting presented the
claim OF Wehner for $3.50 for extra worE
on the main outlet sewer. He explained
that the original bill had been cut up into
seven separate claims. He declared that
the claim was Iusi, that Wehner was an
honest man, ana that the Council ought
TO ORDER the bill paid. he moved that the
claim be allowed. No explanation was
Vouchsated as to why the claim was any
more legal now than it was when the first
and second bills fer the same work had
not been allowed. Dittus moved to Law
the bill over The motion was defeated
as was also the original motion.
W. b. Hardy, the attorney for the con-
tractors OF the Julian-Street sewer, asked
to be given hearing on the claim OF his
clients against the city The matter was
made q special order for 7:30 P M. Mon
day next.
Alter the adjournment of The Council
George B. Dittus member of the Claims
Committee, explained his attitude relative
to the pending claims against the city.
Some OF the merchants of this town" !"
he SAID, "are acquainted with the way
blIIs against the city are paid but there
are many who do not know that a bill
should not be assigned until It is approved
by the person ordering the goods or SER
vices, by the two mem bers of the Claims
Committee and by the com NJ ittee repre-
sentlng the fund from which such bill is
10 be paid.
Il have run across many unauthorized
bills on city blanks for work or material
supplied the city, which have been as
signed. A man OF goou business knowl-
edge would not cash bill of that kind.
those bills are likely to come IN at any
time, and we have no means of knowing
whether they are duplicates of bills
already paid or not, nor even whether
they were legitimately contracted
Only last July the Chief of the Fire De.
partment contracted bill for $500 for fire.
works and Tor the decorations of the ap-
paratus under his charge. He has no rig b
10 expend single cent out of the CITY
treasury without the proper authorize.
tion. l Will wager that there are $1,000
worth OF bills contracted i'll ordering good 6
and supplies for the city without authority
from The Council or from any member Of
the board"
Here Krieg, who was present, inter.
rupted to say:
They talk about the Indebtedness Of
the city Of san Jose. 1t is sa e TO saw that
that Indebtedness can be reduced $50 OO0
from the $92 100 if it is confined strictly to
such as mas been incurred according to the
rules OF the Council-and that is where
the fight is going TO he -