Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-26
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illustrate the bull-headedncss, queer dis
position and freakish nature OF the eX-
piring Republican reform Council. one Of
these was the determination to be eXtrav-
arant f-nnaI'a lll. ,---- Sc ,---iA is.--~ ''--''
very much better to nave been economi-
cal. another was the set determination TO
pass a loan ordinance in the spring and
early summer of 1855. still another was the
dog-in-tho-nauscr policy as to natural
gas. one more was the fixed purpose,
which was carried out, TO give no relief
to the crippled sas department out of the
increased taxation. and again il was
shown in the garbage contract foolish
ness. No matter i'm what direction you
turn or what Is taken up for examination,
there is at once discovered a tendency to
spend money rcck.,ssy, ii contempt for
precedent and business methods, and a
shutting, unstable. Naciliating and indie
cisiV5 manner characteristic of the mem
bors from first to last Any one of the
matters We have enumerated will Illus
trate the point. Take the garbage con-
tract for 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-fftecn Of them-ranging from
$3.50. by Thomas CofIey. to $l2lO0, by
Charles Becker the latter the Old con-
tractor. The Committee on Health met
February 2lst in secret s-ssiOn. opened
tho bids and recommended that the con-
tract be awarded TO Mr. Becker, the high
est bidder, who was the best garbage
contractor the city rad ever had. This
commentator went to Council Febru-
airy 18th. and the Second Branch passed
the resolution letting the contract by
majority vote of IL ayes to nays. 1t
lacking tWO-thirds majority the resou-
ton went over to the next meeting for
another majority vote. Council met again
March 10Th, when the Second Branch
promptly turned on itself and rejected the
contract it had adopted at the previous
meeting. by vote OF y TO j., aud sent
the whole matter back 10 the Committee
again for new bids. The Committee then
showed it was fully as uncertain "a guam
tlty as Council. for after asking for and
receiving new bids TO the number of
seventeen. on March 23d il turned squarely
around on it's decision at it's former
meeting. and recommended that Council
award the contract to Thomas Cofey. the
lowest bidder, at his tender of $500 Then
it was Councils turn again, and at the
meeting of March 9th the Second Branch.
with q record Of first adopting the highest
bidder and then rejecting il, turned in its
tracks Cor the second time and calmly
rejected the lowest bidder by vote Of 3to
n! As an example of reform legislation
this was q 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 be had to continue to do the work
at 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 Mr.. Becker himself had offered
bid less than his old contract, which
had likewise been rejected. on May i2tn
the Second Branch Of Council adopted q
resolution asking the Committee to report
bids for the third time. This was rubbing
it in on q Committee which had once re-
ported the highest b.ddc, as the best man
and again reported the lowest bidder as
the best man. both Of which recommends
tions had been cheerfuny and promptly
rejected. IT was hard TO tell what the
Committee would do next. or what Coun-
ell might give as its next performance.
Tne new bids came I'm. fifteen or eighteen
Of them. ard Mr.. Becker was still the
highest. but had scaled his tender from
s.i00 to S150o. Although the Committee
had. by IT'S reports. once assured Council
tHa, r2lJQ was the proper figure, 10y re-
jocting all lower bids. and again assured
council tnat 8 $500 was enough money for
the work. by commanding in the second
report. q bid OF that amount il promptly
made out "a third report recommending
the h.gh bidder and Council, after
having rejected both the former reports
of the Committee. adopted this recon-