The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-13
KE0E0IE L nc DIDO
ASSEMBLY FOLLOWS THE ALDER
MEN IN THROWING OUT GAS
OLINE PROPOSITIONS.
SPIRITED DISCUSSION HELD.
CARBON COMPANY's REPRESENTA-
TIVE THOUGHT HE HADN'T
BEEN TREATED FAIRLY.
SOME ASSEMBLYMEN AGREED,
Still the Outcome Resulting From
j. j. Parker's Proposition, Was
to Do 1t Over Again.
SPIRITED DISCUSSION HELD.
SOME AssEMBLYMEN AGREED,

After wrangling an hour or more over
the board of aldermen resolution re-
jecting all bids for gasoline lighting,
the assembly finally concurred with the
board and adopted it by a vote of
seven to two. A feeling that the ac-
ton of the board in rejecting the IL
cent bid of the Carbon Light & Power
company was unfair, seemed to possess
bare majority of the assembly at
first, for the board resolution was de-
feated by vote of five to four. Later
in the evening, after D. j. Prendergast,
representing the Carbon Light & Pow
er company, and G. A. Pettingill, in be-
half of the American Development
company had informed the assembly
that they would bid again if bids were
advertised for, the assembly reconsid-
cred the vote by which the resolution
was lost and adopted the measure by
the vote stated. Assemblymen DAILY
and Reardon We're the only ones who
did not switch over to the other side.
AS soon as the clerk had read the
board resolution rejecting all bids and
instructing the city clerk to readVer-
tise, Mr. Kirke moved the adoption of
the resolution.
Mr. Johnson wanted to know what
the reason was for rejecting the bids,
were they too high?
Mr. Dix, of the joint committee on
gas, explained. The bids were rejected
because j. ]. Parker had guaranteed
that he would put in a lower bid than
ho1 do
posted a certified check for 81, 500 with
the city, the check to belong to the city
if he failed to make good his promise.
Mr. Reardon asked Corporation At
torney Markham, if the city could keep
and use that check if Mr.. Parker fail
ed to keep his promise. Mr.. Markham
replied that the check would belong to
the city in that event.
Then the voice of the opposition was
heard through the medium of President
AroSin, who had at the beginning of
the meeting resigned the chair to MI.
Daily. Mr.. Arosin emphatically disap-
proved of the proposed action. Had
the bids been outrageously high, that
would have been good ground for re-
jecting them and accepting Mr. Par
kers proposition, but inasmuch as the
lowest bid was II cents per lamp per
month, as low as the council could
reasonably expect, there was no good
ground for rejecting it.
Mr. Reardon also objected to the
resolution from the board, and for adj
ditional reasons. He was willing, he
said, to vote to reject all bids but not
to ask Mr.. Parker or anybody else to
oh T1T To, rntk lnX
bid 1t was pretty small business, he
thought, to enter into any such COM
pact as that. Besides he didn't think
the city could hold the check, even if
Mr.. Parker failed to submit a lower
bid, Notwithstanding the opinion of
Corporation Attorney Markham.
1t was then suggested that Mr.. Par
ker be given the floor to explain his
position. The suggestion met with
favor and Mr.. Parker was invited to
say few words. The eX-assembly-
man accepted the invitation and pro-
ceeded to enlighten the assembly.
Mr.. Parker began by assuring that
body that he was not going into the
business Of gasoline lighting. He SIM
ply represented E. B. Smith, who
wanted to submit a bid. Mr.. Parker
declared that he never asked the COM
mittee on gas to reject the bids. He
merely submitted a proposition and
said that his principal would put up
security to save the Taxpayers any
loss. He was acting in perfect good
faith and if the council didn't choose
to reject the bids he would submit
with good grace.
Mr. Johnson said that he was willing
to concur in rejecting all bids, if sat
isfied that everything was all right
and no subterfuge was on foot to
throw out the bids and give the con-
tract to somebody else. Here Mr.. John
son asked Mr.. Parker why Mr.. Smith
had not bid before.
Mr.. Parker-He didn't know about
Mr.. johnson then declared that in
asmuch as the bids already submitted
were not too high, it did not seem
honorable to let others in afterward,
because they promised to put in low
er bid. Mr.. Johnson had no sympathy
with bidders who engaged some one
who they thought had pull with the
council to act as nominal bidder.
The roll was then called on Mr..
Kirke's motion to concur in the reso-
luton of the board of aldermen. The
result was:
Yeas-Albrecht, Craig, Dix, Kirke, 4.
Nays-Arosin, Johnson, Reardon,
Thompson, DAILY, 3.
The motion was declared lost, and
then on motion of Mr.. Johnson, the
bids were re-referred to the joint COM
mittee on gas to report which was the
lowest responsible bidder But this
action was afterwards reconsidered.
Mr.. Kirke said it was useless to re-
fer the bids back to the committee, the
majority of which was in favor of re-
lection. Mr.. Kirke further declared
that Mr. Prendergast, of the Carbon
Light & Power company, had told the
committee that he was willing to bid
again, and called upon Mr.. Prender-
gast. who was present. to corroborate
him. But Mr.. Prendergast put
slightly different aspect upon the mat
ter In response to Mr.. Kirke, Mr..
Prendergast said:
what l did say was that if the
committee was acting in good faith In
rejecting the ebids, I believed 1 could