El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-12
THE AWARD STANDS.
Judge Townsend Falls to Secure the
Contract Already Given to Nc
CutCheOn. pdyne.& Co.


CutCheon, payne'& Co.
AS stated in Saturdays HERALD the
city council met at 4 o'clock on Satur-
day afternoon for the purpose of recon
sidering their previous action in regard
TO awarding a contract to McCutcheon
Payne & Co. for the furnishing of two
gasoline engines and two centrifugal
pumps to be used in the pumping
station.
der n all were present except Alder
men McDufie and Stewart.
The clerk was told to read the call
OF the mayor, which ne did; following
that ne read the protest which had
been filed by j. E. Townsend against
the city awarding the contract to Nc
Cutcheon, Payne 81 Co.
Mr.. Badger said that while the pro-
test asserted that things had been mis-
represented TO the council by b COM
mittee, he wished to say that
such had not been the case.
He had told the council that
they would be able to lay the engines
down here for q rate OF S1.Oo and that
Is the rate which the Santa Fe-had told
him. He said that afterwards he had
learned the agent had made a mistake,
but that was no fault of his, and in Civ
ing the council that rate he had made
no misrepresentation to them. Turn
ing to MIR. Townsend he asked him If
the railroad people hadn't told him
they had made a mistake in giving him
that rate.
Judge Townsend said, "They didn't
tell me at first that they had made a
mistske; IL was until afterwards
hat L found that out" He said that
he vent to the agent and asked him IL
his Dad had made a raJe of 81. O5 on
gasoline engines from Kansas City and
The agent answered no; then he told
the agent hat such rate had been
presented to the council as the rate
which the Santa Fe had quoted. The
agent told him that If any one in the
office had made such q rate 1t was
wrong and would be withdrawn. Judge
Townsend explained to the council why
he thought the company which he re-
presented had not been treated fair.
MIR. McCutcheon said that they had
not at any time made q quotation to
the city on freight rates, and lie did
not want Judge Townsend to make
statements to the contrary.
Judge Townsend said he did not
know who made the quotations OF the
freight rates, but he knew that the
committee had made the rates on the
McCutcheon, Payne bid.
MIR. Badger then explained that ne
was in no way interested In the matter
of securing the award for McCutcheon.
Payne & Co. as he was only connected
with them in the coal business, but
that he q the other members of the
committee had considered two import
ant questions when they recommended
the McCutcheon, Payne bid. and one
was that the engines were put up In
Kansas City and If they broke down
the city would not nave to wait so long
to duplicate the broken parts. The
other vas that every body here knew
that M~cCutcheon, Payne and Co. were
reliable business men and hat hen ,
the city signed a contract with them
the city then had some one liable for
damages il b machines were no good.
Councilman Burton said to the
council, LAS l made the motion to
carry out the recommendations of the
committee 1 want to say that the
freight rate matter never came n
my mind. 1 was acting On the price of
the machine M as theirs was the
cheapest and just as good as any Of the
others L thought that we ought to get
t."
Mr.. McCutcheon told the council
that IL was apparent q mistake had
been made by the Santa Fe r. r, and
IL Judge Townsend had not meddled,
his firm would have been willing to
guarantee the low rate, but he could
not see how the city could hold them
to the rate o under the circum-
stances. His firm had put in two bids,
one +. o. b. Kansas City, the other e.
O.. b. FL Psso. The former was accept
ed after inquiry about freight rate.
His firm would back up it's agreement, |
made In writing, to the letter.
Alderman Burton said, SIN order to ]
get the matter before the council / |
move hat we reconsider the previous
action of the council" The motion
was duly seconded and the vote taken.
ALI voted no except Mr., Burton and
the motion was lost. The award there !
fore stands.
The council then adjourned. |