Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-12-05


most care from beginning to end and
did everything which was required of
them either by the charter or by the
common council.
After awarding the contract for the
work, the board of public works and
the city attorney had no further re-
sponslbility whatever except to super
intend the work and see that it was
properly performed. The work shows
for itself whether the board discharged
it's duty in that respect.
The statement which has appeared
IN some of the city papers that the
mayor and Alderman Wertheimer re-
quested the city attorney to take ac-
tiou in regard to the special improve
ment bonds, is ABSOLUTELY AND UN-
QUALTFIEDLY UNTRUE.
The bonds, and the ONLY BONDS.
about which they spoke to me were
the ten thousand dollars general city
bonds, which were authorized by the
ordinance passed on the 10th day of
last May. That ordinance created a
street improvement fund and provided
belong to that fund and should be
used for paving the street intersec-
tions and the school lot frontage AND
SHOULD NOT BE APPROPRIATED OR
USED FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. That
ordinance also provided that those
bonds should be dated July 1, 1899,
and draw interest from that date. 1t
10
on May Is because the charter, sec
ton 81, provides that no contract
shall be executed on the part Of the
city until provision has been made to
pay the liability that will accrue under
such contract. The contract in ques-
tion was sigred by the mayor, as above
stated, on May %, 1899.
Now it was in regard to issuing the
bonds under that ordinance that
the gentlemen referred to asked my
advice, and | told them that there was
plenty of time to do it. as the bonds
would not begin to bear interest until
July 1, 1899, and further, that none
of the proceeds of those bonds would
be needed until we should give the
contra ctor an estimate on which he
could ask for partial payment. At
the same time prepared and gave to
the chairman of the finance committee,
Mr.. Wertheimer, a form for the bonds,
SO that they could get them printed
and have them ready to be signed by
the mayor and clerk on the 1st day of
July, or as soon thereafter as the first
estimate should be granted The first
estimate was granted to the contractor
On August 10, 1899.
So far as | know none of those bonds
have ever been issued No report
has ever been made by the mayor or
finance committee showing whether
the bonds have been issued or what
they sold for Or what was done with
the proceeds.
AS already shown, the terms of the
contract and the terms Of the charter
both make it the duty Of the common
council, and NO ONE ELSE, to DETER
MINE WHETHER THE CONTRACTOR
SHOULD BE PAID IN CERTIFICATES, OR
SPECIAL IMPROVEMENT BONDS, OR IN
CASH.
The common council omitted to per-
form that duty and must be respon-
sible for it. 1t is useless to undertake
to throw the blame on some one else
The effort to do SO by pretending that
the board of public works, or some
member of it, was requested to do
something which neither the board
nor ony of it's members had the least
shadow of authority to do, will not
deceive any intelligent person. The
attempt will certainly fail. All the
members of the board of public works
are willing to stand upon the record
which they have made. No success
full attack can be made upon that rec
ord or upon the members of the board,
or either of them, for any act which
they, or either of them, have performed,
or failed to perform.
Dated Decent Der 4, 1899.
HARLOW PEASE.