The labor world., 1899-10-21
TRY FOR LAST WORD
rIAYOR AND rlAJOR BIDWELL
STILL QUARRELING.
Armory Rental War Still on and There
is no Sign Of an Armistice===Major dis
sects Interviews Given Out by Mayor
and Latter Labels Major as fabituaI liar.

duu kdtlCI LdUCIo HldyOI dS 1sdOltud1 Hat
Both Mayor Truelsen and Major Bid
we'll seem determined to have the last
word in their controversy over the
renting of the Armory on drill nights.
Up-to-d date, Major Bidwell leads by a
few paragraphs.
There has been but very little no
ticeable excitement in the streets over
the Armory controversy and the affair
has dwindled down to personal quar-
rel between the mayor and the major.
Last night the major handed in to The
News Tribune the following communi-
cation:
eft is the hit bird that flutters.
Judging from the uprOar in the vicn-
ity of the city hall yesterday and today
it is evident that something must have
penetrated the feathers and cuticle
Of Dom Heinrich. That he should be
pleased with my way of expressing an
opinion does not surprise me. I pre-
sumed as a ma ter of course that he
would consider himself honored. Mr.
Truelsen is pursuing his usual tactics
Of trying to unload his burden on some
OllC CloCs llC SdyS 41do always SCul
to me persons wishing to rent the Ar
mory and that it is no fault of his if
they did not see me. At the same
time he admits that he never has taken
the trouble to ascertain whether the
parties saw me or not, and it is certain
that the Armory has been rented on
drill nights many times without My
consent or kno Nleds". In the after
noon paper Oct. Is, Mr.. Truelsen says
thai he never let's the Armory out for
dates conflicting with drill nights
without first referring the applicant
to Major Bidwe1l.' In the next breath
he admits that it is rented for dances
on four drill nights Of the next six
weeks. In not one of the above in
stances had + any knowledge of what
had been done until informed of it by
other people. Mr.. Truelsen refers to
his letter to me under date of April
is last, but fails to quote it all. In or
der that the public may see what he
had to say the letter is published in
full below:
Replying to your favor of the 18th
informing me Of the general drill
nights of Companies A, e and G, will
say that we had dates for Armory as
follows: Thursday, April co. K. of P:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
June 5, and Z, Maccabees; Tuesday,
June IS, Trades and Labor assembly.
All of the parties have made arrange
ments for those dates and it will be
necessary for the militia to change
their drill nights to conform. You will
remember that T told you that the
council has made no appropriation to
pay the expense Of keeping the ArmOry
open, and consequently we must rent
1t in order to meet the expenses. 1t
may necessitate that the companies
drilling on a certain night will have
to give way. 1 think we can avoid
trouble with the council and pay the
expenses if there is friendly disposi-
tion on; the part Of the companies to
recognize this fact. Personally Ishall
try to take as few of their regular drill
nights as possible, bue we may be
able to rent the Armory on certain
night which would interfere, and may
not be able to transfer it to another
night, and thereby would lose the rent.
I thought it best to explain the situa-
ton, so there will be no mlsunder-
later"
1T will be observed that at the time
his letter was written the Armory
had been rented for four drill nights
Of the next month or so, and that the
mayor does not pretend to have con-
suited the wishes of any one but him.
self in the matter. He says all of
these parties have made arrangements
for those dates and it will be neces-
sary for the militia to change their |
drill nights to conform. The language
is not BY your leave but, you must
Further on he says: Personally, II
shall try to take as few OF their regu-
lar drill nights as possible Which is |
another way of saying that he intends |
doing as he pleases in the matter of |
renting the Armory.
"The mayor complains that did not |
reply to his letter, but I am at loss |
to know what reply could have been
made and am sure that none was re-
luired. He says I have not called on !!
him since the reorganization Of the
National guard. This statement |
goes in the same list with |
those made by him in which he |
says I have always been consulted in
regard to renting of the Armory on
drill nights. AS a matter of fact, |
have called on him in person once; |
have called him up by phone and |
talked with him twice, and have writ |
Ten him one letter. My letter informed
him of the drill nights of the COM
panies and my interviews with him !
were for the purpose Of protesting
against renting the Aromry on drill
nights. In each case hrs attitude was
exactly that assumed in his letter Of
April IS. When the mayor says that
my salary was greater during the time
I was in the volunteer service than it |
ever was before he is quite right: al
though it is not clear to me that my
salary in 1898 has any thing to do with
the question at issue.
1T is quite likely that Dom Henry,
in his present capacity, is as literally
as he ever was before; to
say nothing of being enabled to pro-
vide good jobs for the rest of his fam
lily. The mayor insists that the jani-
tor Of the Armory is instructed to col
lect Armory rents and that only one
party has failed to pay and that not a
dollar has been lost. The janitor yes
terday furnished me with list of un-
paid rentals that should bring 5000 to
the city treasury, but which will not
yield one-half that amount.
1~ -s~nr