Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-17
FUSION FlNESSE UNCOVERED
County Funds Used to Perpstuato the Demo
cratic Board Of Commissioners.
CONTRACTS LET IN HoFtLDTS DISTRICT
Held for FuIHIimcnt Mt n season That
would Seem Most Opportunc for
the Democratic Candidate
for Recollection.

Inc apparent cunning with which the dem
oeratic majority OF the Board OF unity
commissioners has been laying its plans to
retain, II within the bounds Of desperate ef-
Tort, control Of that body would seem to be
admirable were 1t not 30 transparent. No one
can contemplate the expenditure tf county
funds for the Improvement of the clunty's
highways during the last year without reach
Ing the conclusion that they were not in
Cured without due consideration of the po-
lltlcal prospects Of the majority ccmmis-
sioners.
NO pains appear to have been spared in
bolstoring UP the candidacy OF Commissioner
Hofeldt for reelection in the Third com
missioner district. County money has been
largely apportioned to improvements in that
district, evidently with the sole purpose OF
speeding the democratic member in his
frantic race for political victory. The
process Of splicing Mr.. Hofeldts fences be.
gan as soon as the fusionists secured control
of the board. The records Of the county show
that out Of $10,S46.72 spent in the county
since January last for bridging, grading
and lumber, $40, 1876 has been expended in
the Third district.
The full measure of the hnesse employed
by the democratic majority, however, does
not manifest itself until its action Is OBJ
served in the letting OF certain large con-
tracts for grading. Instead Of expending its
energies and the countys funds in securing
this grading In the spring or summer, when
1t could have been accomplished to the best
advantage to the county, it did not awaken
to the necessity OF this work until Svptem-
ber when contracts covering some 4SC0O
cubic yards Of grading in the Third district
and only $4,000 yards outside OF 1t were let
On September 10 contracts were let to "A
A. Lamoreaux for $4,000 yards CT grading in
Chicago precinct and 5000 yards in Elkhorn
precinct, the contract price being $2,S60. At
the same time Patrick Ford was awarded
contracts for grading 10000 yards la Flor
ence precinct for 81 $50 and IL 900 yards In
Union precinct for 81 $50. On September so
contract was let to w. H. Ellis for 5000
yards of grading in Jefferson precinct for
$765. 1t Is stated at the court house that
the Patrick Ford contracts have been as
signed to Thomas Ryan, who also has a con-
tract for the removal of 5000 yards in
Douglas precinct All the precincts named,
except the latter, are in the Third commits
sioner district, and the contracts indicated
above appear to be the only big ones let dur
ing the year.
The letting of these contracts at that par
ticular time, each with time limit of from
thirty to sixty days for It's fulllment, could
hardly have been purely an accident. When
1t is considered that they could doubtless
have been let to as good, If not better, ad-
vantage earlier in the season it is hardly
unreasonable to think that they were let al
that time and with that limit so that abou
$6,655 of the county funds could be expended
in bringing a favorable voting population
into the Third commissioner district fo
other purposes than the simple smoothing o
the rugged kinks in the highways.
1t is stated that the work on the ELI
contract has begun and that the others will
be under way at once. 1t Is not suspected
that any Of them will be completed befor
election time, when they could be mad
effective in furthering the candidacy of tn
democratic member seeking re- election fron
that district.