The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-06-29
"NOW YOU
SIT DOWN
So Said Director DaIrymple to
Counsel Rathbun.
A Hot Old Time at the Special Ses-
sion of the Board of FreehoIders.
Motions and Amendments to
Burn.

" 1t was an open meeting of the COM
mittee The counsel could have been
there just as we'll as not. I invited
him myself, but he did not come, .
said Director Dalrymple, hotly.
1.-The Director is not member of
the committee, and therefore could not
properly invite me, said Mr. Rath-
bun.
This committee on roads has been
organized for five years, and it never
has had so much counsel in all the
time before as for the past six
months, broke in Mr.. Hoagland.
Yes, it's case of too much
counsel" continued Director Dali
rymple, who had completely lost his
temper Il say that I was at the
meeting of the Road committee, and
not one word of criticism against the
counsel of the Board was spoken. /
never had to take anything from any
lawyer and / won't be turned down
by one now Then turning to Mr..
Rathbun he said, Now you keep
stillP
This all happened at the special
meeting of the Board of Freeholders
Monday. And that is not all that
happened, either Mr.. Rathbun con-
sidered that he had been insulted by
the committee on roads. and told
them so, He also said that if they had
intended to reflect on his construction
of the law in the matter of awarding
contracts for building roads he would
not continue to act as counsel for the
Board. That if a certain recommen-
dation of the committee was adopted
he would consider it as an insult
and would have to resign. AS the
board adopted the resolution, it is
now up to Mr. Rathbun.
The meeting was called for the pur-
pose of listening to report of the
committee on Roads, with reference to
the contracts to be let for the
building of roads under bids received
and opened at the previous meeting
Mr., Kimball reported for the COM
mittee and said that on account of
the small amount of funds at the dis
posal of the Board and the large
amount of work laid out the commit
tee would make TO report, but leave
the matter open for discussion.
A discussion then ensued. and it
was shown that while $105, 900 worth
of work had been laid out, only about
$50, 900 was available. The clerk of
the board read an opinion of the
counsel to the effect that the board
could not proceed as had been intend
ed and award all contracts. That as
only $50, 900 was available contracts
for that amount only could be made
and those with the lowest bidders on
the roads ON which it was proposed
to spend that amount of money All
other bids must be rejected, according
to law.
More discussion followed during
which it was decided to spend the
available money in building one or
two roads rather than beginning work
on half a dozen roads
Mr.. Troxell said if the money was to
be spent on one or two roads he would
move to build the worst roads in the
county, which were the Succasunna
and Valley roads. Mr.. Orr moved
as an amendment to Troxell's motion,
that the Morris township be substi-
tuted for the Valley road A further
amendment was offered by Mr.. Bart
ley that the Budd's lake road be sub
stituted for the Valley road.
In the meantime Mr.. Cook was hav-
ing great amount of fun and also
getting Director Dalrymple badly
mixed up by trying to have motions
put that were entirely foreign to
the matter in hand. Clerk Everett
saw the scheme and came to the
Director S assistance with the advice
to put the last amendment. This was
done, and when the motion was voted
on it was decided to build the Sue
casunna and Budd 5 lake roads.
A motion to adjourn until2 O'Clock
prevailed At p. IN. the committee
was ready to report and the board
convened. 1t was a short session. 1t
was also the hottest session on re-
cord. The Road committee recon-
mended that contracts be let for the
construction of roads decided on at the
morning session, and that the board
hold the other bids until it could de-
termine if there was not some way by
which contracts could be awarded for
the other roads it was proposed to
build. This Immediately struck Mr..
Rathbun as reflection on his iudg-
ment and Interpretation of the law.
He jumped to his feet, and in an
impassioned speech declared that if
the last clause was intended as
reflection on him he would not con-
tinue to act as counsel for the Board.
His voice shook with emotion, and
his hands shook with anger, as he
proceeded with his protest. At last
he declared that if the board adopted
the recommendation of the committee,
he would cease to have anything fur
ther to do with the board.