Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-03-27
MIR. Mcconnell T aIks.

Editor of Marietta Leader-As re-
ports are being assiduously circulated
which are of damaging character to
myself and Mr. John Kaiser thought
best to make statement of the facts
in the case
! have been informed that Mr.. John
Mills made the following statement.
which Is being circulated to my injury
as well as Mr.. Kaisers: that Mr.. Kais-
er and | had approached Mr.. Mills
with voucher for $4,000 to be paid
on the pump built by the Snyder
Hughes Pump Company. of Cleveland,
o., and that he had refused to sign 1t
and that we had then said that two
was a majority, to which he replied
that it was not in this case. He is al
so alleged to have stated that the trus-
tees had paid Mr.. Wooster for the
foundation out of their own pockets,
as Mr.. Wooster was in need of the
money.
hol tllHtl vi us oppioONhNu hi &.
Mills or any one else with voucher
Is untrue, as is also any statement that
either of us at any time attempted in
any manner to accept the pump or to
have 1t accepted. On June 10th we re-
ceived a communication from the
pump people,. asking payment of
$3500 on the pump as they had part of
the pump in position and the other
parts in transit. The request was dis
cussed by the board, and Mr. Mills had
asked the opinion of the City Solicitor,
who advised us to make no such pay
ment, but to hold to the contract, and
the vote was unanimous against pay
ing anything on the pump other than
as provided in the contract.
AS to the payment of Mr.. Wooster
for the foundation, | know nothing
about it. Mr.. Wooster came to me
during the construction of the foun-
dation and asked me to pay him twen-
ty dollars on his contract. | told him
we had nothing to do with the foun-
dation, as that was the business of the
pump people. | asked Mr.. Kaiser If
he knew anything about the payment
of the bill and he said he had no rec
objection of any such transaction. |
examined the minutes of the board
and found nothing there. Mr.. Jordan,
the present clerk, said that it had been
paid and that Mr. j. b. West had made
a draft on the pump people for Mr..
Wooster and that the draft was re-
turned and that the pump people wrote
the water works board requesting
them to pay this bill for them. He
also stated that Mr.. Wooster had call
ed on Mr.. West and stated that Mr..
Mills requested Mr. West to pay the
bill. Mr.. West left the office to see
Mr.. Mills and came back and ordered
Mr.. Jordan to fill out an order for the
amount, June oath, $152.50. The order
was cashed by the treasurer. and Mr..
Wooster's endoresemt is on the back.
Mr.. Snyder, of the pump company,
has approached me on several occas-
ions after the pump was in operation
and asked me if the trustees could not
be induced to make partial payment,
and told him l thought not He re-
quested me to see the members about
II an1 4 did on turc nd
each time it was the opinion of the
members not to pay any part of the
contract bill until the pump was in
condition to be accepted. Mr.. Snyder
wanted to make him proposition to
take the pump in its present condi-
ton and | replied that it was our bus
iness to pump water and not to build
pumps.
1t has been charged that Mr. Kaiser
and | turned down Mr.. West and ap-
pointed an inferior man in his place.
AS to his dismissal / would say that
Mr.. West had been in the employ Of
the water works from the beginning.
and there was a great many people
complaining about him, and he ad-
mitted to me that he had great many
enemies.
| also came into possession of infer
nation that satisfied me that it was to
the best interests of the city to make
change, and so stated to Mr.. Mills,
Mr. Kaiser and MIR. West.
l suggested the present supern-
tendent and clerk Mr. Kaiser favor
ed the clerk, but objected to Mr.. Tor
ner on the ground that as both he and
Mr. Torner were connected with the
Marietta Electric Company the suppo-