The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-23

l The Montgomery City Council last niBh, the issue ssu of s ;s5.ooe es is per M cent mus city bonds and instructed the City Treasurer to again, for the fourth time, advertise for bids for the bond issue. This. decis- ion was reached after much discussion and an unsuccessful effort on the part of Alderman Cheney to dispose of the bonds to A. M. Baldwin of Montgomery, as agent for Sperry. Jones & Co. of Bal timore.
 Five bids for the bonds were opened al the regular semi mo nthly meeting of the Council Monday evening. They were re- fcrred to the Finance Committee witt instructions to report at a special meet ing to be held Tuesday afternoon. A bare quorum was present at the Tuesday afternoon meeting and the report of the Committee was deferred until last night. Thirteen Aldermen were present last night, Alderman Mcintyre and Johnson being absent
 President Fleming called the meeting to order shortly after z o'clock and stating the object of the meeting called for the | report of the Finance Committee which was read by Chairman Kohn as follows:
 Montgomery. January g. The Honorable City Council of Mont
 Gentlemen-Your Finance Committee begs leave to submit the following report upon the bids for the $75.000 of city bonds:
 Comparison of the bids show that | natl. are about $1,2O0 higher than the next highest bidder, who is Mir. A. M. Baldwin, as agent for Sperry Jones & Co, of Baltimore. However the adver- a certified check for $1.0O0 to accompany each bid in order to bind 1t. The check rendered bs Messrs. Todd & Go. is drawn by themselves, upon themselves and cer- is nullified by the conditions contained therein. viz: Good in part payment for bonds named herein when legally issued and attached hereto" The check in fact partial payment. The check of Messrs. Todd & Co. is worthless as a forfeit. Another feature of this bid, no less ob- Jectionable than the other, is the pro- regularly issued to the full satisfaction of our attorneys" which permits Todd & Co. to reject the bonds upon any pre- text. If Messrs. Todd & Co., should carry would be we'll for the city, but should they fail to do so the city would be without redress and the bonds would be practically blacklisted.
 For these reasons the undersigned feel compelled to report in favor of reject. Ing all bids and advertising again for bids under the proper specifications.
 John. P. Kohn, | Ray Rushton, 1 J. c. Cheney,
 Committee
 On motion of Alderman Tooie the re- port of the Committee was received and unanimously concurred in.
 Alderlpan Kohn introduced a resolution which called for considerable debate It | was Tn substance that the City Treasurer be authorized to advertise for twenty | tho bonds.
 Alderman Cheney opposed the resolt- | ton. He said the bonds had been adyA.- used three times already and he did not believe In hawking them about the coun- try: A: M. Baldwin, he said, had bid S5,s1.5o for the bonds but had unfortu- | nately left out proposition to pay the accrued interest. MT. Baldwin, he said was now willing to pay the accrued in- terest and he moved that the amended bid of MT. Baldwin be accepted.
 Alderman kohn called attention to the Tact that by the adoption of the com mittee report all of the bids had been City Attorney Steiner was invited to 1T Ire noor and advised the Council that It had DO right to permit Mir. Baldwin
 MT. Baldwin then appeared before the council and made verbal bid for the bends which he said he would put into writing; WIT iI,g,; The , bid was the same as the terest.
 At this point Alderman Anderson said he regretted that he had voted in favor of adopting the committee report and | thereby rejecting all bids. He said w, R. Todd & Co. bid H,6O0 premium on the | Dc nds and he failed to see why their bid was rejected and the bid of MT. Baldwin, which was nearly $500 lower, l was regarded with so much favor So far as the check of Messrs. Todd & Co. he did not know whether 1t was prop erly drawn and he doubted if the com | mittee knew.
 Alderman Gunter declared that Mir. 6yAyin had let, ,lrz | as well as Messrs. Todd & Co. He thought | It would be advisable to have the five | bidders put in new bids within a week. Al Alderman Hudson expressed the opinion that the Council should not consider any | bid that did not comply with the terms | of the advertisement.
 On motion of Alderman Kohn the Coun- | ell reconsidered the vote by which the report of the Finance Committee was The chairman of the committee, Alder man kohn, then read the report of the committee a second time. He commented on the irregularity of the check which accompanied the bid of Messrs. Todd & Co. as forfeiture and said he had taken the check to local national bank, the President of which told him he could not cash 1t as it was not a certified check and he knew nothing of the re- sponsibility of Messrs Todd & Go Fol- lowing the practice of the Council AL derman Kohn said the committee would have rejected the bid of Messrs. Todd & Co ana recommended the next highest bid, that of MT. Baldwin, had it not been deemed best to reject all of the bids.
 Alderman Roeder went on record as favoring the rejection of all of the bids as recommended by the committed
 There was considerable discussion as to whether cashiers check is a certi- fled check, the check submitted by Mr. Baldwin having been drawn by the cash fer of the First National Bank City At torney Steiner advised the Council that the Baldwin check was not a certified check.
 For the second time the report of the Finance Committee was then adopted unanimously.
 Alderman Cheney moved that the bonds be awarded to MT. Baldwin. the accrued interest to be included in his bid.
 And I move to lav that motion on the table," declared Alderman May, as he jumped to his feet.
 Alderman Rushton made the point of order that an ordinance was required to was sustained.
 q move that a special meeting be held tomorrow evening at 7:30 o'clock to further consider the bud of MT. Baldwin," said Alderman Toole.
 A smile came into the faces of the AL dermen.
 T suggest" said Alderman Rushton, "that the Alderman from the Sixth Ward be allowed to come up here and sit every evening in the week."
 This facetious suggestion was received with laughter, but the motion of Alder man Toole was not put to the Council Alderman KOhn renewed his resolution authorizing the City Treasurer to adver- ftsa fo- 5 uaF.tv dava fdr new bidz for fha