Evening journal., 1903-11-28
Former Is Ousted and
Latter Gives Mayor
Bird His Resignation
to Keep From Being
Ousted
Peter j. Ford, the Sole
Survivor VIII Name
Successors-Has Seven
Applicants for the Po-
sitiOn

The climax in the water contract mud
be was reached aast night when Mayor
haFes D. Bird appeared before City
,ounc.l and announced that he had re-
bowed Commissioner James j. Jones ns
member Of the Water Commission and
I'D also received the resignation of the
'5ard's president. DIT. Joseph 7. Pyle.
9th members of the commission were
'ven AN opportunity to resign but Mr..
pnes declined TO do so. Following the
itters refusal to comply with his re-
ieHl Mayor Bird presented the following
litter ITO City Council.
Wilmington, DEL, Nov. 27, 1903.
} The Council Of the City of Viii
mington;
Gentlemen; You are advised that
Z hereby remove from the office of
Z the Board Of Water Commission
ers Of this city, James p. Jones,
z and hereby present this notice of
my action to you for your concur
( renee in accordance with the pro-
z visions Of section 2, volume II,
N Laws of Delaware.
The grounds for this action are
as follows: lnoompetenoy and NAL
4 administration in Office.
5 These grounds are derived from
Z the following facts;
Il On or about the 31st day Of March
u 1903, the above named James p.
N Jones, was a member Of the said
4 board OF Water Commissioners and
n actively urged, advocated and con-
Ssummated an agreement with the
!, United States Sand Filtration
'fcompany, whereby the said Water
Commission was to pay out of the
FUNDS of this city to the said Sand
Filtration Company one hundred
Il and eighty y-seven thousand dollars
!, f(s187, ,00o) for certain plans, speei-
tfcatious and the use of certain pat
4 ented filters in connection with
ibuilding Of a proposed filter plant
fefor the city Wilmington, and said
contract was executed without any
requirement on the part of said
commissioner from said Sand Fill
itration Company Of any bond for
the faithful performance OF the
said contract on the part of the last
named parties and with the further
hcondition that the city of Whining
ton would be liable to defend any
suit or suits that might occur for
ANY infringements upon any other
aexisting patents in using the pat
ents Of the said Sand Filtration
company.
That the said James P. Jones has
lsubsequent to protests upon the
part Of the citizens of Wilmington
land the insttuting Of certain pro-
ceedings in Chaneery to restrain
the carrying out in part of the con-
tract above referred to agreed to
Yenter into a new agreement with
the said Sand Filtration Company
whereby the city is to obtain the
same plans, specifications and use
lof the patents of the said Sand
Filtration Company for the sum Of
s65,oo0 and with the further pro-
vision that said Sand Filtration
f Company is 20 give a bond of
. $4,000 for the performance of their
4 part of the contract and that the
said Sand Filtration Company lin
4 stead of the city of Wilimnuton) is
q TO defend any possible suits for in
/. fringements. The wide difference
between the terms of the two con-
tracts leave no escape from the
lconelusion that he agreeing to en-
ter into the first contract is in no
sense competent TO be continued in
# office with authority to make fur
ther contracts for the city. That
the first contract was reckless, ex-
"a .travagant, wasteful and a pure and
isimple case of naladninistration of
office and the party to il should
not be continued in office longer