Bisbee daily review., 1903-09-02
LOSERS ARE SORE
AWARDING OF COURTHOUSE CON-
 TRACT CAUSE OF ENMITY.
Lowest Bidder Got the Job, but the Others Question Right of Super visors to Ignore Them.


 Others Question Right of Super
 visors to Ignore Them.
 The letting of the contract for. the building of the addition to the court house appears to be causing the board no end of trouble. h fact, it now ap- pears that each and every contractor who did not get the contract is sore and wounded in feelings almost to the injunction stage. Pursuant to an ad- vertisement several contractors and architects appeared before the board on Monday and is1Ibmitted plans and bids for the erection of the addition. The bidR weNNRe8ed and Archjtect Johnson was awarded the contract at s1s.514, being, the dowest bidder. Nov the remaining contractors are up in arms and declare that the board ex- ceeded its authority when it awarded the contract to Johnson without ask ing for additional bids from other con- tractors.
 A few weeks ago the board adopted a certain set of plans and asked for bids on the same-sAt this time E. G. Ord Of this citya was the lowest bid der, but for the reason that the bid was in excess ofrthe architects esti- mate. all of the bids were thrown out and the contract readvertised. c. ''
 A new advertisement was prepared after receiving the best legal advice to be- had in the county, and on Mon, day the board met to award the cPn- tract in accordance with that adver- opened and Architect Johnson;s bid accepted - The question of awarding the contract to Architect Johnson was immediately raised by. the other con. tractors, but the board. after listening to the law from Assistant District At torney Cunningham. reached the de- cision that the action of the board was correct and passed over the objections of the remaining contractors after having spent almost three weeks. in an effort to let the contract according to law. J. H.. Jacks one of the con. tending contractors, returned to this city last evening and was highly in dignant that the board had decided to throw out his bid because he had fail ed to include a bond herewith. Su- pervisor Bowen was seen regarding the letting of the court house contract, and had the following to say.
 The board of supervisors. to the best of my knowledge, has acted en- tirely within the law in the letting of the contract for the addition to the court house. The board even went so far as to employ extra legal advice in this particular instance, in an endeav- or to act entirely within the law. In my opinion the statement made by MT. Jacks that he had received dirty deal" at the hands Of the board Is without any foundation whatever. as the law clearly provides that the bond must accompany the bid, and MT. Jacks failed to comply with the law in this respect, and furthermore the ad- vertisement distinctly stated that each bid must be accompanied by a sufficient bond in the sum or so,Voo, with two good securities, and for the reason that Mir Jacks failed to con- ply with the law, in this instance, is no excuse for his charge against the board that there was dirty deal
 Mir Jacks was governed by the same rules that governed other con- tractors. and if the board had made any exception in his case they would have been liable for illegally letting the contract"
 MT. Bowen. chairman of the board, feels that all of the charges and slurs cast at the board have been entirely uncalled for The contract has been let in strict accordance with the law and he feels satisfied that if any of the contending contractors desire to contest the matter in the courts the