The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-02-06

from the pockets OF the tax payers OF
Guthrie. It is utterly absurd to say
as the capital does that men wi 3
were sane and honest would let a IN
tract one day for IS inch pipe at 81 10
per foot. and then on another day let
a contract for eight inch pipe at 81 50
20 s4. so per foot Such a proposition
will not stand for a single instant, es-
pecially when it is known that Ford
could have made money by charging
S12 so per lot of 25 feet. for a contract
was let by the council on the night OF
January 20, to Cooper Bros. of
Springfield. Mo, for main sewers in
West Guthrie for 10 inch pipe. at the
price Of a trife less than 20 cents per
foot Yet the council and State Cap
ital say the said council proceeded
and i'd let this lateral sewer contract
under and according to law
One councilman stated in public
that the advertisement for bids for
these lateral sewers appeared in the
State CAPITAL and a prominent eng
ineering journal Upon investigation
it appears the advertisement did ap-
pear in the weekly State Capital, but
1t is doubtful if it ever appeared in
an engineering journal. for the writer
in company with other tax payers
heard two prominent sewer contract
ors, who attended the opening of the
bids for the west side sewers last
Thursday night. say that they would
forfeit 500 if any one could show them
az advertisement for bids for the lat
.eral sewers in any prominent engipeer-
ing journal What does this mean2
Does it mean thag the lateral sewer
graft was kept in the dark, so as to
enable Ford to get in his work on the
tax payers and divide the swag? The
whole deal looks nasty. Il looks bad
lit looks as if the council were in col
lusion with the contractor for it Is
nonsense to imagine for a moment
that intelligent. honest men, who be
llieye in protecting the interests of the
city. would vote for such a measure
and Mayor Bali, if he had done his
duty. ought to have seen the lateral
sewer contract in hades before sign
ing such a nefarious measure.
The whole matter resolves itself
Into one proposition-the members of
THE council who voted for the lateral
sewer contract TO say the least were
either knaves or fools, ard not com.
petent 10 do bushes for a peanut
stand The names of the members
of the council who voted for the later
al sewer contract should be published
and with the mayor held responsible
Investigation is in order Investi
gate where the proceeds of the water
works bonds Went to. who received il
and for what purpose. Also investi
gate the deep well graft Mayor Bal
was asked by tax payer at meet
ing OF the council, if the city engineer
was under bond; # not, who was re
sponsihle for his mistakes? Mr.. Hep
burne, the city attorney answered
that he was not under hond. and the
city was responsible and liable for hi,
mistakes.
The committee in probing around
the dark places Of the sewer deal dis
covered in one place the sewer pipe
had been laid too shallow and tn,
contractor lowered II two feet at tn,
request Of the city engineer. and ther
presented bin 10 the council fol
5000, which was allowed and paid. Bu
don't think for moment they PAL,
this sum out of their own pockets
They paid II with the tax payers
money In connection with tlds it Is
said by competent judges that Tho