The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-25
QUESTION OF vERAcITY
Messrs. Ford and Jones Ies- tified Interestingly.
Said They Had Been offersd $500 Each for Assistance in Sale of Gravel Pit-Mr. Carter
 Denies He offered
 Bribe to Any One.

The Specia: Committee or the City Council appointed to investigate ne fu- mors of undue influence In connectiv., with the proposed purchase py me guy o. a graveI nit submitted its report to the C,tv1 Council at a special meeting iasl
 Ths Committee was coiepose6 of Alder. ,.en N I.obman. c. P. Mcintyre ana Gaston Gunter and 1t was In session TOT week in the city building.
 The findings of the Committee were not as sensational as had been expected ih the I,sht of some street rumors. The work of the Committee had been thorough as was shown by the stenographic report oI the evidence before the Committee WEIGH accompanied the report.
 The Committee reported that It had been ascertained on the examination ot Mayor , elect Thomas H. Carr that there had ueen a renort that D. w. Ford, City Engineer. and Campbell Jones. City Superintendent of. Streets, had been offered money at a time prior to Aprh oy John c. Carter for their assist ance In the sale of his gravel pit 10 the city. The report ot the Commlttee says "It appears from the testimony that Mir. Ford was to use his innuence with the Committee upon Gravel Pit oy recommending to them the Carter ph' that MT. Jones was not to seek to irtiu- enee the Committee, as Committee, but he was sought to use his influence gen eraily among his friends in the Council.
 The report states that from the evidence of the two gentlemen they dechned the offer and both testified that they nao no interest in the sale of the pit.
 The report states that John c. Carter owner of the pit. appeared before the Committee voluntarily and made etate- lnent at length upon his pit He denied most positively that any otter nad oeeh made by him to Mir. Ford or Mr, Jones or that any Alderman nad recsavSu. A'ss
 The report then goes on e state that tife question was one of veraeity' between 4he parties concerned and t wge tlefe- fore not a question upon which the Conn rnittee was called upon to EepofE
 The Committee, # is declared. came m unanimously to the conclusion that the reports of Aldermen being improperly in- fuenced in the purchase of the pit were circulated by parties from what appears to he a vicious motive. The Committee declared there was no evidence to sub stantIate the reports in question.
 In full the report of the Committee which was read by Chairman Lobman Is as follows:
 Text of Committees Report. Chairman Lobman read The report of the select committee as follows:
 s'To the Honorable City Council of Mont
 gomery: .s,
 Your Special Committee beg leave to re- port that they have concluded their ou- ties, and submit the following report:
 Your Committee was appointed pursu- ant to the following resolution, viz.:
 Whereas. It is currently reported that parties claim 10 have knowledge Of a fraud upon the city in the recent pur- chase of a gravel pit for the city and .elaira that such fraud exists duplicating members of the City Council or Mont gomery; and. whereas, if such fraud exists and any members or the Counc,l are implicated, they should be punished Now, in order that said report may De investigated and in order to facilitate the investigation thereof, be it resolved by the City Council of Montgomery as follows:
 Section 1. That the President of the Council be- and he is hereby authorized and directed to appoint committee con sisting of three members of the City Council. one of whom shall be of those members who voted for. the purchase of the gravel pit, and the other two oi whom shall be of those who voted against the purchase of the gravel pit.
 Sec 9 That 1t shall be the duty oi such Committee immediately upon being named. to organize and elect a chairman thereof, who shall preside at its meet ines; and said committee shall forth with proceed to investigate the gravel pit transaction and Is hereby directed that fin case there may be found any member of the City Council voting for or against the said purchase of said pit, having ol having had any personal pecuniary inter est in the purchase of the Carter grave pit or any other pit that was offered to the city, the ownership or interest oi such member not being disclosed in thC bid or upon the floor of the Council. ther such committee is hereby directed to re port fully the facts in connection witf such transaction or transactions and tC institute or cause to be instituted, i'm peachment proceedings against sucf memter or members implicated. if any.
 Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of thC City Attorney, and he Is hereby directed to render such assistance to said com -nittee as may be neoessary.
 Sec. 4. The said committee shall. and the authority Is hereby granted, cause to be summoned to appear before It, any person or persons professing to have knowledge of any fraud in. said. transac- tion, and those who are causing such rumors to be circulated, or are circulating such rumors themselves, to give testi- mony before the said committee. And any person or persons having any knowledge of any fraud or of any facts tending to show fraud, are requested to render any aid in their power to the com
 
 mittee
 Sec. 5. That said committee may sit in open or executive session as they may be advised is expedient. and are hereby authorized to. employ stenographer to take down the testimony of the witnesses If the committee deems employment oi a stenographer necessary.
 Sec. g. That said committee Is hereby directed to make its report at as early date as may be possible.
 Sec. '. Be it further resolved that pend Ing such investigation that the ordinance directing the purchase of the Carter gravel pit be, and the same is hereby recalled from the Mayor. and the Mayor Is hereby requested to return said ordi- nance to the Council without taking action thereon.
 Adopted August 6th, 1903.
 Your committee has endeavored to fol low the letter and spirit of the resolu' AaA to the best of their ability. and ars