The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-09
ANOTHER DEPOSIT
IN LIEU OF BOND
LEONARD HAS PROPOSITION.
BELIEVED TT WILL BE REJECTED
BY ALDERMEN.

Mayor Has Called Special Meeting
of COuncil-COntractor Wants to
Deposit 100000 in Place of the
$4,000 Bond Required - Claims
surety Companies Are Trying to
Cut His Throat, but Otherwise He
Is Very observation-disclosures Find
Matters Complicated.
A letter was yesterday sent to Mayor
Myers by Contractor S. S. Leonard,
submitting a counter proposition in
place of the $4,000 bond, which Coun-
Gil last week decided must be given
by tomorrow noon.
Mayor Myers has called a special
meeting of Council for to-day to con-
slider Mr.. Leonard's second proposition
to be relieved from giving bond. This
time, however, Mr.. Leonard offers to
put up $4,000 in lieu of the $4,000
bond. Mr.. Leonard's last offer of this
nature was to put up only $685. 900.
The action of Council cannot, of
course, be foretold with absolute GER
tainty, but the opinion is expressed
by those on the inside" that the
cash deposit offer will not be accepted.
Those opposed to it state the bond was
specified, when the bids were adver-
tised for. and it would be unfair, it
is claimed, to the others who submit
ted bids to change the conditions.
There are some who claim the city
would be as amply protected by $40,-
900 deposit, as by a $4,000 bond, but
some who admit this, are opposed to
the deposit on the ground that it is
not meeting the requirements made.
situation Is Complicated.
The City Hall matter has now be-
come rather involved. When bids
were submitted, Mr.. Leonards was
found to be the lowest. He had not,
however, as had been required, sub
mitted a $500 check with his bid
Council gave him time to put in a
check and then accepted his bid. A
contract was signed which provided
that he must furnish a bond for one
fourth of the price of the building.
No definite time was then fixed for
the furnishing of this bond, the reso-
luton adopted by Council reading that
a bond must be furnished within a
reasonable time. After waiting for
some time for the bond, Mr.. Leonard
himself went to Baltimore. Upon his
return, instead of submitting a bond,
he offered to put up a $4,000 cash de-
post.
Council refused to agree to this Of
fer and passed a resolution extending
the time in which Mr.. Leonard might
make a bond until noon March 10.
In the resolution then passed it was
expressly stipulated that no further
time should be given.
Leonard Employed Counsel.
Mr.. Leonard appeared perfectly
satisfied with this arrangement and it
was supposed he was preparing to give
bond, until the Mayor received the let
ter making the counter offer. Mr..
Leonard has now retained an attorney,
Col r. l.. Colding, who was formerly
on the aldermanic board The Mayor
has called the special meeting to-day
+ to lay before the aldermen the letter
and offer of Mr.. Leonard.
While it is impossible to say with
certainty what will be done there is
a strong sentiment against departing
further from the original intent of the
board as planned and advertised when
the bids were called for. While it can
not be definitely stated that Mr.. Leon
ards offer of cash deposit will be
rejected, it will not be accepted with
out a hard fight.
Contractor Is Confident.
Mr.. Leonard is entirely non-commit-
tai in the matter. He says he is 60
ing to build the City Hall, and that
he has money enough back of him to
build it, if he did not receive one cent
from the city.
He would not say whether or not he
would be able to furnish a bond by
noon tomorrow in the event his deposit
offer is rejected. He claims the surety
companies "are trying to cut his
throat" He insists, however, in spite
of all the delays in regard to the
bond and the peculiar condition in
which the matter stands at present,
that he will build the new City Hall.
Should Council accept his deposit
offer, it will end the matter. If it is
rejected, he will have under the last
resolution of Council until noon to-
morrow to make a bond. No further
time can then be given unless Council
goes back on its own resolution.