The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-14

of the affair
THE origin of the whole trouble wa.
that the road law in section i declares
that all public roads shall be constructed
with grade not to exceed three feet in
the hundred, except when in the opinior
of competent civil engineer Il is abso-
Elutely necessary the grade NAV he in
lcreased by one foot in the hundred. Tn
obedience to the orders of the Board I
Increased the grades to six feet in the
hundred, double the amount provided bv
1.-THE act. Some members of the Boara still
complained thct l was doing too much
grading. Ny reply was that with nv
knowledge OF engineering | could NOT and
would not construct permanent public
road with grade exceeding six per cent
IN direct comet with the plain provision
OF the law and of the order of the Board
iup to tins time, unless the Board yyould
pass an order fixing the maximum limit
OF grade, and make it matter of record
for my protection. This they refused to
lido, but SIMPLY directed me to do less
grading.
Several months ago the Board asked
Tor my resignation / refused to resign.
but told the Board If they had any rea,
son for asking for my resignation they
I y.
them aud remove rae then and there
that 1 would not claim the ten DAYS notice
but declined to resign under five The
Board failing to secure majority vote
ordered that everything relating to this
matter be eXpunged from the minutes. ana
although they refer to this in their reso.
lut;ons today, there is no record Of anv
such proceeding on their minutes.
"Cn today, after I had been practically
moved they approached RE with promo
sition FOR me to resign. This I refused to
10 upon the grounds that it would viz
tually be admission Of the charges
which had been preferred against NE and
made public
Mr. Ellington then showed the reporter
the following letter written to him on
| February 3rd by Clerk to the Board J. j
Bernard.
Il am directed by the board to send
you the following notice:
Oh motion 1t was ordered that the
Clerk Of the Board notify Mr.. J. G. FL
/ lington, Superintendent or Roads that
they hereby give him ten days notice and
at their called meeting on February 12th.
will remove him from office on account of
inefticlency and neglect of his duties as
Superintendent of Roads of Wake
county"
That letter" said Mr.. Ellington, was
the first irtimation l had Of any trouble.
{ It took me completely by surprise
To-day L addressed a communication 10
the Roard, making general denial Of the
charges contained Ill that notice and de-
handing specifications and proof.
LAS to the specifications fixed by the
Board
Il. Incompetency. This 1 denied ana
demanded proof They produced no proof
whatever.
SO. Failure to submit to the Board
a monthly report concerning the work
II progress and moneys expended. I adj
mitted that 1 had not made a formal re,
part of the progress of the work, as l
did not deem it material, as two members
of the Board passed over every part of
the road upon which we were working
every time they came to Raleigh. AS 10
the moneys expended l did make
monthly report OF all moneys expended
except such as were expended by Mr.. w
g. Allen for the convict force, OF which
l never had any report, nor did the Com
| niSSioners ever require of him any report
as to the amount expended on road work.
The third, as to quarterly report of
The condition Of public roads and bridges.
| made no report of this for the reason
that at the June meeting of the Board
they took the bridge work out of the
jurisdiction OF the Superintendent CT
Roads, where the law placed it, and con
erred it upon w. G. Allen, SuperinteEd-
ent of the. County Home.
In regard to report of the condition Of
public roads in the county, my answer
was that it was physical impossibility
| for me TO travel over all of the roads in
Wake county once a month, SO as 10 re-
port their condition, and at the same tine
give proper attention to my other duties.
Fourth. Failure to include supcrvis-
)rs report. My answer to this charge IS
| hat the law makes it mandatory "pon
each supervisor to make a monthly re-
port to the Superintendent and that the
Commissioners failed to enforce this re-
quirement of the law, which rendered il
| impossible for me to make such report.
Fifth Failure to direct them in their
work. This charge was emphatically de
2ed and proof demanded, which was not
offered.
Sixth Failure to direct supervisors
| in teh management of overSeers. This
lras denied and no proof offered
| proper examina ton. This was denied and
proof demanded, and the only proof al
tempted to be offered was a small hill
bought of Lumsden Brothers, rroperlv
sworn to as all other bills We're, and was
refused payment upon motion Of one Ct
the members Of the Board, W. A. Filing
ION, upon the grounds that he had
charged more for half dozen mattocl1s
than he had charged on previous oil :or
11attocks. Mr.. Lumsden explained that
these mattocl1s were of a different grade
than those charged on previous bill, and
upon this explanation the bill was p':f
without question. This was the only Dill
cited under this charge of hundreds o
bills audited by me without question.
In reply to a question whether ne IN
tended to take any action, Mr.. Ellington
saiG:
81 intend to appeal to the people II
| Justice to myself in refutation OF the
grave charges that have been preferred
have held several important positions
~f trust and this is the first time in nv
| life that there has ever been char%a