The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-04
WASTE OF MONEY
City Attorney Drenning Says
Friendly Lawsuits Won't Do.
Paving Problems Must Be Settled
Some Other Way.
SAYS HE is SLIGHTED.
Other City Officials Do Not Come
to Him for Advice.
Follow Corporation Attorneys
Instead of City Lawyers.

No friendly law suit. says City Attor-
ney F. G. Dreaming. He is not going to
stand for any action on the part of a
city which savors of the recommended
ton which the streets and walks com
mittee will make to the city council
next Monday evening.
ct am going to fight it; fight it to
the last inch" announced Mr.. Dren-
ming with vehemence and force. 81
am not going to stand by and see
the city waste its time and money in
a law suit to settle some points which
some of these paving contractors want
settled. There is no use in it. The
petitions for paving Kansas avenue
can be secured if the council goes
out ON the street and gets after them
instead of changing their mind every
time the question comes up as to
what kind of paving they want. One
time they want this kind and another
time they want that. It's ridiculous
the way some of these cOuncilmen
jump around.
These petitions for Kansas avenue
can be secured if the council goes after
them IN the right manner. There is
no question about it; property own
ers have voluntarily telephoned to me
and told me that they would sign a
petition.
1.-THE trouble with this streets and
walks committee is this: they go
around and listen to the advice and
talk with the attorneys for the paw
ing contractors have to give and not
once do they consult the city's legal
department. In that committee meet
ing Wednesday afternoon they had
Judge Monroe, an attorney for War
ren Brothers Bitulithic company. come
up and tell them how to go ahead on
nue.. They adopted his suggestions
and went ahead and did not waste
one thought upon whether the city
had a legal department or not. I
was not invited to attend the commit
! tee meeting. It seems to me that the
committee is awful anxious to do every
possible thing which the contractors
would have them do without paying
any attention as to what the city's in
terests or those Of the people are.
/ The committee is composed of good,
and have no doubt, honest men. but
they do not seem to stop and think.
Dreaming Says He Is Ignored.
''They drew up the specifications for
| this Kansas avenue paving without my
/ having seen them They have the
word repair appearing in the specif1-
! cations. There is no question in my
mind for a moment but what those
| specifications will have to be read
vertised. Unless they are, the Barber
I
4 and if they don't secure the contract
for repaving, can enjoin us from Civ
/ ing the paving contract to any other
| company because they have a con-
/ tract with the city for repairs at $1.5S
a square yard which has two years yet
to run. They can step in and say that
! If the contract is let for IS cents to
! some other company that we will have
/ to pay them the difference between
| that price and $1.58. doubt whether
| the bonds which might be issued to
pay for that repaving would be good
under the specifications as they are
I Worded now In fact have no doubt
they would be illegal. The city en-
| gineer never once consulted me about
| those specifications or how they should
| be drawn up. I never saw them until
! they passed the council. The council
resolution calls for repaving of Kan
sas avenue, the specifications say re-
pair. The resolution does not get
| what il calls for
"City Attorney Dreaming should
have found out this fault in the speci-
fications in the first instance. It seens
| to me rather late now for him to find
/ objections" said City Engineer Nc
! Cabe HE looked them over and
said they were all right I don't think
that it will be necessary to readver-
tise for bids. I believe that the eoun-
Gil can amend the specifications Monday
night before letting the contract
VIII Patch Harrison and Ninth
Harrison street and Ninth street
] west from Harrison viii have the
j asphalt pavement repaired to the ex-
tent of 800
i The amount won't be sufficient I'd
| take care of but few of the larger
patches and the reason why it is limit
ed is due to a fear that the Barber
Asphalt company may contest the re-