New-York tribune., 1905-06-17
WEAVER PREPARES BLOW.
MAY ARREST DURHAM.
Council of Var Held Before Prose
cution of Machine Leaders.
iBr TELEGRAPH 10 rHe rR1nrxr.l


Philadelphia, June 16.-To revise and perfect
his plan for the final blow by which he intends
- utterly destroy and obliterate the Durham
machine Mayor Weaver to-day called council
~ war within the walls of the historic Union
League. There were present besides the Mayor.
r,Ibu Root, James Gay Gordon and Joseph F.
.perbach the lawyers who win serve the Mayor
and the Committee of Seventy in prosecuting
corruptionists and all the members of the
Mayors advisory board OF fourteen.
The object of the council was admittedly TO
consider the prosecution of a number of the
pr,ncipal machine leaders. Early to-day Judge
Go-5on announced that some arrests were about
20 be made that would cause a great sensa-
ion" but it is understood that when ex-Secre-
,sry Root arrived and learned the startling de-
yslopments Of the Caven case yesterday. when
israel W. Durham and James P. McNichol were
found 10 be the real bidders the city's s.reat
e,tratiOn contracts, he asked that drastic action
hs postponed for the day in order that he might
thoroughly familiarize himself with the situa-
ton For this reason arrests were made to-
day They will probably be made, however, to-
morrow, and there is ample reason for the belief
that the charges upon which they will be based
will be Of a most sweeping character including
contract grabbing conspracies. by which the
city has been mulcted of enormous sums
In expectation that the Mayors list Of men to
he arrested includes them, State Insurance Com
missioner Israel w. Durham, State Senator
James P McNicboI and former Director of Pub
lie Works Peter e. Costello are said TO nave
made arrangements to-day to secure bali
Mr.. Durham and James P. McNichol came up
from Atlantic City to-day.
Mr. Durham was asked concerning the state
ments made on the stand yesterday by Daniel
]. McNichol. the Senator's brother. and said:
have never denied that / interested in
the McNichol contracting firm, and thought
that fact was generally recognized nave
heard rumoTs that warrants are to be issued Ior
me on q charge of conspiracy. but know moth
tne OF the matter beyond what | have seen IN
the papers and the reports that are in circula-
ton
Senator McNichol said:
Up TO the present time the total amount of
filtration contracts that have been awarded my
firm aggregates SIG. .660.h0. We are under bonds
o. sS.Ola.u00 for the proper fuifilment of the
specifications of those contracts. This bond OF
ours continues in force for five years after the
completion OF our contracts. say again tnat
the work speaks for itself and that every detail
connected with those contracts IS open to the
fullest Investigation.
:, g have been at work on those contracts for
about four years and l defy any one to accom-
Tlish in twice the time what We have accom-
llished in those four years AS TO the sand
contracts. we were recommended to take the
sand from Norcross & Edmunds. and we did this
after careful investigation OF the firm and the
merits OF the sand controlled by 1t 1t was a
purely business proposition and one by which
the city was the gamer.
Everything at the Torresd2le and Belmont
filter plants is open TO the fullest and most
searching investigation. and the result OF such
an inquiry Viii show that the city has received
fun value for every dollar spent by it,
f-know nothing about warrant for my arrest
beyond what | i'm the papers. However. L
shall be at my office every day attending TO my
business. and if any one wants me they viii haYs
no difficulty in finding