Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-15
BEDFORD And FREE PASSES
Prospective President Of City Council
Denies Using Favors.
POINTS OUT LAW THAT BARS HIN
Accuses His Opposition of starting
stories 20 Defeat Him in His
Race for the Coveted
Place.

jeff Bedford denies with much vehem-
nence that he had been in any way guilty
OF soliciting or accepting a railroad pass
since the recent election. He admits tha'
ne has business relations with the rail-
roads but he calls the attention OF his
opponents to the fact that he is the only
member OF the incoming city council to
whom the railroads can not give pass
He is a coal merchant and a shipper, and
IL Is a penal offense for a railroad to give
a pass TO a shipper or to any member OF
shippers family, or to a prospective
shipper. or to anyone who may become a
shipper with this hedge of Elkins' law
between him and free transportation. MT
Bedford thinks his opponents have taken
an unfair and low advantage of him by
circulating the reports current for the pur-
pose Of influencing two members Of the
council in the night for the presidency.
Did Not Eat with Enemies.
Moreover, Mr. Bedford denies that lie
was in attendance at the dinner given at
the O'Brien cafe, when certain members
elect Of the council broke bread and other
things while man high in the coun-
ellis Of the local public service corpora
lions sat at the head of the table and
footed the bills. This, too, says Mr.. Bed-
ford, is a invention Of the enemy, circu-
lated with more or less malice and a pur-
pose TO-. discredit him with those Of his
party who are consumed with hatred
of the cohorts of corporated wealth.
you can make this just strong as
you like" said Mr.. Bedford, when he was
entering his disclaimer. for / want to be
set right before the people. I know who
It was that strated those stories, and I'll
I
to influence a couple of votes in the coun-
ell. I'm in doubt as to whether it will"
The stories to which Mr.. Bedford objects
are to the effect that he secured railroad
Transportation for certain friends since
the election, and that he took part in a
dinner at which a corporation man sat
at the head Of the table and did the
honors.
Corporation support Divided.
Part of the franchlsed corporations have
been putting in licks for Bedford and
part for Funkhouser, as the work of lob
byists and agents seems to indicate. The
Funkhouser supporters declare their man
is free from corporation faint or control,
notwithstanding whatever the vested in
terests may be doing for him
Coincident with other signs of strike
comes rumors that members Of the new
city council propose to have something
to say about splitting up the breakfast
food not withstanding Mr.. Dahlman's as
sertion that he would make the appoint
ments" Nearly every ohicer-elect has
one or more particular friends whom he
wants to see staked to the city pay roll
and for whom he is willing to put up
fight. Inasmuch as the mayor needs
seven councilmen to confirm and make
good his appointments, there is obvious
need for diplomacy and care in making
the arrangements.
The receiving of applications will close
Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday the
new administration integers will get to-
gether, probably, and try to decide on a
program. This is where a break between
the mayor and his council is expected
to occur If it does at all.
On City Engineer.
The biggest paying Office in the gift Of
the administration and one of the most
important, both from the standpoint of it's
duties and interests entrusted to its care
= and the number of ablebodied men It re-
quires, is that of city engineer Mayor
elect Dahlman has made it plain that he
wishes to keep City Engineer Rosewater
in the place, because of his experience and
ability. This does not meet with the ap-
proval of Paving Contractor Hugh Murphy,
frmation among the councilmen. Murphy
at present represents the new A. L. Barber
AsphaR company which desires changes
, In the paving specifications that will tend
to bar out competition. The demands were
made upon Engineer Rosewater some time
ago and have been made in Kansas City
and other places. They amount to a posi-
tive discrimination against artificial
asphalts, and proviso that the asphalt
used must have contained 90 per cent or
more bitumen in its original state. The
effect would be to bar out the California
asphalts and that from Trinidad giving a
practical monopoly to the A. L. Barber
company, which controls the Bermudez
fields Of Venezuela, long the source of
litigation, International complications and
public and private scandals.
Mr. Murphy has been working upon
councilmen-elect TO prejudice them against
the engineers retention. His candidate for
the place is Thomas Shaw a local civil
enrineer formerly in his employment.
Other interests are fighting for the dis