The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-07-18
Board Of Water Commissioners
Up Against Hard Proposition
in Purchase of Coal
CAN MAYOR HAVE CONTRACT
Big Muddy Coal Company. for Which
the Mayor is Agent, is One of the
Low Bidders for Big Con-
tract With Board

Ihe Board of Water Commissioners
IS IN a quandary, and it is all on ac-
count of the discovery of the law that
contract can not be given by City
Board to any company in which one
OF the members of the Board is inter-
ested. In this case the working Of
the law has struck in a high. place for
Mayor James German and his coal
companysare the cause of the trouble.
Mayor German is the representative
in Kenosha of the Big Muddy Coal
company of Chicago, and this COM
pany is one.of the bidders for the con-
tract fol. coal with the. Water Commits
sioners.
Mayor German is member of the
Board of Commissioners, and thereby
hangs the tale. Some time ago the
question Of the right of city official
to vote for the payment of bill of a
firm or corporation in which another
city official was interested was laid
pertinently before the Board of Edu-
cation by Commissioner James Cava-
nagh, and it was shown that the Su.
preme Court had held that the mem
bers Of Commissions, Councils or
School Boards awarding contracts
and allowing billssto any, of their
members we're guilty of a nisde-
1neanor, and might be fined or inn
prisoned under the law.
Stories are leaking out in regard to
very stormy meeting of the Board
Of Water Commissioners at which it
is alleged that the Mayor left the
meeting IN anger, and that imme-
d1atelv after the meeting gmembers of
the Board consulted an attorney to
discover the liability of the Board.
The members of the Board are slow to
talk of the matter, and they sim ply
state that the coal ,contractsshave not
been let and that it isl hard matter
to tell what thesBoard will do in the
matter. The bids of sthe Big Muddy
Coal company was the lowest pre-
sented to the Board for the kind Of
coal offered by sthat company, and it
is conceded that the coal is a good
coal of its kind.
The bid to the Water Commissioners
was presented by Mayor German, it
having beens.S forwarded to him5by the
Chicago Company, but, the Mayor did
not appear as the agent for the com
p4ny when the bid5was presented and
for this reason it is claimed that he
has nothingsto do with the bid. The
attorney, however, held that in con-
sideration Of the fact that Mayor
German is the Kenosha representative
of the Big Muddy Coal Company it
would be illegal for sthe gBoard of
! Water Commissioners to let the con-
tract to this company SO 1org as the
/ Mayor was member Of the Water
1 Board. e'commissionersano hold
that should they award,the.contract
to the conn any for which the Mayor
is the local epresenta tive they would
make themselves sliable to either a
fine or Imprisonment for violation of
the state law. 1t is difficult matter
to tell who would institute .the pro-
ceedings against the members of the
Board, but they might be instituted
by any tax payer. In meantime
the Board is taking no action and the
other bidders are anxiously awaiting
the outcome. 1t is thought that the
action of the Water Board will result
in the law being moreGgenerally en-
forced by the other public boards in
kenosha and that thea city officials
who have been receiving pay from
these boards will have.to giveup their
work for the city or else get out OF
Office.
The full list of bidders for the coal
contract included John O'Donnell,
Peter Fisher, Jr. Company, The North
Shore Fuel and Supplyl Company, all
of Kenosha and the Big Muddy Coal
Company of Chicago.