The diamond drill., 1908-03-14
WILL STAND FOR MAYOR AT THE
COMING ELECTION
ENTERS TO SAVE cITY'S CREDIT
Says That he Has Been Almost Forced
Into the Race by Taxpayers Who
Wish to See a Change

Inat there VIII Do OppOslJOn IN tnc
coming election was settled last Tues
day when Ex-Msyor Corcoran announ-
ced to Diamond Drill Reporter that
he had consented TO be candidate for
the mayors Office.
isWhat do you mean by consent.
ed - inquired the reporter
'.Just what / say. was the reply.
II have been approached by so many of
the taxpayers OF the city and asked to
run that have gotten tired Of refusing
and will enter the race to satisfy those
who are not satisfied with the condition
which the city Is in financially today
and wish 10 see a change
"what change. do you propose 70
make in case you are chosen, inquired
the reporter.
"Quit spending money foolishly get
rid OF the Falkeneau people. and stop
any expenditure excepting what is act
ually necessary until we get our debts
paid up then go ahead conservatively
and live within our means. What
money we spend, spend IL with our
home people and not let lot of graf
ters live of the taxpayers and our
people go without work. 7"
Mr.. Corco-an WAS chosen mayor OF
this city four years age and he found
the city away in debt He went at
the task cleaned up the Indebtedness
and accumulated surplus of $50. 900
when he surrendered his Office. During
his last term. after the city had accum-
ulated fair sized reserve the sewer
system was projected and Mr.. Corcoran
fathered the project as there was plenty
of money TO carry 1t through TO com
pletion. He sat down on any other
work being started until the sewer
system should be completed. His sue
!. cessor, Mr.. Moriarty, followed in Mr..
Corcoran's footsteps and confined his
attention 10 constructing the sewers.
With the advent of Mr.. Webb's admin
istration the council got IL into its
head that the sewerage system and an
addition 10 the waterworks plant could
be built at the same time and notwith
standing they were warned that the
city couldn't finance 1t without a bond
issue. the proposition 10 build the
power plant addition was taken up. IL
was first proposed 10 let the job out on
contract but advertising failed
to bring any contractors around except
ing the Falkeneau companyswhich pro-
posed 10 take the job on commission
basis, a commission ot 10 per cent
being asked on the extreme cost of the
work and the city 20 pay all the salar
les of the FalEeneau foremen. A coun
ter proposition was made by the coun
Gil TO wit we will pay $2, 900 in lieu
Of the 10 per cent commission. The
FalkeneRu people took up the offer
but ran jcker" into the contract
making the commission payable in in
stallments. the time to begin running
~ soon as work was commenced
They started work and instead OF
hustling IL through hung back, accom-.
plisning almost nothing and in the
mean time the payments became due
and were paid Before the city realiz-
I'd they had paid 81. 900 Of the commits
sion and the contractors had done
almost nothing Then the council
woke mp 10 the fact that the company
had brought no equipment 10 work
with. that they were buying their tools
and the city WAS paying for them.
One thing lead 30 another until the
public was awakened 10 the fact that
the city was being 'humbugged.
One OF the employees OF the Falkeneau
people let the cat out Of the bag to a
business man by saying. I'VE have too
much of a--pudding' here 20 want 10
get through. Criticisms began TO
pour In aud the council began to inves-
tigate and got after the contractors but
in the mean time the panic came on
an1s the city found itself broke. -
II Ae who gave out that they had
sources where they could get all the
knoney the city wanted to operate on.
nhnked when 1t came to putting mp
and the city WAS under the humilia.ing
necessity OF asking the contractors to
suspend work
Then came the super essence OF gall
The contractors extracted from the city
bonus OF $3.50 for quitting work. II
was a supreme blnn The city had no
money: couldn't get any and the con.
tractors weren't at all flush. Glad the
city stool pat the work would have