Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-05
WICKHAM TO ACCEPT CHECK
Writes Letter to Council Stating His
Position in the Matter.
THINKS HE Is UNFAIRLY TREATED
Engineer Bryan's Report sharply Crit
icIsed-POckets His Loss and
Drops Out Rather Than
Embarrass city,
THINKS HE IS UNFAIRLY TREATED

Contractor wickham, as announced a few
days ago, will accept The return from the
city Of the $1,000 certified check which
he put up with his bid on the proposed
municipal water works plant. The check
is still in the custody OF City Clerk Casady,
but Mr.. Wickham will accept II after the
following letter from him has been read
to the city council at its meeting Monday
night:
Replying to your request to accept the
return OF the certified check deposited
with my bid for the construction Of the
water works, l beg leave to inform you
that I have decided to comply with your
wish. 1 prefer to lose what money l have
spent In connection with my bid than
to incur the ili-will of any of our citizens
who may not comprehend the real situa-
ton. 1 cannot forego the thought, how
the council wished, and / had made an
improvtdent bid, would the council permit
me to ]retraet and give me back my check
However, 1 do not wish this matter dis
missed with any false impression from
the report of Engineer Bryan, which, so
far as It concerns my bid, is decidedly I'M
fair. From It's tone 1t Is evidently inspii ed
by some person who wished to be rid Of
and who took occasion to accomplish that
purpose under cover of an attack upon
my bid that is not warranted by the
facts.
Let anyone examine the report of Mr..
Bryan printed in the pamphlet just issued
by you, and II will readily be seen that, al
though he pretended to approve the plans
In a general way, he really objected to
them in so many important particulars as
TO nullify the former approval. If what he
says of my bid is based upon all the In
formation he had of 1t, then l must say
that he did not have full information on
that point. The Inconsistency of the re-
port clearly. appears in that when he
deals with the plans he passes each OBJ
lection with the statement that It can be
/ covered nv tnR pnRinaaT whnn he dTn ifs
the contract, yet when he deals with my
bid 1t never occurs to him that such mat
ters TO which he takes exception might be
adjusted in the same manner by the pro-
visions of the contract. As a matter of
fact, many, Of the matters were left to
the final decision of Mr.. Etnyre to be
specifically covered by the contract to be
prepared.
I never was asked to meet with your
different estimates or to see II the con-
tract could be so drafted as TO meet the
pletely ignored. If Mr.. Etnyre's plans
were in fact satisfactory, and Il was the
real desire Of the council to build accord
ing to those plans, would not good faith
prompt that l be called into consultation
to see II the contract could be harmon
lied with the changes proposed?
As to Mr.. Bryan's figures on the cost of
a plant for this city, they are so far
below the estimates Of the different en-
slider that matter, that 1t is very apparent
D., that he is grossly in error on that point.
| would be willing to wager the full
city will never be able to build an adequate
s. stem of water works for the figlres
given by Mr.. Bryan. II this city ever doe
build a plant within such figures 1t will
be at the expense of many citizens who
can never be supplied with water from
II. Mr.. Bryan's statement Of causes hat
operated to prevent bids, or affected my
bid upon the plant, are plainly not his
own sinse he could not have been aware
the statement of others. Plainly his re-
port Is influenced by the ideas and wishes
of others.
One other suggestion before I close. II
my contract for building the plant had
been submitted In connection with the
proposition to issue bonds in payment as
had every reason 10 believe would lbe
done, the chances Of adoption would have
been much better than by submitting the
letter alone, for in the first ~instante the
people would have had some def.nite in.
tormation Of how that money would be
pent, and II would be spent for that mar
ocular purpose. But now the people car
not know Just how that money will bg
sLent, except in a general way that A
VIII be used to build a municipal plant
JUST now extensive will be the plant. jusi
who shall be included, etc, nobody car
tell. true, promises can be made. and
presume this is a fair instance that they
may be broken. And when it comes te
me details of a complete plan, its ma.
chinery, etc. the average Citizen cannol
UNDERSTAND them without particular ex.
planation. II he thinks he can, let him re n
that portion OF Mr.. Bryan s report tina
deals with the plans. N
L have taken occasion to refer IN III,
foregoing matters in order that the publ,
may Know that the impression sought n
De created by Mr.. Bryan's report SO faI
as the same refers to my bid, are who'll,
unwarranted. This much I am entitieS +,
since you ask me to terminate what right
! Hau ny your acceptance of my bid.