Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1909-10-21

mace over the county regarding IL,
at the July meeting-with material
at Pollock for the Cattail work. and
with one of the bridges illegally let
at the May meeting already built
part of the contract relating to new
bridges, with the Hennepin Bridge
Company. was ''reconsidered and de-
clared null and void. I"
Imagine one party to legal con-
tract abrogating that contract!
But YOU and your fellow law
breakers. Mr.. Sherwood, knew that
it was an illegal contract. and you
fastened to get from under.
Then. at the same meeting. the
auditor was instructed to advertise
for bids for the bridges for the con-
struction of which the previous con-
tract had just been declared null and
void.
AND IN THAT PUBLISHED
NOTICE ASKING BIDS WAS IN
CLUDED A BRIDGE PREVIOUS
LY ILLEGALLY LET AND AL
READY BUILT AT THE TIME
THE BIDS WERE BEING ASKED
BY ADVERTISEMENT FOR ITS
BUILDING.
And you, Mr.. Sherwood. with
Kurtz and Clevesinga, are the men
almost entirely to blame for the
condition which was brought to
light.
But the worst was still to come.
At the special meeting of the
county board held in August con-
tract was let to the Hennepin Bridge
Company for two bridges of equal
dimensions lone of them the same
bridge) AT A SUN ONE THOU
SAND AND FIFTY-EIGHT DOL
LARS HIGHER THAN THE SAME
HENNEPIN BRIDGE COMPANY
HAD OFFERED TO Do THE
WORK FOR AT THE MAY MEET
ING,
Now. Mr.. Sherwood, these state
ments were true when they were
published last year. They are true
now. The mere fact that you and
your side partners found a hole
through which to crawl out of court
makes no difference whatever as to
the facts, except to show the public
that you were afraid to have the
matter thoroughly Investigated. You
knew that if you did not object and
raise the legal bubble a whole lot of
things would be made much clearer.
You knew that every word the edi-
tor Of the Record had said about
you was true, and that he was ready
and willing to prove it true if you
ever gave him a chance. and that,
with a knowledge of the law of libel,
he never would have printed it UNI
less he knew it to be true.
And that is where you and your
co-workers in the deal stand at
present. You did everything l said
you did. No court has Investigated
the matter and declared you either
innocent or guilty. No jury Of your
fellow-citizens has passed on your
case. You took mighty good care
to prevent the case from coming up
for trial on its merits by having
your attorney find a hole through
which you could sneak out.
1t this is in your judgment a
"vindication." assure you that
your judgment is not in consonance
with that Of a large majority of the
taxpayers Of this county.
Mr.. Sherwood, it has been said
that "a bet is two fools last argu-
ment. /" But you take good care in
your betting offer in your Advocate
letter to formulate a proviso that
you know can be settled only by the
Hennepin Bridge Company. They
are the only people who know
whether they did work as cheaply
under your illegal system of letting
bids without competition; and you
state an untruth when you assert that
the Record last year or at any other
time said that it cost thousand
dollars more to have bridge
built without competition through
advertising than it would had thew
been let to the lowest bidder. The
charges against you as to the thou-
sand dollars are that you made .
present OF that amount to the bridge
company. To make a grand-stand