Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-05-27
CENTER ST. BONUS
NOT GUARANTEED
NO POSITIVE ASSURANCE THAT
1T WILL BE PAID
An Analysis of the Two Petitions by
Jas. Goodwin.

both through the newspapers and on
the street. about the petition for the
Center street and Tempe bridges
The proposition. guaranteeing a bonus
of $4,000 for the Center street
bridge has been held up to influence
the voters.
Now before l undertake to make
an analysis of these petitions, want
TO say that 1 am not a lawyer. but
the gentlemen who drew up the
petition for the Center street bridge
are lawyers. They are both skilled
and able and this petition has been
drawn with as much cunning and
evasiveness as any petition 1 have
ever examined.
In our Tempe petition, the petit
TONERS ask that a bridge be con-
structed at Tempe of steel or such
other suitable material as the board
may deem most practical. This is
what we ask for.
The petitioners of the Center street
bridge ask for a bridge to be con-
structed of reinforced concrete steel,
the bridge, including the cause-way,
to be about 5000 feet long 1t seems
to us they relieve the board of sup
ervisors of judging what would be
the best type of bridge to be built or
the most suitable material for it's con-
struction and it may be that, since
their petition calls for only a REIN
forced concrete bridge of a certain
length, if the people vote for that
kind of bridge, the supervisors may
not have power to construct any
other type.
The Center Street Bridge commit
tee parades before the public that
the Center street people have to pay
a bonus of $4,000 of a guarantee for
that amount Now, this is the part
of the petition that l referred to as
having been drawn with a great deal
of skill and cunning. l cannot find
in the petition where any corporation
individual or any one has guaranteed
cent. They start out in their petit
ton by saying that the estimated cost
to Maricopa county shall be about
$4,000; the balance of the cost of
the said bridge to be about $50, 600
$4,000 of which shall be deposited in
the said county treasury of Maricopa
county, Arizona, to the order of the
board of supervisors of said county
before a contract is made for the con-
struction of said bridge Now, they
have not said that I'VE, the under
signed petitioners. hereby guarantee
$4,000, it simply states that $40, 900
will be deposited to the order of the
board of supervisors before the con-
tract is let
l ask the taxpayers of Maricopa
county if this is a business PROPOSE
ton? Is this the manner in which
the gentlemen of the Center Street
Bridge committee would accept a con-
tract to build a bridge? They are too
good business men to ever accept the
kind of contract that they are try
ing to get the people to approve, to
be accepted by the board of super
visors.
Ten thousand dollars shall be con-
tributed in guaranteed labor and sup
plies, which shall be available to the
said county board of supervisors as
by them required in the construction
Of said bridge" Now, we presume
that this is the Indian labor that
there has been so much talk about /
talked with Mr. Alexander some time
ago and he told me that he had said
to the Center street bridge people.
IF you can get the Indians to con-
tribute their labor free on the bridge,
will furnish provisions for the In
dams and feed for the horses" and
he said to me, 81 will do the same
for the people of Tempe, if there is a
bridge voted to be constructed there"
How many taxpayers think the In
dams are going to work without be-
ing paid? | was in Casa Blanca yes
terday and an Indian tod me, through
an interpreter, that the impression
prevailed among the Indians living
southwest of Center street that those
who worked on the Center street
bridge would get a free pass and
those who did not would have to pay
when the bridge was built
Ten thousand dollars of which shall
be paid to the county treasurer to the
order of the board of supervisors
within three months from the time
the actual construction of said bridge
shall be commenced" In the first
place, nobody agrees to put $40. 900 in
the bank before the contract is let.
Then, after the contract is let. in
three months time nobody agrees to
raise $4,000 and in six months from
the time they begin the construction
of the bridge, nobody agrees to raise
$4,000. l ask the tax payers of
Maricopa county if any of them
would be willing to accept such
contract. Even if the first $4,000
We're raised, the board of supervisors
then must make a contract to build a
bridge that would cost perhaps some
thing over 100000 on the mere sup
position that somebody was going to
do $4,000 worth of work and raise
$4,000 more in money. Now, this is
all the contract that we have been
able to find. If / have made any
1 stand ready to be cor
rected by the Phoenix Bridge COM
mittee.