The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-23

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Word Not Accepted.
Il never accepted the word of any
discharged employee of the Barber
| people that the asphalt was not what
| It should be. l had plenty of grounds
| for most any suspicion, however, for
| it was agreed that the inspector on
| the asphalt was to make regular tests
and they to be made in my office
| Only one or two were made there
| He said he was making them at the
plant, but as to this / had no means
of learning the truth. Yes 1 did hire
an outside inspector in preference to
the one here in this city. In the first
place the man here had never done
any of the work and was not stuck
| on accepting the job, while the man
I brought from Spokane was sup
posed to be good. Because this man
l employed failed and did not make
good is it any indication that 1 am
not onto my job, or that we had to
keep him? l was for discharging him,
! rectifying my mistake. just as read
lily as l would had l made a mistake
in anything else.
Says Statement False.
"The statement that 1 inspected the
work on Rose street, or that it was
done under my supervision is will
full, malicious falsehood. 1 was at
work on Crescent, Grove and Wash
ington streets, and was depending on
an inspector on Rose street. The first
I knew of the mistake in the rock on
Rose street was when the street COM
mittee and myself went onto the
street and ordered the rock off.
never said, and would like to know
i the man who said l did, advocate that
some of the rock be used in the sub
base. The extra cost of paving there
was not my fault, but instead the city
council authorized the contractor to
distribute rock on the street inter-
cessions, this to be paid for out of
the general fund at the rate of ma
cadam.
THAT / had trouble with my in
spectors is another lie. 1 only had
trouble with one, the asphalt inspec-
:or and that. was not for long as l
ignored him.
LAS far as blue prints and all that
stuff is concerned l will simply say
that it was agreed between myself
and the street committee that we al
low the work to go on in advance of
my office work, as we were rushed at
that time.
Council Feared Damage Suit.
About the grade on Rose street.
1t was the councils own fear of get
ting themselves into a damage suit
that was the cause of raising and
lowering the bridge. l was ordered
first to make my grade conform to
Mrs. Thompson's sidewalk. This I
did. Which& necessitated raising the
bridge Then came the order to raise
the grade and this necessitated an
other change. AS for the expense, in
stead Of it costing the city 5000, they
paid $3.50, | think it was, for ne rails
ing. while the property owners lower
ed it at their own expense. The fact
that / was to make my grade con-
form with the concrete walk in front
of DR. Crops house is why it is so
low in that particular place.
Il will dismiss the curb trouble on
Park street by saying that if the con-
tractor had followed his instructions
it would not have had to be redOne
This would cost something like s45
instead of 5000, as the street COM
m 'ttee says.
Sack Was Not Hid.
Either made a cement test out
of the same sack as the street COM
mittee took their cement or the per-
son VINO informed me lied The sack
pointed out to me was not hid They
too kone sample out of the 200 barrels,
while satisfactory test calls for one
test in every 10 barrels.
In closing 1 wish to state that this
IS just a hurried accumulation of
facts that occur to me as | read the
statement of the street committee
and if l believe it worth my while
| may take time to make a written
statement. | further wish to say |
have appealed and beseeched the
council, the mayor among them, for
conference when some understand
ing can be arrived at. but they will
not agree to do so-every one of them
steers clear of me as though / were
poison-and / don't know for what
cause, for God knows | have been
fair and tried to be honest in my
dealings with council and the tax
payers, but there are things I will
never agree to, and it is because
never will betray the trust expressed
in me by the citizens of this city
by my election