Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-25
IRE DEFENDS OLD BOARD
Says Blame for Court House MiXup
Rests on Present Members.
oNUs ON DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY
He believes Building Cen Ne COM
pIeted for SEIuuoa Doitpru and
cites John Latenser as
His AuthorItys

His AuthorIty.
-.
III the new county court house cannot
be completed for S,ooO,0CO, 1t is the fault
NJ the new county board" says w A. Ure
"and not that OF the Board OF County
Commissioner whose term expired Janu-
airy 1, 1900"
Mr.. IRE asserts that the court house can
be acknowledgements as to furnishings-
within the amount OF the bond issue, but
he is Of the opinion that there is much
loose talk about atteoond bond issue and
he is inclined to believe the members Of
the present board are trying to throw
blame IF blame there be-" on himself,
the late M. J. Kennard and A. c. Harte.
Mr.. Ure's statements will add fuel TO al
ready raging flames, because the county
commissioner now think they can see their
way clear to get the building up within the
sum named, but that there is some difn-
Guilty in this Is in their opinion due as
much to Mr.. IRE and his former asso-
ciates as themselves.
Latenser says At Can he Done.
Il am OF the opinion that the building
as planned at present can be completed for
the 1900, 900 provided BY the voters" says
Mr.. IRE. Il believe 80 because John
LatenserS the architect, tells me It can
be done. Possibly the funds available will
not provide water-washed air and other
high-class luxuries. Funds are available
to complete the building with the necessi-
ties for a building OF that sort.
The problem is not a difficult one.
Caldwell & Drake are to be paid $4,000
for the building complete, including tile
floors, marble wainscoting and other things
OF that sort, except that Caldwell & Drake
do not install electric wiring, elevators,
plumbing and heating.
Caldwell & brakes contract is for. $3.50 900
Grading the site cost .....,........ n,0O0
Architects fec ..''."'.'..'..'.'. So.OO
So the money contracted to this
date Is ,SoS4'VOO
Let 1t be understood that the underpin-
ming Of the old 'coutt house was included
in the SS23,Veo contfaots and we have left
of the fnnds from the $1,000 900 bond issue
the neat sum Of $4,000. Besides this the
board has, Tor use, In the erection of the
new court house whatever salvage there is
from the old, Let ls estimate that item
at, say $3.50 and the board has, available
for electffr swfings Elevators, heating and
plumbing sl41,pW atenser says he can
complete the budiding for that sum, and
Ab gABMAN ~ AANlnF NAAG NoaorNNV GVllAIhCN
with Caldwell b DRAKE provides for bronze
front doors for thk court house. II cast
iron frdnt doors afe used instead Of
bronze S16.OcQ can be saved on that alone,
and IL that be added. to the $4l, 900 above
there is $1SzDO0 Left for completing the
building
why All This Loose TaIke
Il am sure 1 hope that the present mem
bers Of the county board are fully aware
of the facts recitede above. II they are, ]
cannot understand all the loose talk that
has been going on in the papers recently
about a second bond issue.
The second proposition wish to dis
cuss is with reference to responsibility
for the situation, which some board MEM
bers seem toSthipk cane toVga second bape
issue to Sarppfets ma court house. The
resolution3 of DeesnbeuM NOs did not ac-
cept, adopt ana approve the plans pre-
scented by John Latenser. That resolution
was worded as follows:
Resolved that the plans and ,speclflca-
ions, Tor the proposed court house build
ing prepared and submitted by John
Letenser, architect, in accordance with his
contract, be and hereby are accepted; and
contract for the erection of a court house
under these plans and specifications. the
plans and specifications shall be adopted
This resolution was voted for by Harte
Trainor, Ure and Kennard, and when vot-
ing for 1t they do mot Seem TO have beer
asleep at the switehs AS We looked ovei
the plans II seemed TO us impossible tc
erect the building contemplated for $1,000.
600 The accepting, adopting and approving
Of those plans would have bound tbs
county, to a certain extent at least, tc
those plans. We had no way OF knowing
what such a building would cost except BY
taking bids on those plans and they were
accepted for that purpose. And If 1t de.
Veloped later that the building could be
put up within the $1,000, 900 appropriation
We provided that Sletting of the contract
Under those plans and specification
should automatically approve and adopt
Such action, no matter about the provision
In the resolution quoted. would have ap.
proved and adopted them anyway
Harte and Ure OFF Board,
1T was on April /, 1903, that the con-
tract was let to Caldwell & Drake. Thai
was three months after. Harte and Urs
ceased to be members Of the board. In
the meantime bids had been received on
the Latenser plans and the fact had de.
veloped that the building as planned could
be erected for n,OOO,OO0. The contract WA
awarded to Caldwell g. Drake, and by the
action taken that day Latepser's plana
were for the first time approved and
adopted. 1t would have been folly for any
county board to have approved and
adopted them sooner.
m. j. 4Qennard (slnce gone to his re.
ward voted for the resolution of Deem
Der "A, 1908, accepting the plans for the
purpose Of receiving bids. He did not
vote for the resolution awarding the con.
tract to Caldwell & Drake. so he is az
free from blame, II there be blame TO at.
tach to anybody, as Harte and IRE.
"If there Is the mix-up that the presen,
county board members talk about. Their,
is no one 70 s'ame for IT but the present
democratic majority In the county board
Big shirt Sale Friday at Haydena.
Manufacturers surplus stock OF mem
and bow nerllrnn ahir4a ifrht ma nnA1.t