The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-13

auy particular.
The Duluth Herald Of Tuesday car
ries a lengthy story on the PROPOSE
ton and, in part, says:
The report of tibet council commit
tee which investigated the "paving
scandal" did not produce anything
startling when 1t was submitted to the
city council.
The committee exonerated all CITY
oflcials of being subject to undue in
fluence or bribery.
1t found that outside of the accusa-
toons Of Contractors Steele and Os-
man no complaints were made to the
committee.
Contractor P. Mcdonnell was not
found to have offered brides to other
contractors to refrain from bidding on
paving contracts nor did the commit
tee find that the statements that he
had not fulfilled the specifications of
his contracts to have been sustained.
The committee stated that 1t thinks
that Mr.. Mcdonnell himself Is large
; " responsible for the feeling which
seems to be common among a great
many people that his relations are
too close with city officials and am
ployes.
The committee went into the sever
al paving jobs which were complain
ed Of at considerable length, but in
none Of them did it find grounds for
: any severe criticism. Recommends
+, tons were made for more accurate
estimates o." public improvements;
for a system Of bookkeeping in the
F., Office Of the city engineer; for bet
ter inspection of city work; for more
help, II necessary in the office of the
engineer and for a heavy reduction of
unnecessary estimates in the office of
the engineer.
The report says in part:
Outside Of the charges made in
the letters Of Mr.. Steele and Mr.. Os-
man and their allegations on the
stand, no complaints or accusations
of any kind were made to the COM
mittee or its chairman or attorney
with the exception of one letter writ
ten by Mr.. Steele to the committee,
but not produced until the last day
of the hearing and then read by Mr..
Steele on the witness stand, and en-
tered into the record, which letter
was chiefly a reiteration of his for
imer charges.
"The inquiry naturally divides It.
lself into four heads.
First; The honesty and integrity
Of city officials or employees with ref
erence to the award and performance
LOT contracts for public improvements.
Second, Collision among con-
tractors bidding for and performing
works Of public improvements.
Third: Unfairness or favoritism
in the award or performance Of con-
tracts.
Fourth: Incompetency or inef1-
cheney in the award or performance
!of contracts for public improvements.
There was absolutely nc evidence
introduced and no specific charge
Iruption or want Of integrity in any
official or employee of the city in re-
gard to any of the matters named in
the councils resolution and every
witness on the stand INTERCEPTED on
the point, including Mr.. Steele and
Mr.. Osman, expressly denied any
knowledge Of any such ofrense.
There was a good deal of loose
talk by MI. Osman especially as to
Mr.. Mcdonnell jollying city officials
and employees and as to his opinion
that some of the aldermen thought
they owed him something for help in
elections, but absolutely nothing
definite al testified to.
Charge Dispr0ven
"Mr. Steele's charge in his letter,
subsequently practically withdrawn
i'm his examination that the city at
torney, Mr.. Fesler was McDonnell's
attorney was absolutely disproved, it
being shown co~nclusively that the
only matters Mr.. Fesler ever had in
charge for MI. Mcdonnell were a
certain suit in the federal court in
North Dakota regarding an alleged
infringement Of the Warren Bros
patent pavement, which Mr.. Fesler
was requested to conduct, on account
of his familiarity with such matters
and one simple matter of examining
certain papers, but that both of these
transactions occurred between. Mr..
Fesler's first and last terms as city at
torney and were completed and paid
for some time before his last term
in office.
I'VE think that Mr.. Mcdonnell HIM
self is largely responsible for the
feeling which seems to be common
among a great many people, that his
relations are too close with city Of