The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-05-25
HOT FIGHT PRECEDES ACTION
Acrimonious Debate and Personalities
Come in the School Board Row Be-
fore Members Reach Vote to Adopt
Business Methods.

At the close OF three hour SEES
sion which rivaled in its intensity a
meeting of the common council in the
days before peace was declared the
board of education on Tuesday even
ing decided to have business methods
prevail in the work of the board and
after resembling the action taken at a
snap meeting in which the contract for
the heating plant at the proposed adj
dition to the Frank school had been
let to the American Foundry and Fur
mace company, the board instructed the
committee on buildings and grounds
and the architect to advertise for bids
for the heating plant in the building
the bids to be opened at a special meet
ing Of the board to be held on the
evening Of June Sth.
This was the only business taken up
by the board and it brought innumera-
BILE wrangles in which there was heroic
defense of the action of the members
Of the board who had voted for the
Bogart contract and yelled suggestions
that the contract as it had been made
looked chad" Most of the members
of the board who voted for the origi-
nal contract defended their action by
the statement that they were satisfied
with the system installed by the Mil
waukee company in other schools and
that for this reason they believed it
good business policy to- give the con
tract to Mr.. Bogart, the representative
of that company. The members OF the
board opposed the Bogart contract on
the grounds that it had been let by
invitation and not by competition and
these men insisted that every municipal
contract In which the money of the
property owners was being spent should
be let only after bids had been asked
for in the regular legal manner.
The debate many times was intense
ly personal and attacks were made on
many people who had suggested that
the contract was not let strictly in
Keeping with the rules which should
govern the actions of municipal bodies.
Commissioner Craney was the ora
tor for the men favoring the contract
and his oratory was brought into full
play in denouncing every one and
everything that had dared criticise the
work of the board in letting the CON
tract. He, however, objected strenu-
ously when an attempt was made to
answer his oratory with facts and the
president of the board upheld him in
his objection. Walter Burke led the
fight to set aside the contract and he
had a great helper in Commissioner
Buckmaster Of the second ward Mr..
Buckmaster went into the facts at
length and declared that no notice had
been given the members of the board
that contract was to have been let
and that there were no legal steps tax
en- for the letting of the contract.
Commissioner Curtis challenged the
members of the building committee to
show. any authority for their securing
bids for the heating plant and his chal-
lenge was supported by the minutes of
the meetings which failed to reveal
the fact that any such authority had
been given.
Commissioner Buckmaster demanded
that Mr.. Bogart, who was present at
the meeting, to come out and express
himself in regard to reopening the mat
ter and coming in with a new bid in
competition after regularly advertis-
ed demand for BIDS but Mr.. Bogart was
as silent as the sphinx Of Egypt on this
question. Mr.. Buckmaster objected
very strenuously to agents for heating
companies or any other companies seek
ing contracts of the board holding in
di1idual conferences with members of
committees and he declared that if
these agents had anything to lay be-
fore the committees that they should
meet the members as committee and
not as individuals. He declared in no
uncertain words that it was hard mat
ter to explain the recent action of the
board in letting the contract to the
Bogart people when there was bid of
81 200 lower.
1t was long after ten clock when
the debate reached a point where the
debaters We're worn out and willing to
let the question of reeonsidering go to
ballot, but when the motion was final
Ily put it carried by a vote Of nine to