Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-11-13
Nichols and Maytag Agree, According
to Latter, That Unless Ash Resigns
Come in and Decide Whether En-
gineer is Competent.

{
ton of force, when asking White if he
was not going to retract a statemen,
he had made, Maytag discharged the
assistant.
According to Engineer Ash the dis
charge has not yet gone into effect
The head of the office said that until
the supervisors removed White he
would continue at work. White was
not at work today, however, according
to the engineer. The physician White
consulted this morning told him not to
work for day or two. On Whites
throat, where the end Of the ruler was
thrust, is goiter from which White
suffers. 1t is not. however, presumed
that White is at all seriouly hurt.
Dispute Preeipitates Climax.
!! A dispute in which Maytag and
White engaged precipitated the Incl
dent. This led to Maytag demanding
if White intended to call him a liar,
to which White replied in substance
that the supervisor might so take 1t if
he chose.
Then, saying that he would make
White swallow what he had said, May
tag thrust the ruler in the assistants
neck then informed him that he was
discharged. according to witnesses.
Supervisor Nichols and County En-
gineer Ash were present, but the board
was not in session.
Ash Asked to Quit.
! Back Of the incident is dissatisfac-
ton Maytag has held for the the work
of Engineer Ash. About month ago
Maytag. who Is chairman of the bridge
and roads committee of the board. and
who has been personally in charge of
the work of these committees, asked
Ash to resign. Ash, however, continued
on the Job because the board had not
taken action. He in still at work, and
Chairman e. B. Zines said today that
the question Of the removal Of Ash or
the appointment Of another engineer
to take his place has not been before
the board.
Other Engineer Here.
However that may be. w. w. More
house. an engineer who has been en-
ployed on the c., NJ. & 81. P. work In
the southern part Of the county, has
moved to this city, supposedly to take
the job of county engineer. Several
weeks ago an item appeared in the
Rhodes News that Mr.. Morehouse had
resigned his position with the railroad
and would move to this city to become
county engineer Nov. 1. AT about that
time Mr.. Morehouse moved here.
Neither Chairman Zines or Supervisor
Nichols would intimate this forenoon
on wnoae authority Mr.. Morehouse had
come e.e expecting to be county en-
gineer. or who was responsible for the
item in the Rhodes paper.
Should Have Consulted Board.
Chairman Emes. of the board. said
a1,to oh ho Wa
brought before the board any COM
plant he had against the engineering
office employees, and not taken the mat
ter of the discharge Of the assistant
engineer into his own hands, particu-
larly when he was angry.
Mr. Maytag has had charge Of the
bridge and road work." the chairman
said, but that does not give him the
authority to discharge county en-
ployes" He said that such questions
had always been referred to the whole
board.
Supervisor Nichols was reluctant to
discuss the affair, altho he admitted
the facts.
Il don't think Maytag would have
done it, if he had not been angry, and
I know he did not intend to injure
White" Mr.. Nichols said.
Board Divided on Ash.
1t is known that Supervisor Maytag
and Chairman Zines do not agree re-
garding County Engineer Ash. Maytag
regards Ash as incompetent and has
found fault with his bridge plans and
work. Chairman Emes thinks Ash
competent and Emes is authority for
the statement that Ash's bridge plans
must conform to the ideas Of the
state highway commission. and that all
| the bridge plans have been submitted
to the commission, and in cases where
Maytag objected to the amount of ma
terial the county engineer had speci-
fled, the commission had in some in
stances added still more ma terial be-
fore approving the plans. Supervisor
Nichols position regarding the engi-
neer is not SO we'll defined as either of
the others. insofar as any statements
he may have made are concerned.
Maytag Employed Morehouse.
Over the telephone this afternoon
Maytag said he engaged Morehouse to
come to this city, with the understand
ing that he was to be county engineer.
None Of the other members of the
board" said Maytag, knows just how
incompetent Ash is. The other men,
bers have not been on the work as
have and are not in a position to Judge.
had grown tired Of the methods of
the engineer, so took another member
of the board to some of the work and
explained the faults found in 1t. The
member agreed with me, and he also
Iagreed that it looked like we needed
another engineer. He also agreed that
he would do whatever thought best I"
That was Maytags explanation Of
the details that led up oshis engaging
Morehouse tentatively.
will. Call In Comssnission.
II told Ash" Maytag continued. "five
weeks ago that he could resign. l
wanted to let him out as gracefully az
possible, and I did no. u'art all this to