The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-10-24
LEGALITY OF CITY
ELECTION THURSDAY
MAY Be QUESTIONED
ARBITRARY COURSE OF MA
CHINE COMM SSIoNER THoM.
AS CAUSES TANGLE.
VIOLATED HIS AGREEMENT
Chairman Ramon Insisted That the
Printing Be Done by Non-PaltI san
Source But to This New Commits
sioner Would Not Agree.

AS result of Chairman" Thomas
failure to keep his agreement with
Chairman Ramon, of the old election
commission the ballots for the COM
ing city election will be printed with
out the signature of the latter and
the Kannon board will not of course
certify to the result.
The following plain statement from
Chairman Ramon shows the devious
course OF the machine chairman in
dealing with the question:
Desiring above all things to have
a. legal election and in order to avoid
any controversy said Chairman
Ramon, several days ago | went to
Mr.. Thomas, chairman of the social
ed new board, and suggested to him
that in order that there be no contro.
|versy we agree that the ballots should
De printed by Mr. Aydelott told
him that The Herald had been closely
identified with the temperance PEG.
pie, while the Democrat had been re,
cognized as the mouthpiece of the
liquor faction, but that Mr.. Aydelott
had not been active in politics and
was man in whose integrity every
one had the utmost confidence.
"Mr Thomas would not agree to
my suggestion, but stated that he be-
lieved that all public work, that is
work for which the tax payers must
pay should be awarded to the low
est bidder. To this | reluctantly
agreed. | then went to The Herald
Office and requested Mr. Finney, when
called upon by Mr.. Thomas to do so,
TO submit bid. At first he declined
to do this saying, that it would not
make any difference what the bid of
The Herald might be Thomas would
not let it have the contract. Howev-
err assured him that the lowest bid
der, under our agreement, would get
the job. He then agreed but stated
that he would simply submit nomi
nal bid merely for the purpose of
testing Thomas sincerity, in which he
declared chad no confidence.
THE bids were submitted to Mr..
Thomas early last week Personally
he went to The Herald office and So
licited it's bid. And although the bid
submitted by The Herald and which
Mr.. Thomas solicited, was the lowest
he awarded the contract to another
Office. This was in direct and fla.
grant violation of his solemn agree
ment with me and done for no other
reason than to give his faction some
sort of undue advantage in the cleo
ton.
CAS- soon as ! found out what Mr.
Thomas had done, | went to him and
again proposed that Mr.. Aydelott
print the ballpts. He objected for
the reason that the contract had al
ready been awarded to another.
then told | would personally pay one
half of the bill if he would pay the
other. This he declined / then told
him l would pay one-half the cost and
guarantee to raise the other half. He
finally agreed to take the matter un
der consideration, but after consult
| ing with nis bosses refused to do any
thing.
"Now I have done all that / could
| in tie premises | have sought nc
advantage. l suggested that the bal
, lots be printed by disinterested
printer who has not been engaged in
the factional troubles and one in
whom all had confidence, then Thorn
as would have nothing but the low
est bidder, but. because the lowest
bidder was not his partisan he vic
lated his solemn word"