Arizona republican., 1914-03-25
Without Mincing Words Councilmen Cisney and Warren Defend Their Position In Fire Appara- tus Purchasing
MAYOR CHRISTY
 ALSO AROUSED
City Executive Leaves Chair to Defend His Col Ieagues-The Lie Is Pass ed In At Least Two Instances

Had John J. Egan, representative of the Knox Automobile and Fire Appar atus Company of Los Angeles, and II. w. Daggett, representative of James Boyd & Brother, Inc, of San Francisco, been present at the meeting of the | Common Council last evening, they wouldhave heard things of particular | interest to them. Wherever they were | their ears must have burned, or there I is no truth in the claim that such q phenomena occurs when person is | being talked about That each, indi- vidually and collectively, is and are, various sorts of liars, actuated in 1 charging Councilmen Cisney and War I ren with graft in connection with the | matter of the purchase of automobile 1 fire fighting apparatus, by jealousy Of competing companies, was the open ana unqualified claim of the accused l councilmen, who were supported in no | minced words by Mayor Christy and Councilman McDermott.
 1 Not within the councilmanic history ! of a single member of the municipal i governing body has there been more straightforward talk by the individual 1 members than was given last evening l that followed City Attorney Tom Pres 1 c0tt's explanation of the reason the contracts for the automobile fire fight | ing apparatus, the purchase of which ] had been approved at the meeting on | Monday evening. had not been exc ] cuted.
 l The storm broke when after consid- ering various matters that had come before the special session, Councilman l Warren inquired what had been done l about the contracts for the fire fighting apparatus. Prescott then explained | that representatives of the companies whose bids had been favored Monday | evening. brought contracts to his of 1 flee yesterday morning for his ap- proval. To them he explained that he had been given to understand that papers in an injunction suit were be- ing prepared and would likely be filed | in an effort to restrain the Common Council from executing the contracts for the apparatus and that none of the councilmen was willing these contracts should be executed while there was a semblance of a doubt as to every action taken in the matter having been open and above board.
 T understand that these papers were being prepared for these men in the office of Attorney Eugene Brady O'Neill" said Prescott
 Who are these mem" asked Warren
 T don't know replied Prescott.
 In an instant Councilman Cisney was on his feet
 T happen to be one of the men in- terested in this particular proposition '
 he said as soon as he gained recogni- tion from the mayor q have spent
 some little time today in looking into
 this matter and am going to give the
 names of two of these men. John J
 Egan is one of them. MT Egan made
 a statement that there was graft back
 of our action. l want to say that as
 far as I am concerned, he is a liar anC
 I can prove it. And what I say about
 Egan, applies to the other man also l think that as far as I am concerned
 that a man with the standing of Flu
 gene Brady O'Neill, that has known mt
 as long as he has, is in mighty smal
 business to take the word of any
 stranger in villification of Mir War
 ren or myself The American La France
 and the Seagraves Company have tho
 very best possible rating with Dun anC
 Bradstreet and I don't see how thes, other concerns can possibly charg'
 them with even being. a party t'
 crooked work"
 Without waiting for the words 0
 Cisney to sink in, Warren took tn
 floor
 q have been of this council for thre
 years" he announced. We as tn
 Common Council have improved tn . city, we have bettered the electri
 lighting system, we have paved mile | of streets, we have given to the cit
 better corral facilities and have done | thousand and one other things Ina / should rebound to our credit and no
 until this late day, when we are abou
 to retire from public office. has ther
 been raised a suspicion of graft. I Sd
 that any man that charges that in thl
 fire apparatus proposition there ha
 been graft, either on the part of Cis ney. myself or any other member (
 the Common Council, is a liar. If w
 had selected different apparatus tha that upon which we decided, thel N would have been no such charge g Cisney came back to say that tn :, very men that are charging this eoui = cii with graft. started similar stOrit (Continned on Page Three.l