The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-04-04


ped the stuff given me by Mr.. John
son upon table. The bid was rolled
up inside the plans, and recall that
as 1 dropped the plans on the table
they unrolied and the envelope con-
tanning Mr. Johnson's bid fell out. I
took my pencil and wrote across his
envelope bid on city barn and left
it there among other papers on. my
desk. If that envelope was opened.
it was done by some one else, and
not by me.
THAT had no idea of how much
Mr.. Pruitt would bid on the barn is
shown by the fact that I furnished
another contractor, Mr.. Guest, data
.on which to base his bid Cor the
barn; and my own estimate to Mr..
Guest was S2,495. When the bids
were opened last Tuesday night. Mr..
Pruitt's bid was shown to be $2,265.
Now il 1 was lined UP with Mr..
Pruitt, or IL had opened Mr.. john
sons bid and then told Mr.. Pruitt
what to make his bid, / would, haze
shown mighty little sense in telling
him to submit q bid which was $3.50
lower than my own estimate which
I furnished for Mr.. Guest. i
'As for the statement by City En-
gineers Sanders at the council meet
ing that he observed me on the night
bids were opened gather up the en-
velopes in which bids were submitted
with the exception of the envelope
that contained the Johnson bid, which
he had slipped out from among the
others and kepD ana throw them in
the fire. This insinuation is absolutely
untrue. But suppose he'd done such
"a thing as this, wouldn't I have been
a fool to burn up all envelopes ex-
cept the very one that contained the
Johnson bid, which they insinuate
was tampered with?
"City Engineer Sanders seemed to
try TO make capital out OF the fact
that ! allowed the Johnson bid and
the Prrist bid to be turned over to
me persJnally instead OF requesting
them to take their bi6s and turn them
over TO the city clerk. Well, Alder
man Tate, who is member of the,
same fcity barn committee had bids
turned ever 20 him and he kept them
In his store until the committee met
say nothing about anybody but Ais
-
r0n last Tuesday morning had.
some conversation with Mr.. Pruitt,s
told him that thought the man
who got the contract Tor city barn;
would have to bid under $2.300. i
had heard q intimated on the street
that someone was going to bid 81, 800
on the barn. and I had an idea II was
Mr.. Joe Hembree who was going to-
make this bid. When + made this re-
mark to 8ir Pruitt 1t was said In
q joking sort OF way. and with no in
tention of influencing him In his bid
sAs q matter Of fact, / had no idea
what Mr.. Pruitt was going to bid.
when Mr.. PEaitt came to my Of
lfice and said he was going to change
his bid, / teld him that that was his
privilege. He did not tell me what
his original figures were. now what
he gas gcing TO make his new bid. ].
He said something about having iig-
3iired in per cent and / told him
that Il was my aim TO get as low bids
as possible and get the work done;
Tor the city rs cheapiy as could:
When AIr. Pruitt made the change ii
his bid Twas not In the room. When
Il came back into the room he had
imkde fhe change In his bid, sealed dpi
his envelope and placed IT. on my
suesk.
) ~ realize now that acted imprud.
ent at the council meeting last Wel-i
nasdsy afternoon. but don't think
asisfne can blame me when they uii- :
lderstsnd the circunistances. Council,
swAk in session that day from noon
20 2 o'clock setting the paving bondk
and as we left thes council chainhef
Il was announced that there wo,f1d &c,
d special meeting az 5 O'Clock. had
TO hustle - set dinner, go isy my q,
Gee and get hack 70 the city HAIL ii !
that short time
~ had not been given tho slightest
intimatlan az 70 what the object oE
tile meeting was, though / nnda4ataail,
other mefnhers OF council dad beetf
nsud acquainted with the eDteot sif
tha IneelIng. When the % ss9ii opens
ed at Q o'clock there was 1dr. John;
sons tfa city engineer and others wlio