Omaha daily bee., 1915-08-04
HIGH HAND RULE
BY NORMAL BOARD
Kearney Building Contract Let to
Highest Bidder and Member
Gettys Voted Out.
ABOVE GOVERNOR AND THE LAW

(From a Staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, Aug. ESPECIAL. y
In the same arbitrary manner which
has characterized the work of the
brutal majority" on the state nor
NAL board for several years the
board proceeded today to vote it.
self greater in authority than the
people who created it or the COVER
nor who appointed the members.
The work of the board was so
openly antagonistic to the interests
of the taxpayers of the state that
many of the firms which were there
for the purpose of bidding on the
contract foor the Kearney normal
auditorium left in disgust and one
of the principal bidders, Gould &
Son of Omaha, withdrew its bid.
The fine Italian hand of the majority
was first shown when President Viele,
who was defeated for the presidency at
the last meeting. took the chair instead
CT President Dan Morris of Kearney, who
had been elected
strRIghten Peru Record.
This was done in order to make regular
the corner stone of the Peru normal
which had inscribed thereon the name
CT Viele as president of the normal board,
the stone having been carved when the
majority thought 1t had such a lead pipe
cinch on the presidency that it could
re-elect Viele. That the machine slipped
a cog and Viele was defeated was no
fault Of the machine.
The ron was called and again the
brutal majority got in its work by re-
fusing the call the name of ]. r. Gettys,
member OF the bUard, and substituting
that Of II. f. Reische of Chadron, who
had been appointed by Governor More
head to I'LL the term at the expiration
OF Gettys' term. After that act Secre-
tary cavness moved that Mr.. Morris be
declared the unanimous choice of the
hoard for president, Notwithstanding he
had been elected a month of six weeks
ago.
Ride Are Not Alike.
Then the board proceeded to open bids
for the erection of the building at Kear-
ney. The advertisement called for bids
for the general building and also for the
heating, plumbing and wiring. The bid
Of w. +. Crosby of Kearney simply called
for the erection OF the building and the
furnishing OF material and work for IL
completion and was for S57, ,S67 Walter
knutson of Kearney put In a bid sub
stantially worded the same for $53 333
Gould & Son put in bid for the building
alone without the plumbing, heating and
/ lighting for s51.750. and two other bids
all below the Crosby figures, were opened
( There were more than a dozen bids on
simply the heating, plumbing and lighting
Z The question then arose as TO what the
| Crosby bid really covered and Crosby was
allowed to make verbal statement that
! II covered the whole thing. Treasures
/ Hall did not believe that the board had
any right TO accept a bid that did moi
/ specify what It covered. neither id he
believe that any action OF the board alons
| that line was legal
Thnmr- A. squsre Deal.
! Superintendent Thomas opposed ths
Crosby bid. He said that naturally, be.
ing from Kearney, he would like to ses
a Kearney firm get the contract, but ht
did not believe the board had any right
| to let the contract on that kind OF a bid
lie said the board should get the worh
done as reasonably as possible, but r'
said 1t owed the other bidders who ha6
bid according to the advertisement q
CONTINUED on Page Two-colnmn One.