Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-04-01

$50 far as tho trouble with the con.
tractors on the jobs is concerned, these
matters have been greatly exaggerated
and misrepresented for the sole purpose
of humiliating me and creating public
sentiment against me. As matter of
fact, they are no more than arise be-
tween the engineer and contractor in
any line Of work. The case of Jackson
county, in which the report has been
paraded before the public that the con-
tractor, Mr.. Sweeney, threatens the
county court with suit for $25 900 in
excess Of the contract price. have
Just received official motive that Mr..
Sweeney has accepted my estimates
without single protest, and that
KNOCKS that story into Cooked hat.
He has no grounds for suit to stand on
and the rest are Just the same.
. There is no question that the Con
solicited Contractors company, OF
Portland, of when Senator Day is the
head and the Newport Lane & Con-
struction company, which has the Hood
River contract have been tho most ac.
tive in the plot to secure my removal.
do not know my successor, Mr.. Can
tine but | notice that Senator Days
name is among the endorsees of Mr..
Cantine, and it is possible that Senator
Day secured the man he wanted after
all, Notwithstanding ais supposed
strong fight for Lucius, which he was
probably putting up as blind to dis
tracs attention from the real issue.
However, | have nothing whatever
/ against Mr. Cantine, and have moth
ing out the friendliest regard for him,
and wish him all of the success in the
world in his new position. If ne has
to 20 through one half what | have
been through during the past three
months all | have to say Is that | pity
him.
Major Bowlby states that he leaves
the employ of the state to accept O
very lucrative position with a private
firm in Portland, but the articles have
not been signed as yet and he does not
care to- announce his new connections
prcmaturoIy. In speaking of the new
phase Of the situation as developed
from Major Bowlbys latest attitude,
Governor Withycombe made the follow.
ing statement to the Capital Journal
When the highway commission do.
cidei to replace Mr.. Bowlby with an
q her engineer, Mr.. Bowlby's friends
requested that he be retained at least
to finish the work now in progress.
Certain good roads enthusiasts stated
that unless Bowlby continued the work
already contracted, portions of the CO.
lumbia highway could not be complet.
ed m schedule time. In Difference To
their view, and because we realized
that it was wise to have the engineer
who started the work wind il up, w0
planned to retain Mr. Bowlby to finish
work already contracted. So far as
am concerned, this desire still holds
good There is no reason whatsoever
wny Mr., Bowlby cannot have charge Of
the completion OF this work under the
new highway engineer, and am sure
in Strengthening up the various dis.
putes in which he Is involved, he will
he given every assistance. In iustifi.
cation to himself, it seems to me that
it is really up to him to finish this
work. and certainly we can do no more
than to give him the opportunity. If
he refuses, the odium falls upon him.
IAN this talk about the contractors
, having a soft snap under the new ad.
ministration Is partisan bosh They
, will get what is coming to them and no
/. more My only hope is that We may
be able to clean up the Bowlby diff
! culties either with m without his own
, nsgi ytgnpp and thnn undprtnkp nav