The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-06-21
To Certain
Advantage
Dirsetisss VIII Every Bsz Of Special Yaue 70 Ho.ss.
SsId eysry~ksrs. l. boxes, Zoe, zse.
. . . o o . o o o o o o o . .
PUBLIC OPINION
. o 8 o . . . . o o o . o . o o

. PUBLIC OPINION o.
. o 8 o o . . . 90 . . o . o . 9
The Other Side Of the Horse Deal.
To the Editor OF The Gate City:
In answer to communication ap-
pearing in your paper OF the 10th
inst, signed by H. 3. Alton, allow
me to say that the advertisement as
quoted was correct.
The receipt of bids from Mr.. Alton
and Mr.. Piggott, also rejection of all
bids. after an informal conference
with the other members of the coun-
Gil. Is correct.
The statement conveying the i'm
preston that the actions of the coun-
Gil are not open at all times to the
public is false, and Mr.. Alton knew
1T was false when he made It,
The statement that the superintend-
ent Of the department OF public safety
tries to crawl out Of a loophole is
sumed all responsibility when my
blame on an innocent party. 1 also
assume all responsibility for this
statement.
-
lie to remember that Mr.. Alton and
Mr.. Piggott are experienced horse
traders.
After the rejection OF all bids. the
harness was withdrawn from sale,
and the field was open to the public.
On resuming consideration of this
matter on the 18th inst, after having
tried to dispose of the horses at pris-
ate sale witho''t success. with no place
to house our Sixth street horses, that
we might transfer the auto truck from
the West Keokuk station to the Sixth
street station. we called up Mr..
Piggott of Hamilton and asked him
to make us another bid on the horses.
allowing us to substitute the fire
chiefs horse for the police horse.
This bid was so satisfactory that
we asked for Did on the five horses
as advertised. We then took up Mr.
Atoms bid Of five hundred dollacs
for the horses and harness, and 1
asked Mr.. Anderson the value of the
two sets OF swing harness. He re-
piled they cost when new, sixty dol.
lars per set, or one hundred and TWEEN
ty dollars for the two sets. They are
worth to the department. in case We
install a station In the seventh ward,
or to replace the ones in the other
two stations, at least one hundred
dollars. as the collar and names are
patented, but they are not worth that
amount for ordinary teaming pur-
poses. therefore I reasoned that If l
got four hundred dollars for the
horses, that we were getting value
equal to Mr. Atoms bid. We are will
ing to admit that we should have call
- osHy 1t
chance at the horses without the fay
time / realize now that made
mistake in not doing so, but my fail
ure in this respect is no excuse for
Mr.. Atoms scurilous remarks about
me, as had no thought of doing him
any harm. Conditions forced us to a
quick deal, as we were compelled to
place the auto truck (Which over three
hundred business men voted for) in
the Sixth street station at the earliest
possible moment. At that time we
either had to accept or reject Mr..
Piggott's, bid, with only MFR. Alton to
fall back on, in case we lost out with
Mr.. Piggott.
MIR. Alton says further, 81 feel that
although some adequate explanation
is due me for this manifest preference
a far greater explanation is due the
citizens OF Keokuk, etc" The citi-
zens have right to demand this sx.
PLANTATION Of me, in view Of Mr.. Alton's
charges, and cheerfully give. them
the facts, but dr. Alton would not
listen to anything I had to say, but
assumed to do all the talking AMI
threatened to expose me.
Under those conditions simply IN
vited him to do so, and l am glad he
has, as 1t gives me my only opportun-
ity to reply. feel conscious of hav-
ing done no wrong to Mr. Alton or the
city, whom serve, but this is worked
up against me for purely political
purposes in the interest of class
whose presence is not tolerated II
Keokuk. Mr. Theo. Craig, the city at
torney, was present at the time, ana
| told him II I had made a mistake
which cost the city any money, was
willing to have the harness appraised
and pay the difference between that
value and Mr.. Atoms bid. This l also
repeated to the mayor and Mr..
Schmidt, all OF whom advised against
me doing SO, as they said: We all
make mistakes.
We expected to get much larger
bid for the Ave horses, but after a1-
vertisfng six times in each paper at