The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-03-07
MUNICIPAL MATTERS

|, completed and Is ready for accept
ance and payment. the proper resolu-
ton will be spread upon the council
record
Your next question Is, "When do
you Intend to pay the keokuk Quarry
& Construction Co. for dirt already de-
Iivered? After the election Is over?"
Answer. The city of Keokuk will pay
the Keokuk Quarry & Construction
Co. for what amount is due when the
work Is completed and accepted by
the city engineer. Do you believe IN
paying them before that? do not.
After the work is accepted by the
city engineer, the payment will be
for that purpose whether 1t is before
or after election.
The next question Is. "Why was not
this earth measured at tho time the
work was done and why have the
proper resolutions not YET been pass
ed?" The question shows your ignor-
ance as to earth work. Earth work
OF this kind is measured by first
cross-sect1oning the place to be filled
and then after the work is completed
taking cross-sections OF the complet-
ed fill and thus ascertaining the
amount Of earth which has been furn-
ished. After the city engineer has
completed the ross-sectioning and
determined what amount, If any, the
city Of Keokuk must pay, and has ac-
cepted the work, then the proper reso-
lutions will be passed and the work
paid for, and not before. Do you
| think It should be paid for any sooner
than that?
This, believe, answers all of your
questions.
| By way Of statement Of the facts,
I want to say that the council unan-
imously is Of the opinion that this
will be the cheapest work that the
city of Keokuk has had performed
for a number of years. We get four
teen hundred cubic yards of earth in
place where desired for nothing
| Whatever amount more than that Is
required, we pay seventeen cents for
delivered in place. AS an indication
Of how cheap this work is I call your
attention to other grading work which
has recently been done. The Missis-
sippi River Power Co. and the Keokulp
Electro Meals Co, after receiving
competitive bids, awarded a contract
for grading to the Keokuk Quarry &
Construction Co., at a price of twenty
eight cents per cubic yard, and in
that case the material was easier to
handle and easier to deliver than in
the case of which you complain.
The estimated cost of the fill on
Fifth street to the city Of Keokuk Is
! about one hundred and eighty-fve
dollars and this will be by far the
cheapest grading that the city has
been able to secure for years.
I invite anyone who really cares to
know the facts of this matter to make
the fullest Investigation Of the same
and l am satisfied that their conclus-
ions in the matter will amply Justify
the transaction.
Now that l have answered your
! questions, let me ask you question
You assume to publish the article in
last Saturday nights Cons titution,
| to which have referred, for the pur-
pose Of Informing the voters Of Keo-
= kuk as to whether l am worthy of
their votes. Since We have had the
open primary in Keokuk, the news
papers have heretofore always
ackn owledged that 1t was an open
primary and a free for all and have
refrained from taking any part in the
primary campaign. You have seen At
to depart from this rule. Now II you
are sincere in your desire to inform
the voters of Keokuk as to the quail
! tications Of the candidates in the pri-
mary election, will you not publish
either your approval or your disap-
proval Of the candidacy of Messrs.
Lotion, Sanders, Rovane, Justice, Col
Inns, Henneman. Hickey. Hilpert,
| Overton and Stadler?
challenge you to do this frankly.
FRANK It. F. SCHMIDT.