The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-07-09
HOW ROBERTS
BUILDS ROADS
COLI Crabtree Asks Pointed
Question About Carroll
County Contract.
STATE LOSES $4,000

Nashville, July 9.-(Special. )-Sone
very interesting and timely sidelights
are thrown upon certain phases OF the
work OF the state highway commission
IN statement issued by Col. w. r.
Crabtree. candidate for the democratic
nomination for governor in the August
primary. as he passed through Nash
vile this week on his way from West
tennessee, where he has been speaking
Tor several days. to attend a political
conference in Knoxville OF his East Ten.
nessee friends.
a., Colonel Crabtree In the course OF his
interview asks some yerv pertinant
questions of his opponent for the non,is
ha'aohi tn Governor Roberts. with regard
~. in which L. A. Elliott. brother i,,.
iaw OF w. W. House, chairman OF the
ested. was inter-
:. The statement was as follows: "I am
information why it is that SO few noiies
Oh road have been built by the highway
commission under Governor Roberts
IN answer to hundreds of letters and
~, ria p. Sohai INQUIRIES, want to relate the
selves. '"use ior tnem'
In the fall OF 1919 the state b,rb.
way commission advertised for bids for
q s,rurs urse amount OF road and bridge con.
struction In Carroll county.
kEarly in December the hid. r,aro
oi" 0pened nee and the contract let for si5a
O6o.7! by the highway commiss ~
winch w. w. House, OF Weakly co,intv
Is, Is chairman. TO the firm of Murphy Il
whichp hi,tpsi ti ais9 OF Weakly county, and OF
oI Mr. House, Is n member,
Only $500 Forfeit.
according to its provisions. the firm
81 Murphy. & Phillips deposited a. d |
forfeiture the sum of $500. For reasons |
nest known to themselves Murphy x |
Phillips decided not to fulfil their con- |
tract and forfeited the $500.
GET CONTRACT AT HIGHER ain.
This necessItated new bids, and
when the bids were opened the sec.
ond time, Murphy g. Phillips, who
nad decided to take two bites at the
pium,were again the lowest bid
award another contract for this
work, the contract price this time
pelng $f72, 2,722.75, a sum of $t3,66t.ee
higher. than. the. bid. formerly
.avy .aavMyarded the same firm.
Inc only reason for this unusual pro-
edure I have been able to obtain is the
tatement OF Mr. Moore, of the high
vay commission, to Mr. J. @. Rice that
iurphy & Phillips made a mistake In
igurinS the first contract. MY answer
o this is. II the state performs every
ad contract It makes and lets the other
elbow out OF every good contract 1t
makes. ] can understand why taxes
iust be SO high.
II am not vet on the inside, and II
J hard for an outsider to get all tho
acts. but it appears that this contract
a very profitable one. For accord
~ to the best information obtainahIe,
efore the work had been completed,
!. Y. Phillips traded his one fourth in
trest In the contract for valuable
lrm IN Carroll county. s.
s"Fat and juicy contract.n II
"Ifathis' be true and III the prospee-ts
We pref1ts In the contract are SO great
feeNil llinsl stg trade a Yalnl
abie fai'ii fpi * AIle f0,irfh interest N
u ana Juicy one. II might be well
y the governor 10 stop boasting OF
Is ability as a speaker and stop talk
g long enough to perform Bis duties
governor II only for a little while.
he would establish businessliite
ethods for his highway commission,
indreds upon hundreds of people
ould not be asking. as they are to-
~, why 50 few miles OF road have
sef built.
Mo Relative Should Profit.
.''First-No relative or connection
of any. member OF the highway
compission or employe thereof
should be permitted to contract
with the commission. When 4
Of the highway commits
sion contracts with his brother-in- 4
law. It Is too much like the high
way commission representing both &
parties. both the state and the Y
brother-in- law.
"Second-The forfeiture on a
contract OF $4,000 should not be
the comparatively small sum Of
$500: 1t should be such a sum that
II would penaiise the party who r
failed or refused to perform his OBJ c,
legation to the state. &fs4 p
"Third--The commission should IA
not enter into a second contract n
with a firm that has forfeited $500 X
instead OF performing its first con- m
tract, even II member OF the firm ID
falling TO perform the first contract
Is a brother-in-law Of the chair
man of the commission. II the firm IT
IS solvent II should be made to per- i
'orm the contract at the first price
agreed to: IL the firm Is not solvent
70. the first contract cannot be en-
orced. then the second should
lever have been entered into.
The governor owes It to his oath Ii
office to stop talking long enough nc
investigate the Carroll county road In
se and to request the attorney-gen nj
Il TO sue to recover for the state the %
N OF $13.661. 90, which. to use the 10
itest language, has been improperly sh