Fremont weekly freeman. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1850-1853, 1851-07-19
The Public Printing.

There is one clause in the New Constitu-
ton which meets our hearty appreciation, and
that is the article providing that the public
printing of the State shall be let the lowest
bidder. So that the party who happens to be
in the majority in the Legislature Hereafter,
will not have it within its power to confer fa-
vors upon partisan press, at the expense ol
the people at large.
We know of no good reason why the same
principle should not be applied to the public
printing of counties. The printing of Sandus-
ky county, for the last eight or ten years has
averaged from three to five hundred dollars
per year, (aside from the publication Of the
laws which printing could have been profit
ably done for half the amount For instance:
This county uses abont one hundred quires Of
blanks for the township assessors to list its
taxable property upon, for which it has always
paid one dollar per quire, making hundred
dollars for the job. The paper for these blanks
cost about twelve or fourteen dollars, and one
journeyman printer and a boy will do the work
in three days, at an expense of ten or twelve
dollars, leaving clear profit of SsUentyJf
dollars We could have done the job for fifty
cents quire, and made profit Of one ham
dred per cent. All other printing has been
paid for in the same proportion-as much a.
gain as twas worth.
Now we do not intend to call into question
the honesty of the officers who had the
control of this matter, or censure them for the
neglect of the public interests. Those who
got the printing done may have thought they
were getting it at a fair price. Nor do we wish
to be understood as intimating that those who
done the printing, actually filched the county
out of some two hun dred dollars year The
law may not have prohibited them form char
ginr that amount But we do sOisb to be up-
derStood as saying, that they have charged the
county that amount more than they would
have asked of any individual for the same
amount of work. We venture to say that nc
printer in this state would think of asking ovel
so cents quire for blanks of an individual
where he ordered hundred quires, and we
have no doubt the job could be had for much
less. The same remarks will apply to the de
linquent list.
But we are willing to let "by-gones be by.
gones," and only look to the future. Hereaf
ter county officers should consult the interest:
ofthe tax payers, and not build up party
press at the expense of the public. IfapreS'
is not able to maintain itself upon its owr
merits, its own worth, industry and persever
ance. why, in the name of common sense. let il
go down, and not levy tax upon community
for its support, as is now virtually the case.
We shall, for the information ofour readers
examine at the Auditors office, the amounts
paid for printing for several years past, and
give statement of what such work could be
done for, and what we can do it for hereafter.
We do not enter into this matter for the
purpose of provoking discussion of a person
al nature, but merely for the public good, as
we view it; but we are prepared for the worst
and shall 'skulk' no responsibility. Nous
verronS.