The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1869-01-23
THE CITY PRINTING.


tIeHrs DEMocRAr; ;-the bid of the
Register being $50, aud that of the
Democrat SO, The editor thinks the
city printing should have been award
ed to him because his bid was lowest;
md he pitches into the Council in fine
,tyle.
We have not much to say in reply.
In the first place the difference in bids
is only S25-a sum which viii neither
make nor break the city or any indi-
vidual person in the city. It is not
worth squabbling over. In the next
place the Democratic members of the
Council, in awarding the city print
ing to us, only followed in the foot.
steps of some of their illustrious pred.
ecessors. When the City had Radi.
cal Council they employed the editor
of the Albany Journal to do some
$3.50 or $500 worth of city printing
without ever coming near the publish
ers of the DEMOCRAT They didn't
give US so much as a smell. We did
not grumble, however We didn't
make wry faces. It was what we ex-
pected. To the victors belong the
spoils; and we knew, taking the his
tory Of the past into consideration,
that we would not be consulted in
the matter; and that we would not
get cents. worth of spoils. We
quietly bided our time, and that time
came along over year ago. 1t may
be said that the present Council did
wrong in proposing to receive bids at
all. Perhaps they did; but even in
this there is plenty of precedent. We
frequently see advertisements from
some Government agent, for bids for
various thlngs-post Office routes,
commissary stores, &c, and the Gov
ernment agent invariably says that
the right to accept or reject any or
all bids is expressly reserved. That
is, the Government will not bind it
self to accept proposals from the low
est bidder; they let other considera-
tlons have their due weight. IF our
City Council did err in receiving bids
at ALL, they at least erred In good
company. Nor is this all. They
have only followed the example set
them by the City Council of Port
land. Before the Herald was started
in that city, the OregOnian had all
the city printing, and charged exor-
bitantly for its work. When the city
went Democratic, bids were received
from both establishments; the Her
aid offering to do the city printing at
fair rates, and the Oregonian propos-
ing to do it for nothing. The Coun-
Gil, after due deliberatiou, accepted
the bid Of the Herald; and very prop
erly, too; for it is no more right that
a city should have its work done for
nothing than it is for individuals -
particularly when it is plain that the
object of those who propose to work
for nothing is to starve out and break
down all opposition, SO that they can
have monopoly and charge what
they please without let or hindrance.
IF CounciImen HackIeman, Cum
diff, Comley and Nixon never do any
thing worse than appointing Abbott
& Brown city printers, they viii new
er do anything of which they need to
repent or be ashamed. At least that
is our view of the matter.
The Register, not content with Gen.
suring the City Council, substantially
charges that the Democratic party
generally is dishonest in their adyo-
cacy of retrenchment in the public
expenses; and he cites the action OF
the City Council of Albany, in the ap-
pointment of city printer, to prove
his allegation. He thinks that was
very dishonest. He is very fierce in
his denunciations of Democrats when
they contract with Democrat to dc
the city printing at rates very favora
BILE to the city; but he utters no word
of condemnation, but rather of ap.
proval, when a Radical Governor re
fuses to call special session of the
Legislature-thereby plunging the
State in debt thousands on thousands
of dollars, and causing her credit tc
suffer immeasureably-and this, too
when there are thousands on thou.
sands locked up in the vaults of the
Treasurer. If the editor would look
at home ;-if he would censure those
men of his party who, instead .oi
squandering $25 per annum, steal and
squander hundreds of thousands, and
even millions on millions of the peo.
ple's money every year, the public
would listen more readily to his cry
of the insincerity and dishonesty OF
the Democratic party.
Put two perrO1s in the same bedroom,
one of whom has the toothaehe, and the
other is in loEe. and it will be found that