Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-04-02
p@ Vote for John T. Jones
The County Printing.

| The question as to the disposition of the
printing Of the Clerk of Board Of Super
visors, was agitated at the last meeting o.
the Board, and lies over for future consid
Grafton. We had not intended to infict
our views of the subject upon the public
to any great length, but few words will
be expected.
A correspondent of the Tribune of the
18th ult., AN uncompromising Re-
publican" endeayors to show in four prop
ositions why the printing should not be let
to the lowest bidder, and why it should be
given to "friend Ansley" of the Democrat
His thirdly is that sr
Gan attempt to let legal printing to the lowest bid
der gross folly and speaks disparagngly of the le
you it can't be did, The rates for legal printing
are fixed by statute, and the contract of county
board can diminish them. Suppose the board take
bids for prntingand one offers to do it for mere
nominal sum, (porhaps slyes Messrs. Blissl and
that bid accepted After the printing is DONE the
printer can claim statute rates for it, and, notwth
standing his contract, receive Judgment to the full
amount from any court This has been tried and the
results bear me out in this statement"
Incorporating (?) Republican" is
right to certain extent. We remember q
case in point which agrees with his views
as far as they 60. Way back in the good
old days before the war there were two
protested Republican papers, published at
the county-seat of a certain county in this
State. The Board of Supervisors (Rcp.
majority decided to let the printing Of
their clerks list and all other printing OF
his office to the lowest bidder. Upon this,
one publisher putsina bid to do all the
printing contemplated by the resolution of
the board for nothing. The other publish
er's bid was to do the printing for the one
ttousamdth part Of one MILL The Board
held that the first was no bid, and to the
fractional mill man was awarded the job.
He subsequently presented an account for
the work, at legal rates, and it was allow
ed. This was all very fine, and might
work in a similar manner here or elsewhere
If the Board in letting the contract were
sin fun y but if they were :" in earnest"
the contractor, whether Democrat or Re-
publican, friend or foe, would be put I'M
der good end sufficient bonds to do ALL the
printing contemplated By has contract FOR
the price specified therein. And this being
done, no lawyer and no court will say that
greater sum than that fixed by contract
could be recovered. This statement can
not be truthfully nor successfully contra
dicted. But in support Of it we instance
the Wisconsin State printing, which for
years, under Republican rule, and under
Democratic rule, has been let to the lowest
responsible bidder. And. the contractor,
whether he made or lost, has been obliged
to abide the spirit and letter of his con-
tract.
The whole matter is clearly within the
province of the Board, and it is for them
to decide how it shall be settled. 1t is
not (the control of the printing! prerog-
alive of the Clerk of the Board, who is
supposed to be paid |" a thousand a year"
for his services as servant of the Board,
and not as its master.
One thing more: "Uncompromising"
says, dolefully, that the Republican papers
now have half the forage printing and
shall we, let them (Democrats) say that
we cannot exist for two years upon it
1t strikes US forcibly that if the county
printing were equally divided between the
papers thereof, the Republican organs
would have too thirds of it-there being
two of that persuasion and one "ancons-
pronaising1y" Democratic. Suppose the
printing in question is given to g friend
Ansley )" and suppose that Robert Will
son, the Independent, but thoroughly
Democratic, applicant for County Judge
should succeed in his aspirations? of
course he would give his printing to the
Democrat, which would have tpo. thirds of
the patronage, and one-third might be left
to the taoo Republican papers. Iowa coan-
ty would then present the delightful spec.
tacle Of county With working RepubI.