Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-02-15

they follow this way and that, care |
lessly, blindly, wonderlngly, blunder-
man who offers to lead
them to the promised land by the
way of fat offices, rich pickings, har-
vests of plumber, official laziness and
terrible corruption.-"Brick" Pome-
roy.
the Official Paper of the County
From the eaio State Journal,1
Il JANUARY 30y 1872.
TO THE OHIO STATE JOURNAL:
Hive read S. b. No. 17-by Mr..
Jones of Misunderstanding to print
ing legal advertisements, and l have
thought it good thing. l thought,
as read it, of NIr. Dodds of Hamil-
ton. You remember Dodds, n clever
gentleman, bold and fearless but nev-
er regarded by his friends as reckless
until he introduced a bill into the
House similar in import to this bill
of Jones. Alas, poor Dodds that
bill fixed him-how the little "olIjcial
paper of the county" went for him.
Knave, fool, swindler, were the
names applied in one "official paper
of the county" down in Southern
Ohio. The Jackson Standard even
tried :ssarkasm" and wound off a long
TRADE Of abuses by feeble effort at
ridicule, and nominated Dodds for
Congress. But to the bill-well it
died. "The official paper of the
county" attended it in its last mo-
ments, and laid its cold, cold corpse
away to rest"
"The official paper of the county"
is an institution. 1t agrees with the
county officials in politics; it knows
its friends, its friends often own stock
in it: it not unfrequently 'does dirt"
for those who feed it. 1t is cheap
institution from one point of view,
and very dear from another. Its
brain power is frequently furnished by
some flliterate blackguard whose lit
erary attainments consists in copy
ing out of party organs such articles
as it thinks applicable to its readers,
without giving credit, and would kill
a respectable journal in three weeks.
Its morals are generally on q par
with its brains-not always sober,
seldom decent and never honest.
Impudent insolent and vulgar, 'the
official paper of the county" forces
itself upon society, and sticks like a
lichin, because it Is the official paper
of the county"
The sheriff inserts all his legal ad-
vertisments in it, as does the auditor,
treasurer, commissioner, DC, and it
charges what it pleases, because there
is no statute fixing its fees. The
sheriff's fees are fixed, as are the fees
of other officers. A juror sits all day
for fixed sum, and q witness is drag
ged into court for so much per day,
but "the official paper of the county
is unlimited in its extortions. and
calls public printing a "fat take"
i have in mind a case in which
lands lying in adjoining counties
were sold on order of Partition. The
lands sold for S70S5; the printers
fees amounted to the modest sum of
$592. SO in one county, and the same
amount in another. An ordinary
typo could have set the matter in a
day, and the space in two small "of-
ficial rapers" would have been dear to
any merchant as an advertising me-
dium at twenty-five doilrrs each for
four weeks; yet the unconscionable
bill was taxed in costs allowed and
| paid out of the estate. In ordinary
matters q man can make his own con-
tract, or law says what shall be paid.
In this matter he cannot say anything
he simply helps feed 1.-THE official
paper of the county"-helpless in the
grasp of the law and the officer.
The sheriff's printing!" What o
bone of contention with county pa
pers. Why? Because for q dollar $
worth of labor they get ten to thir-
ty dollars pay. If legal printing was
done at "fair and REASONABLE" rates as
other printing is done by county pa
pers, it would be worth no more than
private advertising. -, ....:
Why is it not done at fair reason
abe rates? Simply because legisla-
tors fail to do their duties in this be-
half. Members are afraid of the
"blowing up'' of the "ofIlcial paper
of the county" which they represent.
They are afraid of the fish woman
slang" of the aforesaid "oflicial pa
per-" They know that the aforesaid
"official paper of the county" would
be in the grasp of the sheriff in a
short time, but for the enormous
stealing off the people. They know
(many of them that the "otficial pa
per- is feeble thing-with 70 mer-
it to commend it to the thinking
moral or respectable portion of COM
munity-and yet they say the "organ
of the party" must not die. Better
in many counties of the State draw
from the poor fund to feed the
"mangy pauper" than to have it live
by robbing the few. Let the tax
come on the duplicate and fall
equitably, rather than flay the unfor-
tunate, that is if the thing must be
supported. But there are always
editors and publishers in either honse
to look carefully to the early extin-
guishment of any measure looking in
this direction. Lobbyists are there
"the official paper of the county
comes in with its bowling, whining
and abuse from every corner of the
State, and thus the measure so much
needed fails to pass and become a law
the evil lives on amid the corruptions
of its friend and the weaknesses OF
its enemies-it thrives, fattens and
becomes more insolent and eppres-
sive.
"The official paper Of the county
| grows more exacting to the shame o.
/ the State and tie disgust of honest
folks who are hpinp swindlad opr