Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-03-07
THE CITY PRINTING.

eral COuncl nelo last night lhe auoS
ton OF city printing was brought up for
settlement The ordinance in reference
to the city printer reads as follows.
Section 6. SAID proposals shall be
submitted in writing, and shall state
clearly the prices for doing the work,
and the contract for doing the city
printing shall be awarded to the toioest
and best bidder.
The committee on printing, through
Councilman Beehn, reported as follows:
We have examined the several bids
for publishing the proceedings and ordi-
nances, and find the bid Of the PUBLIC
LEDGER the lowest, viz For publishing
the proceedings, cents per line; the
5jc per square for the first insertion,
and SOC per square for each subsequent
one. We recommend the election of
the PUBLIC LEDGER for the next two
years for the printing Of the proceedings
and ordinances of the city.
C. A. BEEHH,
Chairman Council Committee.
M. J. PEYDERGAsT,
Chairman Board of Aldermen Committee.
The bid Of the Appeal was as follows:
Tax list as advertisement, Soc per
square, each insertion, to be print
ed in paragraphs; advertisements Of
city, Of whatever kind or char
acter, SOC. per square each inser-
ton; proceedings of boards, &c. per line;
blanks, letter heads, forms and circulars
and all blank books at current rates for
each work, viz: the current prices Of
such work done in this city.
These were the bids, and as stated by
Councilman Beehn, practical printer,
the LEDGER's bid was at least l2j per
cent. lower than that of the Appeal.
The report of the committee in favor of
the LEDGER bid was adopted by the
Common Council, although it met with
opposition from Councilmen Culligan
and Smith, of the Tenth ward. The re-
port was sent to the Board of Aldermen
for action.
When the report Of the printing COM
mittee was read in the Aldermanic
Board, those opposed to letting the work
to the lopest and best bidder, as pro-
vided by The laws Of the city, showed
their hands.
Alderman Mallon, of the Second ward,
moved that the report be referred back
to the committee, a dodge to delay the
transfer of the city printing from the
Appeal to the LEDGER.
The Solomon from the Tenth Ward,
Alderman J. NJ. Pendergast, arose with
dignity, and with an air of gravity that
would drive Jerusalem pony into
spasms, stated that he had signed the
report under protest; he was in favor OF
having the proceedings published in a
morning paper-(for the reason, no
doubt that he required the entire day to
peruse the report Of the proceedings.
We will not designate the period of time
it would take him to understand them. J
Our county sexton and undertaken,
Alderman Jack Walsh, of the First Ward,
untelescoped his corpse-like form and
addressed the clair in the following lively
strain:
Mister President, want to have the
proceedin's in mornin' paper. The
Appeal is a respectable paper, and
want it in the Appeal, and not in an
evenin' paper. second the motion to
refer it to the committy.
| A call was made to have the bids read,
In t before the bids could be obtained
from. the Council Chamber, vote was
pressed d, and the motion to refer was car
ried.
The &c utlemen voting to deprive the
lowest and best bidder of the printing
were Alder, uen Walsh Of the First
ward. Mallon of the Second, NAL
atesta of the Fifth, Cicalla of the
Sixth, and Pen, 1ergast of the Tenth.
The object of these intelligent worthless
was to defeat the LEDGER and ignore the
law ON the subject. Seeing that they
could not beat the LErGER on square
fight, they log-rolled and caucussed and
threw back the election for time. No
wonder they congratulated each other
on the success of the msneuver.
In the Common Council, Messrs. Gull
ligan and Smith, from the Tenth ward,
made the same attempt but were de-
feated in their laudable efforts.
We have nothing to say as to how any
member shall vote, but when the city
laws state in so many words that the
city printing shall be awarded to the tOr-
a est and best bidder" it looks like self
qualification, or worse, to vote against
\ law and facts so glaring and apparent.
H II Messrs. Smith, Mallon, Walsh, Pen
dergast. Cicalla and Malatesta desire to
make war on the LEDGER, let them do so.
To the inference conveyed by undertak.
er Walsh's statement, that he wanted the
proceedings published in the Appeal be-
cause the latter was a morning journal
and respectable, we beg leave to reply
that the responsibility Of the LEDGER as
| a leading journal cannotbe advanced by
| his Endorsement, or lowered by has cen
sure. As city undertaken, Mr.. Walsh
may be good authority, but on questions
of responsibility or journalism neither
! his education nor position can make him
reliable literary critic.
Fresh Game Fish.