The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-08-13

generally '-aired" by the papers of
the state. The exciting cause, we
believe, was an article in the juno
ton City Union, which made the
bold and truthful statement that
there was no state in the Union
which had been so much benefited
by her newspapers, and which in re-
turn treated the papers meaner,
when 1t came to dispensing public
printing. We are glad to see the
matter discussed, and hope some
needed reforms will be accomplished
in the present bungling saw, and
that such 9 degree of self-respect
will be infused among the neWspa-
per Publishers that they will not
longer disgEace themselves by SUBJ
hitting TO the requirements OF
boards of county commissioners
who seek to make little buncOmbe
by sGving-Or stealing the fees OF
the printer; because the modes
adopted by many boards to get
county advertising done for nothing
can be characterized as little better
than theft. =.
On this point we are glad to
chronicle the action of a couple OF
our district courts. We copy from
the Chase County Leader:
"The district court of Potta wato-
mie county has decided in the mat
ter of delinquent tax sales, that il
more than the actual cost of adVer-
Using is collected 1T is Illegal, and il
the property is sold for taxes, and
more than the actual cost of adVer-
Using is charged, the sale is void.
| That is, the county can only collect
the amount actually paid to the
painter. This decision is In harmO-
ny with the one rendered last week
by Judge Peters, in the Wood Be-
bee case. So by the printing con-
tract made by our commissioners
last january, Chase county pays
thirty per cent. to save seventy per
cent. for COrbin and Bebee, land
SPECTATORS. In some instances,
when the county gets the dehn-
quent list printed at reduced rates,
the treasurer charges the tax payer
full price and the Overcharge is d.
vided bet ween treasurer and print
er. That game, however, we think
is now blocked"
There is no subject OH which the
average county commissioner is so
utterly at sea as on this subject OF
printing. All his stupidity is
brought to bear in it's contempla.
ton, and the result of our observa-
ton is that the printing ought to be
taken entirely out of their hands.
The delinquent tax list is the great
"bone of contention" and under the
present way of managing it, it is
simply breeder of scabby news
papers. The average commissioner
is a demagogue and wants to make
e little capital. The first thing he
thinks of is going for the printers
Then he says, "See here, have saw.
ed three Of four hundred dollars en-
the printing bills" Then he smile.
and chuckles. The truth il ht
has not saved q ce0t. While We
have many times heard of boards o.
commissioners inducing the cut
throat game among publishers OIL
the tax-list, we never heard OF then
abating the fee. That is always col.
lected just the same. We are among
those who believe that the commits
siOners have no right TO abate thi
fee-neither have they q right t.
use it for any other purpose thar
the payment of the printer. Tht
result of the "bidding" plan is t,
cheat the printer out of his fee, Ant
, the taxpayer don't save cent. Blu
the law, as it does In many Othe
cases, favors this sort of swindlin;
and dishonesty. The fees for pub
lie printing are legitimate aud ITO
too high. Ii the officers do thei
simple duty there is no chance TO
swindling on the part Of the print
, err. The commissioners have n
more business to "farm OUT tn
4, public printing than they have tn
county Offices. 1t would be just q
. proper to receive bids for perform
a ing the work of county clerk, conn
4 ty treasurer or commissioner as
p is Ito "hawk" the county .printin
i about the streets. They have jus
Z, as much right to cut down the fee
t for county commissioners as the
y have to cut down the fees for eOuI
e ty printing. Both are fixed by til
: same authority. Who ever heard {
: q county commissioner moving
: cut down his own fees? The e1
. penditures for printing and commits
sioners stand exactly on the sam
footing.
The law makes it the duty of tt
;, county treasurer to cause the deliI
n quent tax list to be published. II
is held responsible for its propt
Ia publication. He must suffer Il
l. consequences IL errors are made.
sr makes it his duty, also, to collect Il
y fees for advertising. Now VII
should the law not be changed
Is that the treasurer could, after thes
ID fees are collected, pay them over
IL the printer? Why should the bi
n go before the conan fssiOners atall
e There seems to us no sense in Il
! county paying for the publication
- the delinquent tax list, and the
y having the fee paid back 10 Il
county after it Is collected by Il
treasurer. Leave the whole matt
n in the hands OF the treasurer, IS Il
" law makes him responsible, aud
w the fees are collected let him ps
IA them to the printer. ThiS won
10 save ''red taPe," remove . vext
es question from the hands of the coz
In missioners, and cause the who
y, transaction to be done in q busine
ne like way. This lie the way the abe
ep IFS printing is done, and why n
pat the treasurer's on the same foe
-. ing. Repeal the clause of the Ia