Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1875-09-29
MR.. PRATT'S PREMIUM FOR
tn PLUMBER. .tu

'Tis onward. answering,
And this Is true rest.
MR.. PRATT'S PREMIUM FOR
tn PLUMBER. tu
The recent arward of the check
stamp contract TO the Graphic
Company, of Now York, by Commis.
sioner Pratt, would have been worthy
of the Indian or whisky rings in their
palmiest days. The printer who had
the contract for furnishing the two.
cent stamps was authorized by the
Commissioner Of Internal Revenue to
print. the stamps directly on checks,
and charge the parties ordering them
at the rate of one cent for every i'm.
preston taken from plates containing
not more than six stamps. The con-
venence Of having the stamps thus
printed on tho checks has made the
use Of them in that way almost uni.
versal, and rs the government received
its full revenue, the printing of the
stamps was merely matter Of bust
ness between the printer and his custo.
mers. A formal proposition to print
the, stamps for nearly one-third the
price charged by the contractor in
duccd tho department TO invite pro-
posals for the work, and thus protect
the business public from the wanton
exaction Of from thirty to forty thou.
sand dollars year for the benefit Of
contractors. The proposals were duly
invited by advertisement, and variety
Of propositions were submitted from
the printers Of the country. The low.
est bid was three dollars and fifty cents
per thousand impressions, being about
sixty per cent. less than had been
charged under the old system but the
Graphic Company, now publishing the
administration organ in New York,
proposed to pay the government a
bonus Of twenty.one hundred dollars q
month for exclusive authority to print
stamps upon checks, and to receive
such compensation therefor from Gus
toners as Commissioner Pratt should
approve, and that bid was accepted
and the contract awarded on it, in vio.
lation Of every principle of justice TO
the business public u f1 q
Had the lowest bid been accepted
by Commissioner Pratt, every business
man could have had his checks stamped
at about one-third the cost heretofore
paid, but the Graphic Company are to
pay bonus to the government Of
twenty-five thousand two hundred dol.
lars annually for the privilege of print
ing stamps upon checks, and charging
business men such price as Commis.
sioner Pratt may assent TO. Thus the
Graphic Company contractors are to
first collect from the business public
twenty-five thousand two hundred dol.
lars to pay the bonus to the govern
ment, and then extort from the bust
ness of the country rs much more for
their profits as they can make Mr.. Pratt
agree to. He may make it one, two
or three cents an impression, and there
is no appeal from his decision. lie
must, first of oil, assent to q larger al.
lowance than the lowest bidder pro.
posed to enable the contractors to pay
their bonus to the government and II
he should make il one cent an impress
sion, he simply authorizes the Graphic
Company to extort from thirty to forty
thousand dollars Of profit from our
paralyzed business circles to sustain
party organ that supports the admin.
istration through evil and good report.
if he should, Us he could, make it two
cents an impression, he will authorize
the collection Of over one hundred thou.
sand dollars of plumber from tho bust
ness of the country. Let it be borne
in mind that there are no perquisites
or profits in this contract beyond the
authorized allowance to be made BY
Commissioner Pratt for the actual
printing OF stamps upon checks and
the contract must contemplate q syste-
matte and imperative extortion from
commerce and trade to sustain a party
organ.
What Commissioner Pratt will allow
the Graphic Company is not yet known
to the public, although it is doubtless
known to the contractors. Mr.. Pratt
is an honest but q weak man, and he
will be readily induced, under the pres
sure of politica. necessity, to make
liberal allowance to one Of the very few
papers that still play the now .unfash.
iouable and unhealthy role of organ
If such an agreement had not been
either expressed or implied between
the government and the contractors,
no such contract would have been en-.
tertained foramoment, and tho Graphic
Company doubtless well understand
that they are not to suffer by printing
stamps and grinding in the prison.
house of the administration.
Besides, elections are Just com.
ing, and contributions are needed to
debauch the ballot, and the cry of party
necessity will echo in the ears of Com.
missioner Pratt when he is called upon
to fix liberal rate for the organ con.
tractors, TO be literally flched from the
business interests Of the nation. View.
cd in any light, il is n most dangerous
and dcmoralizing contract, and liable
to the grossest abuse, and to protect
extortions from the people. Ii Is one
not contemplated by any existing law,
and is in defiance of every principle
that has ever controlled government
contracts. 1t is a public declaration
that the government and coterie Of
partisan contractors shall make com.
mon cause to plumber the public, after
the government receives its legitimate
revenue from stamps at its own lawful
price, and II reserves to itself and its
contractors the right to say whether
the public shall be plundcrcd thirty,
forty, fifty, one hundred or two hun.
dred thousand dollars per annum, to
keep party papers in tune. The nc.
ceptance Of such q bonus, that is to be
collected from the business of the coun.
try, is in itself monstrous fraud. III
the price Of bank stamps should be
more than two cents each, the govern.
ment can say 80 by statute and the
people would pay III but when a bonus
is accepted as blind to enable con.
tractors to collect twice, or thrice or
quadruple the bonus from the public
for the individual profit Of political con.
tractors, the government dcscends to
the level of tho whisky or Indian rings
and invites the contempt of every fair