The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-01-27
4 CONSISTENT REFORMER.


his attention from the great extravagan-
cies of his party in state and naticn and
concentrated it upon the wasteful ex-
pediture of the board of county commiss-
toner's of Dakota county. He has made
the heavens ring with his sdenunciations.
While other men were talking about the
Credit Mobilier or Munich and Seeger,
SteI,. poured out ceaseless flow Of elo-
quence upon the subject of "wood box"
which had cost few dollars more than
Steb thought it ought to. While other
men were reused to indignation about
the Pacific Mail or the McIlrath defal-
cation, Steb's. voice was heard, loud
above the din. discoursing OF a crooked
flue in the court house. or sipstave's
extra salary.
Steb. has been nothing if not an econ.
omist. He was determined to save the
dear people from any unnecessary out
lays. The Legislature, happily, was OF
the same frame of mind as Steb and so
it ordered that the publication of tax
sales should be let to the lowest bidder,
so as to get the work done tor the least
possible cost. Whereupon the relormer
St. b.-the economist, Steb.--the friend
of the reople, Steb.-the enemy OF wood
boxes and crooked flues and overpaid
tipstaves. Stcb. b.,-proceeded to get up a
corner and put up job on the dear peo-
pie, by preventing that natural and
healthy competition which the law had
invoked for the protection of the tax
payers. Here is his confession in a late
issue -
The Pennington Press has several times
taken occasion to refer to the fact that we were
desirous Of uniting the printers Of this county
IN combinations and charging the mrimmm a.
Lo,ccd by lar. for printing the delinquent tar
list for !o73Gnd prior years. SU0H WAS THE
FACT and we state that in a meeting Of the
printers held for the purpose Millinery re-
presented the Pennington Press, and he
was in favor Of charging thirteen cents per
description for printing the same list for Which
he afterwards bid seven cents Ier description.
Oh Steb! Steb. how could you do so?
How could you make combination
to take hundreds of dollars out of the
county,! Oh shame, where is thy
blush? Why thi. is worse than wood.
boxes and csooked fiues hey never con-
spired and combined to rob the people.
But you, Steb- to whom we looked for
projections! you
"Who should against the muderer shut the
door.
Not bear the knife YOURSELF -
to think that gen of ALI men in
the whole world would go hack
on us in that fashion. Oh Steb. you
have destroyed our faith in human nature.
And not content with pleading guilty
himself, Steb. turns states evidence
against that other patriot and economist
Emery, of the Pennington Press. He says.
Mr. Emery knew that it was a fair paving
job at seven cents description, and yet he ,ca Z
milling to fieh the county out of fire cents per
description.
Here's pretty pair Of leaders for the
Peoples Party.
Steb. continues
The law fixed fifteen cents Ter descrirsi on
for this printing, and the editor Of the Gazette,
did not propose to 50 beyond that limit.
Could anything be more generous
than that? Steb did not propose to take
more than the law allowed. Honor.
able man! Another in his place would
have repealed the statute by an editorial
and have taken fifty cents per description
But Steb. sums up theiwhole case in
the following truthful and felicitous
language:
Putting it = Emery wants to, then, would
he that hone4t Emery would take thirteen cents
per description while Scoundrel Stebbips
would take fifteen for job upon Which there
was . fair profit at seven cen per description.
And the people will conclude that
these two republican editors are pret
ty pair of rogues, who tried to plum
der the people; and could not agree
simply because each wanted the whole
of the job. and neither could trust the
other.