The Rutland weekly globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-11

materials that will only be required in
small quantilies-but which are or may he
estimated at a much larger amount-at
very small prices, varying from one quar-
ter to one twentieth of their actual cost ;
| while the items which will be required IN
full or to an extra amount he places at a
very high price, perhaps ten times their
value. In balancing up the bids. this class
of bids were apparently the lowest in gross
amount, and the contracts were let accord
ingly but In fulfilling the contracts, 1t
was found, in nearly every instance, that
there was "millons in it.
This was the system which Governor
Tilden had the credit of exposing, although
its practice was as old as the building of
roads or canals by contract, and was
known TO every contractor and, presuma-
bly,, to every engineer and individual or
board whose duty it was to let contracts or
supervise the letting of the same. This
wasthe system, the exposure of whiaL.s
nIade Samuel ]. Tilden prominent a1a ''re-
former and placed him high ON the list
of possible candidates for the presidency,
although the people of New York had, by
the ratification of constitutional amend
ment, proposed and adopted by two sue
cessive republican legislatures, made the
recurrence of such frauds, in connection with
the canals, impossible IL was this expo
sure and the investigations thereof-the in
vestigation costing, thus far. the people of
the state of New York $2G, 1868. 29. and re-
turning to the treasury 800. .973 G3--that
made John Bigelow secretary of state, and
Lucius Robinson controller These have
been the sole fruits of the "exposure."
The system of unbalanced bids as applied
to the canals is an old, old story, and the
results are well known, but it will bear re
telling Just now, when we see this same
John Bigelow and Lucius Robinsoa enter
ing into contract, in behalf of the state,
founded upon similar unbalanced bids.
BY the laws of New York, the state print
ing is given out by contract, the contract
being let to the lowest bidder. The second
series of bids-the entire bids of the first
series having been rejected on account of
disagreement between the then secretary Of
state and controller-were opened at Al
bany, Saturday, January 30, and the cotfN
tract was let on Tuesday Of the present
week. There were nine bidders, and a
New York newepaper-the foremost of the
New York press in sounding the praises OF
Tilden as "reformer," and in the support
of Bigelow and Robinson, because they,
too, were "reformers"- declared, upon the
authority of ''prnter of great exper-
ience," that "bds so badly unbalanced"
had never been presented before, and that
" it would puzzle even an expert in print
" ing to find in a weeks calculation which
bid was actually the lowest
On Tuesday of the present week, as we
have said, the contract was let. 1t was let,
too, on one of these unbalanced bids, and
to the publishers of democratic news
paper which hrs been instan1. ya;ason an1
'out of season In ringing Gaanges on tho
virtues OF Tnden, Bigelow and Robinson,
as par excellence the men who had ere
g formed" unbalanced bids out of exist
ence. Significantly VIC are told by another
supporter of Tilden, Bigelow and Robin
son, that, in the successful bid the ''lumI
. bid is the lowest" while "the prices 10,
" extra printing are more than thirty pc,
Z" cent. higher than in the OTHER 6ids" But
then the controller says that "this extri
printing will amount to very little" OF
course not-the canal contractors and the
canal board always professed to believe the
same thing. A constitutional amendment
prevents money making out Of unbalanced
bids in canal contracts, and so it will do tC
shout reform relative thereto. Nothing
prevent money making out of unbalanced
bids in printing contracts, 50 twill botl
do and pay TO enter into them. 1t is stated
moreover, that the successful bidders dc
not propose to do the work themselves, but
will sub-let it to, or procure it done by, an
other firm or company whose unbalanced
bld was unsuccessful in securing the con.
tract. Significant surely. But then Big
Glow and Robinson have received their re-
ward, Tilden's presidential prospects are
waning, there IS money in unbalanced
printing bids-and this IS democratic re.
form