The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-07-20
suII squealine About the Printing.

squeal about the County printing, because thu
County Board refused to entertain its spit
proposition. The editor Of the Reporter put IN 4
proposition to do the County printing for little
more than nothing, and the Board coolly laid II
on the table until January! As the Exporter has
done vast amount of lying about this printing
business, brief review of the facts may not bs
amiss.
As We have before stated, upon the incoming
Of the new County Board, the editor of the Re
porter mo,lestly asked to be awarded all the
County printing, at the rates fixed by law, to
the entire exclusion of the Chief aud without
bidding. He made the wofnl mistake of suppos-
ing he commanded the services Of the Board.
But majority of the members had taken the
pains TO inform themselves, and ascertained that
while the Chief had n circulation of 1900 copies
in the County, the Reporter was practically with
out any circulation, except at the Wsthena post
Office. They justly held that the object of pub
fishing County matters was for the information
of the people, and as the people paid for it, the
publication should he made in q paper that was
read by the people generally. They therefore
gave the printing to the Chief, at the rates fix ed
by law, and gave the Reporter most Of the blank
WIN hhsct iOpcbttu boooC ouu iuSuibo uy
the Reporter, they finally took the job work from
it. An attempt was made to in auence the Board
by means Of petitions, but they could not get
enough signatures to justify presenting them to
| the Board.
Now, if the Reporter could afford to do all the
County printing for 800, and the Delinquent
list for s75 besides giving away 500 copies of the
paper, and paying people for taking them out Of
theoice, then it was trying to swindle the County
when it asked for the printing at legal rates.
The Chief could not afford to do it at any such
figures. But for q month previous to the July
meeting of the Board the Reporter kept standing
a double loaded editorial, making the above
proposition, for the purpose of relieving the
overburdened taxpayers. Last Winter, when
times were harder than they will be again for
years, the Reporter did not care so much for the
Oppressed tax xpayers, because it thought it could
get full price. But little regard did the Reporter
have for the Taxpayers. 1t knew it could not
get the printing, and therefore, for spite, tried
to prevent the Chief from making anything, COW
ering its spite with the hypocritical mask Of re-
lieving the taxpayers. As the Delinquent Tax
List was just coming in, which is the only really
paying job of printing there is, the Reporter i'm
agned that it WAS just going to use the Chief up.
This standing proposition was coupled with q
menace directed personally against Mr.. Harpster
reminding him that he professed to be a
former, and giving him to understand that if he
did not make good his professions by helping in
this little game of spite, he might expect the
pecial blessings of the Reporter. For the last six
months, the Reporter has directed its insults and
abuse particularly at Hsrpster, for not proving
to be the tool it expected to find in him. 1t has
badly mistaken its man. He doesn't drive OF
scare worth a cent.
But the Reporter has added to its proposition a
downright lie. 1t has asserted, time and again,
that the County printing was costing $500
year, and that q majority of the Board was pam
pering the Chief with this amount, when the Re-
porter would do it at q saving of $500 year.
Perhaps there are few people in the County
who would believe this stuff, il not contradicted.
From the first of January to the first of July,
exactly half Of the year, the Chiefs bills for
County printing have footed up just S233 This
included over 900 assessment blanks, by far the
largest job of printing the County has to do So
that the County printing for the year will amount
to about $3.50. Pethaps 81 600 or 81 500 of that
amount could be saved by giving the Reporter
the work. In this, we have not counted the De-
linquent Tax List, which is not, properly speak
ing, County printing. The County, it is true,
pays for it, but gets it back from the owner Of
the delinquent land, when sold. If the cost
could even be saved to the landowner, there
would be some ground to cry out for economy; but
if the printer published the Delinquent List free,
the owners of the land would have to pay the
fees all the same. The law fixes the fees, and
makes it imperative upon the Treasurer to col
ect 25 cents on each tract of laud and 10 cents
On each town lot, regardless of what the printer
,ets of it. If the printer does the work for one
enth the lawful price, the County retains the
balance. In many Counties, the Treasurer used
o pocket it. 1t is not the policy of Govern
nents to speculate ut the expense of the cit-
ems. We do not believe there is Granger ia
)oniphan County who would ask 4 printer or
ny other laboring man to work at half price,
nd collect the full amount of wages and keep
alf of it himself. This is just what the County ,
Tould do, in cutting down this delinquent print
lg. furthermore, the Delinquent List for the
sst eight years, has never amounted to 81 600
ear and if it reaches half that amount this year,
re shall be most agreeably disappointed. As
ur own taxes are over $500 year, it takes fully
aif os<what We get for County printing to pay
hem.
This is the whole story of the County printing.
he Board has not lent itself to assist small :,
nd vicious specimen of humanity in preventing T
5 from making fair wages, for spite, because he
,uld not get the work at the same wages. And /
d appeal is made to farmers and Grangers to b
bin in the howl. What must honest men think
any man who will offer to do work for less
ian living wages, in order to preve Mt another {
an from getting fair pay for his workf Ifa c
rmer should offer his wheat at 10 cents per d
lshel, in order to prevent his neighbor from q
ling at 81, which WAS fair market price, II
hat would every other farmer think of him
:, if farmer wanted 10 build house, and eR- 9.
ged q carpenter to do the work for $500, which c,
considered fair wages for the work, and an in
ber fellow. who bad , spits- against that car 9,
inter-, after having offered to do the work for nj
g same price, should propose to do it for SIS,
rnish the lumber, End psy for the hauling,
nat wonld the farmer think Of himi He would
ink either that the fellow had tried to swindle o
m outrsgeously in the first place, or that he III
,ant to botch his job In the second place, or
al enough from him or somebody else to make
his loss. This is precisely what the Wathena lie