Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-02-07

State Of Maine 9 exchAnGe Wlen osne. Ss.
49, - .s.,.,;res vish other na,ionaliIies, and
-. -, the vork done in ssch vay that II
In ~ a credit to the State. Nov . man
.,,..i6 h. doinx inferior work and usinG infe-
r;cr maferials, underbid = responsible par!
vho undertook to d. the work in faitniul
manner. You will all see that such y the iscs.
Then again. in the matter Of printing, =
GREAT deal depends upon the proof reaci"s.
In the common newspaper. rfin'ed !"
hurry, we expect to find typographical errors
re expect to find errors Of sari""s kino,.
Rut . hook intended for circulation, DOCK
,h., ve nav to have done in q workmanlike
m.nner. we cxptct TO have perfect. IN
measure, 1t is quite an object to have proot
nronerly read. And here there can be great
saving i'm the expense Of the work BY having
!, done where an experienced proof reader Is
engaged. This printed matter for circuia'
t;on ought not to go out in such CONDITION
that You wo.ld hardly think it had been read
hv the ..Printer' s-deyil," so called-a very
;nuocent appendage to . printing oface, BY
the vay. And this report Of the Fish CON-
missioner, of thirty-six pages. | thinx' mas
An ..errata' on the fly leaf showing one error
and little more to every tw" pages OF the
entire work They are not mere typograPn--
zeal errors, but errors such as an or"hn~fy
proof reader would be likely to discover,
even if he was unacquainted with the suolec'
matter of the text. But the document Is oe-
fore you.
We endeavored in the first place. then, to
make our contract with responsible parties,
and narties who could do the work promptly
and in q workmanlike manner, and theirs
Was the only proposition we had before us
Two of the committee were appointed SUD-
committee to make this contract. After ex-
aiming the contract Of last year and hndlng II
low. Is all Of the opposition had said when
II vas made, especially As low as q man could
afford it with an appreciation in the value OF
all that pertains to printing office, the COM
mittee honestly belieye ed that contract made
on that basis would be as favorable to the
State As could be made. and they acted on
that principle.
There was another fact taken in
to consideration in making the contract. We
knew the parties were responsible and had
facilities for doing the work; and they had
commenced on the work and made their ar
raneements for it, think this hardly worth
alluding to; but my attention was called to
fling in . certain paper, that the committee
had gone into the star chamber business and
were endeavoring to hand over contract to
Sprague 4 Son without any outsider knowing
ANYTHING about it. will not speak oft ~ an
insult to the committee. will say it 10 un-
Just in every respect, IS believe the minori-
ty on the committee will acknowledge, and
that thew had the same facilities for consult
ing this committee as Sprague & Son had.
And still. the author of this-0r whom believe
to be the author-was dancing attendance on
what he considered the true legislature, and
was calling this bogus affair. and not cap
able of making any contract-and then comes
in and says we had q star chamber committee
to do this work, without letting any body know
what we were about, and were turning it over
to Spragne Son, when everybody knew that
on the second day of the session Sprague &
Son were made printers to the State until
otherwise ordered. If there had been any
disposition to put bid before that commit
tee there was an abundance of time for doing
it. The committee gave all the time neces-
sary that they might do it. But instead of
that, don't know but they were waiting to
make q contract with another legislature, As
they called it. They certainly did not recog-
nize this Us a legal legislature. 1 pity the
man who can stOOp SO low a. to come in here
with so unhandsome fling at this committee,
that has honestly and without political bias
tried to do their duty to this House and to the
State.
Twill say further that we made this con-
tract before it was even intimated that any
one had desired to put in a bid. After the
business had all been completed, one of the
minority of the committee stated that he
found on his table proposition from some
body, he didn't know from whom-was not
acquainted with the man. And it was too late
for consideration, even five had disposition
to consider it. We had made up our minds
deliberately, feeling that we were doug right
doing the best we could for the State.
belived also that our report wonld receive the
Endorsement of the legislature.
So far a. the binding was concerned, we
looked into that in about the same way. We
found out what the prices were last year !;
whether the prices were fair. We had prom.
ositiOns from Messrs. Smith & Reid to do this
work. We knew nothing of Mr.. Cameron
He did not appear before US in any way until
after our work was completed. The day after
the third decision Of the court he did come to
me and say he would like to do the binding.
He had done it very low last year. as low as
could be afforded; he didn't know but that he
might do it little lower this year. But /
told him what the committee had done. Mr..
Rvwell then referred to the circular laid on
the desks of members by Mr.. Cameron, and
criticised it at some length.
Mr.. SrxoNTON Of Rockland, concurred in
what had been said in regard to the binding,
and IS the ground had been covered so thor
oughly he would simply read the following
Enforcement Of the manner in which the bind
ing has been done:
To rhom Il way concern
hereby cestify that William H. Reid had
charge Of the State bipding for the years 1876
1913, and that It was executed in q manner
highly satisfactory to all concerned. Mr..
Reid is . superior workman. and Il take Meas.
ure in commencing him to the Committee on
State Binding ~ = suitable person to do the
work Of the State.
s. ]. CHADBouRxE.
cheerfully concur in the above.
J. o. Smith.
s. J. GALLAGHER.
VIZ. CALDWELL
N. A. LUCE.
Mr.. MnLIKES, Of Burnham, did not pro-
pose to reply to the remarks that had been
made, but simply to say that he had made
the minority report from = sense of duty. and
for no other purpose. The majority Of the
committee had made contracts at about the
same prices paid last year; but parties had
sent in proposals at least II per cent. lower.
which accompanied the report of the minori.
V. II these last parties furnished securitie,
to do the work n well ~ the first parties. he
thought 1t proper to give them the contract
lie disclaimed any partisan feeling. He ev.