The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-12-21
DEER LODGE POLITICIANS.
The Printing bill and the Late Printing Awar.

Il iIlut1uS H0AlA II bu0 AALo 1EiuUluK AWarQs
Connection of a Prominent Deer Lodge Politician
Herewith.
Party Tsalty VS.. Home Influence.
Editor Butte MINER:
DEAR SIR: In my communication appear
ing in the MINER of yesterday, 1 incidentally
referred to the printing law and to the course
taken by a prominent Deer Lodge politician
in making the last award under that law. To.
day, with your permission, 1 shall return.
somewhat more at length, to the same subject,
and shall endeavor to show how little we of
Butte have to expect of any of our Deer
Lodge city statesmen, whenever the interests
of that town, or of any of its citizens, do not
strictly harmonize with our own. In so do
ing l shall deal only with the public actions
of a public mana strictly legitimate subject
of criticism or discussion.
Blu first, of the printing law itself. l am
aware of the MINERS attitude of pronounced
hostility towards this law, and it is, therefore,
not without considerable dlffidence That l
crave the privilege of saying a word in its IA
vor. Previous to the enactment of this law
the entire public printing-federal, territorial
and municipal--in our then wealthiest county
was givent to one paper, the Helena Herald, leav-
ing its competitor, the Independent, to subsist
as best it could on such support as it could
derive from its subs ,ription and advertising
lists. With such a bonus in favor of one
paper, it could, of course, cut under It's rival
in the items of job rates, etc, until finally it
became a question whether a democratic
journal could be published at all in the coun-
ty of Lewis and Clarke. When matters had
reached this pass it was felt that something
must be done. Liberal minded men agreed
that it was best to have both political parties
represented by the local press, and when the
printing law was devised as a party measure,
designed to afford a slight support to the
democratic press, it received the sanction of
all democrats, and of many liberal republic
cans as well. 1t is true that in the legislature
a few Herald tools raised a tremendous out
cry against the proposed law, but among the
people generally it was accepted and approx
ed. The spirit of fair play was too generally
diffused for the public to wish to see a YAM
pire Of a newspaper supported by law in its
avaricious grasping at everything within
sight, by way of increasing gains less honor
ably won. In those days the Herald was
what it is to-day, and if you will remember
that only a few weeks ago the cspacious
paunches of its proprietors were able to
stomach quietly such epithets as 'sthieves,'
~"swindlers," ETC., bestowed upon the said
proprietors by a%journal so pecuniarily respon-
slble as the Benton Record, you will not
feel surprised to learn that many members of
its W party rejoiced in the enactment of a
law whose effects would be 70 rescue from the
all-devouring NAV of the Herald a small por-
ton of the spoils previously devoted to it.
strictly party measure. 1t is true that the
Independent, under Mr.. Kerley's management,
and the Madisonian under its present man
agement, had neither one of them the man
illness to defend the law in its character al a
party measure but l appeal to the members
OF the legislature in which the bill was pass
ed in preof of my assertion that it was pass
ed by a strictly party vote, supported by ev-
cry democratic member as a strictly demo-
cratic party measure. But, while thus en-
deavoring to toste their party press, our DEM
ocratlc legislators were careful to see that
the public should lose nothing thereby. The
ices under the new law were lower than
those previously paid, and since the law has
been In force the county printing costs less by
about one-third than it formerly cost, I'm
der The law the county printing of each ceun-
W Is awarded by a board consisting of three
members, the governor, the president of the
council and the speaker of the house-two
democrats and one republican, as parties now
stand IN Montana. Printing contracts are
awarded every two years, and from the enact
"ent OF the law up to two years ago such con-
tracts have been awarded to democratic IA
peis. IL was reserved for the Hon, A. H.
Mltchell, OF Deer Lodge, to abuse the power
p'a'eo III his hands, and bestow democratic
patronage upon a republican newspaper.
AT the last session Of the legislature Mitch
eil was president of the council, the Hon.
Dam word speaker of the house. Following
that session the printing contract for Deer
Loage county was to be let for two years.
towards the close of the session the two
ue"ocratlc members of the printing board
were approached on the subject of the MI
NEh's claims on the county printing. The
iepis Oh Mr. Word, when interviewed, was
p'onp'' outspoken and decisive. Mitchell, on
the other hand, was said to be non-comnitt.l
happened to be in Helena at the ti,,a and
as a nu''e man and a democrat, was appealed
20 10 use what influence 1 might possess in