The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-04-13

ID our ISSUE OF March JctD VIC lfciietI out
the fact that the Appraiser Of Mercantile
taxes was violating the spirit of the Law by
advertising his list and notice Of appeals in
the c5esmerciai, journal whose circulation
further said that complaint was made OF
this msthod Of advertising, which did not
reach the parties interested, and VIC added
that the County Commissioners, for reasons
best known tdrtheniseives, had similarly os-
tracised the HERALD,
As was 10 be expected, the Appraiser who
had not sense enough to perform q plain
duty, in the first instance, had only ribald
reply to make, but the County Commission
ers publish in their favorite organ. the Conn
nercinl a carefully prepared address ''To the
Tax Payers of the County, attempting to
justify on the ground OF economy. Now,
their position is we'll taken, ii well sustain
ed. BY it they have invited investigation,
and we proceed to crafty them, and at the
same time not only to show that they have
not been economical, but that they have at
tempted to takea mean advantage of the
HERALD, in their attempt TO show it. They
allege that on first assuming the duties of
Office they caused an inquiry to be made of
the HERALD and Commercial as TO their re-
spectiye prices for printing election blanks,
without notice that there were to be cont
petitive bids" The Commercial bid $50 /;
the HERALD first $50, then Si5. Now if
competition was desired, why conceal the
fact the bids were in reality competitive?
Was that fair or calculated to procure low
prices, by competition? We now have no
means of verifying our bid, if bid it was, but
we 90 have a most distinct recollection of
our impression that the job was allotted the
Commercial IN advance, which impression
ceipt Of note from the Conunercidi asking
us to furnish them the paper for the job,
there not having been time meantime, to
notify it of the acceptance of its bid. 1t Is
not alleged it will be noticed, that the HER
AID was ever afterwards given chance TO
bid or name its prices. The dodge of put
ting in one low bid, to secure future work
at remunerative prices. is as old and as well
known, as is the trick of the merchant to
sell one kind of goods, calico orinstance, at
less than cost, TO attract purchasers. So by
lis low bid the CoaIaeciai secured all the
jobbing for the past two years from these
officials.
But, in the effort to justify their position
these gentlemen go back to 1876, two years
before they were elected, and compare bin
then rendered by the HERALD with ono rem
dered by the Commercial in 1880, thus prov
ing to their satisfaction that our charges
were II per cent greater. We will not
charge these gentlemen with a downright
attempt TO deceive the public, as well we
might under the circumstances, but we will
simply point out that the difference in pric-
es of materials and labor, between 1876 and
1850 viii largely account for the difference
in charges, aud we inquire why as fair, hon
est men appealing TO the public for the rec
titGde Of their conduct, they went back to
1876, and suppressed bill of ours for JOB
work done in September, 1873, which shows
reduced prices as material became cheaper?
However, as these gentlemen chose to go
back to 1876 for comparison, they viii not
complain if we do the same thing. For
1876 the printing and advertising for the
county cost $l274,65 in 1880, if there is
nothing to carry over as there was from
1879, it cost Sl306, ,25, being an advance of
$50 60, which is in laughable contradiction
TO the implied allegation that 40 per cent.
was saved to the county by the transfer Of
the Job work to the Commercial, and this
does not include work done outside of the
county. While in 1879, the year this
great reform was introduced, the printing
cost $l399,75. being an increase Of S125,l0I
over that of 1876.
Again, in 1876 the commissioners paid foF
clerk hire $3.50 in 1880 they paid s745, to
which was added 500 as custodian. In
1876 the total of Commissioners pay was
$e5G, co; in 1880, If the Others do not charge
more than Mr.. McClintock, Sl0S9,00. In
1876 the total expenses of the county Were
81, ,64s,7i in 1880 they We're SS4, ,ss2,oS
while in 1879 they were SS5,1S3,so. And
again, in 1877 the cost of holdin. appeals
was sl75; while in 1880 it cost $52o,70.
Tins it will be seen that these officials
who make a public appeal to the tax
payers to witness their economy in the mat
ter of printing, have notwithstanding the
reduced prices since 1876 actually increased
the expenses of the county in the items we
have mentioned g, ,24304.