The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1882-02-23
TAX PAYERS. MEAD ms.

TAX PAveRs, MEAD TINS.
The following extracts from IN arti-
Gle on the annual howl that goss up
from the newspaper soreheads ON the
county printing question IL from the
Atchison Champion, and h 90 pat to
the occasion that We publish them.
In the first place, It 10 Q matter pure
~ personal to the editor or publisher
Ii II . question whether some money
shall be paid to him or some other
newspaper man. The readers Of the
paper are not especially interested.
The rights and wrongs of the case are
not regarded by an unsympsthetic
world. The people do not share the
disappointed publishers indignation
concerning the "infainous Jef7feys-
and the 'bloOdy Neroes", the "Bene-
diet Arnolds" and "red-handed
Judases," who, according to his dia.
tribes, compose the Board Of County
Commissioners. and who, as be dem
onstrates to theextent Of four columns
q week, have, In giving the county
printing to the ''Other paper" com.
United an act 30 Infamous that univer-
sal humanity sickens and turns pale,
and have left for themselves . name to
other times, linked with no virtues
and ten thousand crimes. All this, we
say, may be Of interest TO fle sufferer
who writes II, but the public don't care.
The insensate populace knows that
even IL this editor IL crushed TO the
earth, another will rise within two
weeks.
To be serious about 1t, most Of the
ocean of stuff published on the subject
ofthe county printing Is insincere and
hypocritical, and unworthy Of editors
and gentlemen. The talk about
the dOwntrodden Taxpayers who have
been robbed by the action Of COM
missioner" Is VIGOROUSLY SO. Every
body knows that the unsuccessful |
publisher would gladly have done the |
work at the rate Mt which IL was
awarded his competitor, or at twice or |
four times that figure, regardless ofthe |
sufferings of the taxpayer. 1t IL also |
well known that the great bone of |
contention, the delinquent tax list, Is |
not paid for, ultimately, out Of the |
public treasury, or by. the body of the |
taxpayers, but by the persons whose |
land is offered for sale. II Is q penal |
ty laid upon people who do not pay /
their taxes, and Justly SO, for without |
q penalty no taxes would be paid. |
Every publisher knows that Vbcn he /
talks about the body of the people. or
the county treasury, being robbed"
by any award of the publication Of the
tax list at any figure. he Is talking |
what he, mt least, knows Is nonsense.
The same is true of other work which 1
comes under the general head Of cOun-
ty printing. After the tax list, the
most important item Is the road no
tees. These are not paid for by the
county unless the road Is allowed
and i'm the great many cases where
the petition Is not granted, the eX-
pense falls on the petitioners; the few
persons most directly interested. The
ordinary county printing, outside OF
these two items, il comparatively
small matter. Thus the doleful noise
made about the robbed" treasury Is
mere cant, of which the authors ought
te be ashamed.
One class Of papers which raise a
tremendous noise over this county
sympathy of anybody, inside or out
sIuC VI l
throat papers, frequently started by
tramps, at the instance Of
some local political crank or bleeding
sorehead, some county seat Guiteau,
who wants to get even with the ring"
and started, too. in many instances, a
few months before the letting Of the
printing, with the intention of taking
the work from some publisher who
Il Co. srwu os.v |
Of the community. 1t Is such
organs as these which howl the most
at the ''unrighteOus action"
Of the County Commissioners who
gave the work to some one they know
and have confidence in. and, frankly
speaking, wish to help, rather than To
In unknown striker" and possibl"
ragabOnd.
There have been various plans adopt
III i'm regard to the disposal of this
handful Of patronage" The matter
should be easily settled In any instance.
The law fixes the compensation at u
very moderate figure. That should
'ettle the question, rs far as the COM
ni-sioners are concerned. and ii would
md it in any other matter. The only
natter left with them Ia whether A or
% tut WI ht Tic iCSsh iotVS. |
This they should settle according Ia
heir best judgment. Notices are pub
ished to be read, and. of course, should
lot he published in jumped-up, temp
'rary sheets, or papers that have no
general circulation.
Good newspapers should set the ex-
lmple of drying up this clamor about
county printing. 1t is an old and
,rievous bore. III publishers cannot
succeed in their business, they have
he same privilege that other men have
hat of trying some other locality or
Whining is unworthy
my calling, and the stormy discussion
II private interests under the disguise
# overwhelming anxiety for the pub
ic veal, IL a dodge easily detected,
md which brings contempt on the in
'entor. The county printing is not
enough In any county to just.
fy a lack of manliness in bewailing
Is loss.