Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-27
SELLING our BELOW COST.

EDS. RECORD MON: I am indebted TO
some unknown person for circular ad
dressed TO Taxpayers of California" and
purporting to have been sent abroad by Mr..
John Conway, owner of the Eagle Point
trail in Yosemite valley. / should hardly
bestow moments notice upon the remark
able document, but for the predicament in
which it makes me place the Post. Mr.. Con-
way, IN attempting to show how the S25, GOO
apprJ prisrion has been stolen and squan-
dered. AYERS without qualification that its
1.-THE Board Of Commissi0ners) Secretary in
formed me the Boards advertisement ia the
Post of the various stage roads leading TO the
valley costs the State eight hundred $500
dollars per year" AS / happen TO have
been the Secretary at the time, must have
told =" whopper, or Mr.. Conway recollec-
tion Is all at sea. Every dollar of the S25 900
plus rents and appropriation for travelling
expenses, having passed through my hands, l
ought to be able to affirm orr deny. Newspapers
ara sufficiently suspected without being
falsely accused and the Post. like all its con-
freres, has enough TO do to bear IFS own sins,
without having meddiesome Secretary pile
up charges against il just for the fun Of the
thing.
My answer to Mr.. Conway'e positive
assertion is this: / never made any
such statement t. that gentleman or to any
other. 2 The Post never received eight
hundred dollars, nor eighty dOllars, nor eight
dollars, nor eighg Coats for publishing the ex-
tensive advertisement of roads, trails, hotels,
ETC., to which the circular alludes 8. Ali
that the Post has ever received for service
rendered to the Commission land it has rem
dered many AID muchl is four tS4) dollars.
on December 4, 1880, for printing some bills
for posting up for the Information cf tour
lists. The Post must be wFetchedly inexpert
at stealing to secure only this meager sum
out of fund Of S25, goo, specially procured,
according TO the author of the circular, to be
divided up smorg he rascally "rabrle Of
niisdemeanors. 1t wss not fair divide"
Really l am in doubt whether Mr.. Conway
expects to be believed, or is acting the role of
a grim humorist and so l am left hating
between the traaeiy and the comedy view.
TIE pleasant little intimation that the Board
intended to pocket 5000 outright, "jast one
hundred each, including the Governor, is not
at all fAttering to cur business shrewdness. l
have never fixed definite estin ate on nv
self, but it really appears to me that th t
would be selling out below cost The Gov.
efnor. certeinlv, might have demanded
higher hgare, say hundred and fifty az the
very least. There is room for jealousy here.
too. 1t appears, on the same verscious au-
thoriby, thas the old Board sold out, also.
Some Of MIR. Conway's competitors il husi-
ness hal bought the Board ou5 against
my (his) interests Vexatiously enough
he neglscts TO tell Us what they got for them.
selvea Now l insist on knowing whether
they sold themselves in the lump, or whether
it was q retail transaction, l also demand
the price as which EACH was knocked off, and
whether the Governor, Chairman of the Ex-
ecutive COMMITTEES, Vice President and Sec
rotary commanded anything extra. | know
not what other gentlemen may say, but as
for Inc, give me as much Is other Commits
sioners get. or give me nothing. Vel bum |
sat- And Just one thing more Commodore |
Raymond has enjoyed Al undue advantage. |
Having been member Of both Boards, he |
has had chance 60 sell cut twice. / would |
be willing to allow a reasonable premium on |
his venerable wears and ripe experiences, but |
q hundred dollars bonus strikes me ss too |
much, and move thst he divide seventy five |
with bis suffering fsliows. The Governor, |
too-now thss I reflect seriously on the equi- |
ties Of the case was under salary. The rest /
Of us were working for nothing and wearing |
our own shoes. respectfully submit to the
of California whether he ought not
to have relinquished his hare CT principles of
sheer and naked justice.
Seriously, l do not find one complaint in
the circular which is not totally untrue, or so
w1rdsd as 10 make a false impression. Yeti |
am SO reluctant to believe that man Of Mr.
Conway's very respectable appearance it.
tends 70 ialsify, that | have been casting sb1ut
to ind some extenuation or charitable ex-
plsnAtion. In the matter Of the statement
the Post, / ihink / recall fact
which may have furnished sort of occasion
for the grave mistake, THE extensive sdver.
tisement gratuiEousiy furnished by the Post
[ found would be very expensive to be kept
- standing matte. in the leading papers
The ex-Commissioner, on this showing, JUDI
ed that it would be very much cheaper to
publish in the foru of small pamphlets for
free distribution in the hotels and elsewhere
may have given this explanation of the rea-
SONS why we did not continue to advertise In
the papers to Mr. Conway. or any other per-
son who asked me. As to the misstatements,
shall continue TO ascribe them to the facii.
Ity with which the excited mind under q
sense Of real or fancied injury and loss, sees
double, treble, and some lines qusdruple.
Ii Mr.. Conway is seriously concerned to
know what hes become Of the States money,
t will give me pleasure to show him, at our
mutual convenience, where, how and why
svery dollar OF the States wise and profitable
outlay has gone. NJ. G. BRIGGs,
Sec. Yos. Com.