Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-04-24
That Printing Bill.

:
I A few Of our. exchanges have com
tanned considerable unfair criticism of
the bill passed by the last legislature
compelling the board OF county COM
missioners of the counties Of Morrison n,
Crow Wing, Todd, Mile Laos and Benz
ton to let the public printing of those
counties to the lowest bidder. The
complaint is generally that the bill
should have been general state bill,
instead ofconfined to the counties in
this senatorial district. It has not
been claimed that the bill is a bad one;
only it does not embrace all the state,
and thus give every locality the bene-
fit of this good law. Under the cir
cumstance it would seem that the
protests should come outside Of the
district instead Of within it., It will be
remembered that this bill was intro
duced at the same time as the one
which legalized the publication of last
years financial statement, and there
has been no complaint outside Of the
St. Cloud Times and the Little Falls
Sun about that bill. We knew very
we'll that if we secured special legisla-
ton to compel the board of county
commissions re- to pay fol. printing the
financial statement, that we need never
again expect justice from them (ifthey
could help themselves). Indeed, as
soon az it was made known that an at
tempt was made to compel the payment
of the financial statement bill members
of the board of commissioners of Nor
r;son county declared that in the future
the Transcr; pit should get no public
printing as long as they could prevent
it, and we were then determined, if
possible, to compel them to give US
chance at the public printing. When
the kicking delegation rhodes, Storey,
Rasicot, Wetzel' and Guernon) went
down to st. Paul from Morrison county
to defeat the two bills the only fault to
be found with the lowest bidder bill
was that it singled out Morrison
county. Nearly every member in the
legislature whose attention was called
to the bill approved of it's provisions,
and there could have been but little
difficulty in passing it RS a general bill
if it had introduced earlier in the ses-
sion. Upon consultation with the
members from this district it was
agreed that the chances for the passage
of the bill as general one were very
poor, as any objection whatever would
render it's passage almost impossible,
and it was decided to embrace the
counties of this district, thus prevent
ing it's opponents from claiming that
one Democratic county was singled out.
The only counties besides Morrison
with which it will at present make any
difference are Todd and Crow Wing,
both being Republican. and having
more than one newspaper. Many
members from other parts of the state
approved of the bill heartily, but said
that in their locality there was no ne
cessity for such bill, as the public
printing was always let to the lowest
bidder, and also stated that if there
was any locality where such was not
the practice, such a law was necessary.
We are aware the criticisms INDUCED
in come from those who do not under
stand the provisions Of the bill, or who
90 not know the circumstance. The
first one to publicly deneunce the bill
was Editor Dunn, Of the Priceton I'm
ion, who declared that it was scheme
of Leon Houde's to down the Sun.
At the time the bill was introduced
Houde knew nothing about it. and we
should have expected his opposition
rather than his assistance, if he used
his influence either way. If bill as
fair as the present one, works hard
ship on the Sun, the politicians who
are backing it will be compelled to 20
little further into their own pockets
to support it. instead of making the
taxpayers Of the county pay the ex-
pense of running a party organ. Of
course it is too bad if democratic
board of county commissioners can't
give the public printing of the county
to the democracic paper, but they
can't unless it bids lower than the other
paper. In all the other neighboring
counties, excepting Stearns, which is
Democratic, and gives the St. Cloud
Times work at full rates, the printing
is let to the lowest bidder, and what is
the practlce in almost all Republican
counties as Icing just and proper. has
to be compelled. by law in Morrison
county. The best proof that the bill
was necessary is the kicking that is
being done against it. Following is
the bill, and We think the public will
fail to see anything Dad in it.:
AN ACT
Requiring the public printing of the
counties of Morrison, Crow Wing,
Todd, Mile Laos and Benton to be
awarded 70 the lowest bidder therefor.
Be it enacted by the legislature of the
State of Minnesota:
SEcr1oN /. The board of county COM
n,istioners of the counties of Morrison,
Crow Wing, Todd Mile Laos and Ben
ton, shall at the first regular meeting
of said board in each year award to
the lowest bidder therefor the public
printing Of said county for the ensuing
year, required by law to be published
therein.
Sec. 2. Bids for the same shall be
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