The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-14

marked ~recsntly that 800, 90 had been
sunk 10 keeping aaoat . Democratic Daily
in Raleigh since the war, exclusive os
the State Printing. the inference - plain
that the public pap alone kept ihai DAILY
alive.
Now We are not 3 candidate for the
Public Printing. aud feel lit.ie interest 10
it. Messra Ashe, Hale, Page 4 Arren-
dell are enough to start in the race but
We have had many assurances that our
estimate of the profit of Organ ship
is under. rather than over the mark. II
it true that the Public Printer 10 - we'll
paid as the Governor or Supreme Judges?
That l. to say. 81. 500 to 5000 . year.
We have not access to Printer Ashe'e
books, but the last Printer. MAJ. +. Il
Hale, who is noted for careful hgures,-
thus spoke 10 . leading editorial in the
Raleigh ReQister two weeks 9 o
The practical results are these: What
is called in official reports Public Print
ing" and the printing for the Penal.
Charitable and other departments for
two years, amount-say. merely for
illustration-to CSC, Geo. OF this UNI,
a25, 500 is paid to the actual printers,
duu 1f.u0t y ZIG CoIot4 n
The actual printers-the two printing
houses in this ity-do all h a is done for
the State. The constructive printer
the Public Printers, (Ashe & Co.. that is
to say-do nothing whatever for the
State. They invest no money in estab-
fishing a printing Office. The do not re
ceive or even see the copy" They do not
read a proof" or see one. They know
nothing, nor dc they seek to know any,
thing. nor is it likely they would know
anything if they sought, of the
in which the printing is or ought to be
done or the binding executed. They
do not even make out the bills or col
lect the money. Their performance of
their public duty-supposing that they
have a public duty-consists solely IN
receiving fifteen per cent of all that the
State pays. That is to say fifteen per
cent more than the market value of the
work lonesome thousands of dollars
of the peoples MONEYS paid without
the slightest necessity for the payment
to those who do nothing whatever, and
do not even profess to do anything, in
return for it.
1.-The State Constitution as emphati-
cally forbids ''emoluments or privileges
from the community but in considera-
ton of public services and however
unjust the conclusion, the people once
informed of this thing will conclude, if
it be permitted to continue, that there
are others than the Public Printers who
fatten upon the taxes taken from their
hard earnings. They will be slow to
see a reason why they should pay a
bonus of thousands of dollars to wealthy
manufacturers and politicians who have
chosen to invest their money in a ne VS.
paper any more than that they should
pay a bonus to other more needy and
as deserving citizens investing their
means in any other business"
Major Hale, an old public Printer"
ought to know what he is talking about.
But to offset this. Capt. Ashe announce
in Sundays Observer that =
The Public Printing was worth
last year u, 57O,41, and when a paper
docs not quite pay expenses-as no dailv
paper in Raleigh does-or ever has done
"(except alone our newsy neighbor, the
"VIitor) without this patronage, the
profits derived from that source make
"all the difference between success and
failure"
This is strong language and shows the
usefulness of the P. P. But that little
81. 500 year is misleading. The past
year WAS not q fair criterion to Judge
tho profits. It was An off year" No
Legislature, no bills, few public docu-
ments to print, and most of the larger
jobs ~chargeable to this fiscal year: not to
mention other matters. But if Ashe &
Co., got 81, 500 for their share of the
profits, and Edwards, Broughton & Co.,
an equal or larger snm.- behold our esti
mate of-$3. 900 or more! To this must
be added the official Courts, Rewards, Proc
lamations' etc, together with the insur-
ance statements ($25 each), State Guard
Blanks. and the other profits given to the
paper, not on account of its superior
merit or circulation, but because it is the
Official Organ" As to all this, how
ever, We care little. We simply si9nifel
that it was unjustifable for the party or
gan-kept alive by the Party Pap-to
lend its columns to Especial Dispatches"
of the nature now fully understood. This
view was expressed BY "a visitor" and
more than one visitor. We now express
it as our own.
A WORD PERSONAL.
Mr.. Ashe INDUCES this remark
"Our Washington correspondent, Max
Gol imam, is we believe as good a Demo
crat As Mr.. Shotweli and his personal
character is perhaps fully as good as Mr..
Shotwell.'
Well, thank God, it i. not given to
Sam Ashe or any other man like him, to
lower me one jot or one title by such a
comparison. Born q gentleman, reared
q gentleman, living a gentleman. l have
yet to receive the slightest slur upon my
personal, social. or moral character, by
any respectable person, man or woman.
not excepting even my political enc
mics. At risk of seeming sgotism let me
add that the chief qualification of my life
is the multitude of volunteered express
sions of confidence, respect. and esteem
rendered me by our best ~people-stran-
gers IS we'll as friends-senators, Con-
xressmen, Judges. Clergymen. teachers,
editors, farmers, mechanics. the good
and true of every walk in life. Neither
eMce nor riches nor power can purchase
such testimonials, u~nsuggested, un-
sought
And if thou says st | am not Peer,
To any man in Raleigh here,
Or any Sam Ashe-anywhere,
Sam Ashe, thou hast lied!
r. A. s.