St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-07-03

Tie Amite City Independent say

The Gazette, of this place. last
week announced that it had made
M arrangement to publish the
minutes of the Police Jury Of Wash.
ington parish. Judging from what
We see, it looks as though there
must have been some more under.
handed work about this arrange
| ment, AS the Independent was en-
tirely ignored i'll the matter 10y the
Police Jury, and their Clerk was
only authorized to contract with
the Alnite City Gazette or st. Tam
many Farmer for the work. AS
Independent is tie pioneer paper o!
this section, and has stood bv it's
people through good and evil. fol
the better OF for the worse, we car
not believe that the Washington
Police Jury rurposely thus "made
a bridge over its nose" There
must have baen some trickery.
But, be that as it Lay, we will
inform them that, if they ire pay
ing the Gazette anything ut all for
this work, they might have had it
done for less by recognizing the
existence Of the Independent, for i.
We had been called upon for a bid
we should have continued to un-
derbid the Gazette until that paper
agreed to do The work fcl nothing.
us it did for the work for this par
ISL. This is the course the Gazette
commenced with US when it first
came to Amite, aud we intend it
shall carry out its own principle in
this matter, whenever we are per-
nitted to have our lawful Say. IN
this case we we've not permitted to
have that say, as we were not in
formed that the bids were wanted.
And We would suggest that the
Washington Police Jury would do
well to reconsider this question. for
us the lowest bidder was not sought
for and obtained. there is room to
doubt if the transaction is III ac-
cordance with the law.
All we know about it is that
in April last we received the fol-
lowing letter:
FRAxKLrNroN. La, April IL. 1886
Enron ST. TANNANY FARMER.
Dear Sir-I am authorized by
the Police Jury to write you to
know what you would publish the
proceedings Of that body for III
your paper, for 1t would give your
paper u better circulation in our
parish, as soon rs our citizens
found it cut. Besides. we might
give you some other i.ems from our
parish. Have been thinking of
writing some little matters to the
Democrat which l could send you,
with the Police matter. Would
also like to have the proceedings of
the School Board published, if We
could make suitable arrangements
with you; but am only authorized
to write you in regard to tue Police.
proceedings. Write me by return
mail the best you can do. Tue Po-
lice Jury have four regular meet
ings year, and sometimes called
session.
Mr.. J. r. Wood aud myself pre-
sented the matter to the Board,
and hey requested me to write you
and get terms. Hoping TO hear
from yon ut your eurliest convent
ence. ! au, respectfully yours.
nj. j. PIrMAN,
Clerk Police Jury.
We promptly answered the above
letter, and in consideration of the
fact that it might possibly increase
our circulation in Washington par
ish: We offered 10 publish the pro-
ceedings of the Police Jury for
$25. including the School Board
proceedings. We never received a
reply to our letter, neither were we
ever invited to bid for the work
against competitors.
The FARMER has circulated in
Washington parish during the past
Twelve years, and always gladly
published communications from its
citizens. And when we agreed to
publish the proceedings Of the Po-
lice Jury, we did so at less than
living rates. looking to the future
Tor a proper compensation. It APP
pears, however. that that body has
|ound an obscure and comparative
y unknown paper. to do the work
Tor nothing. The An,ite Gazette
IS n little over two years old, and
lon't know any better than to work
or nothing. The Police Jury Of
Washington parish, in it's eager
,ess to get something for nothing,
.p!ly illustrates the lack of enter
Prise on the part Of its citizens,