Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-01-18
The Awarding of the County Print
ing And How the Dispatch
Was Made the Omcial
County Paper.
County Paper.

Was Made the Omcial
County Paper.
The county printing was let by the
Commissioners to-day to the three
Phillipsburg papers at 20 per cent
each, making go per cent in all. We
can't see exactly why the Herald and
Dispatch should go into a combina-
ton with the Democrat when they
might just as well have had the whole
Doodle themselves. We hope that
sometime in the near future we will
have a Board OF Commissioners who
will serve the people and who will
recognize the fact that there are
other papers in the county besides
those published at Phillipsburg. The
CHIEF did not get in a bid for the
printing in time to have it acted on
by the Board and it IS probably as
well. Our bid was to do all the print
ing for one sixth Of the legal rate,
163 cents on the dollar. The only
thing surprising about the matter IS
that the Phillipsburg fellows didn't
make the Board give them full rates.
-KjrlCil Chief
Our Kirwin contemporary IS not
thoroughly informed in the matter.
The history of the letting of the coun-
ty printing is as follows: First, by
way of introduction to the subject,
we will explain that a year ago the
Board awarded the county printing
to the HERALD alone for 335 cents
per square and designated this paper
as the official paper. E. F. Horns, as
the HERALD's representative, on his
own motion asked the Board to re-
consider its action and to give the
Dispatch one half of the printing.
The Board reconsidered and resolved
to let both the HERALD and Dispatch
do tie printing, each to receive 20
cents per square, the HERALD to be
designated the official paper. That
arrangement lasted through the year
1888. Now for recent history. A few
days before the printing was let CAST
week. J. NJ. McNay, of the Dispatch,
went to E. F. KOrns and said to him
that he hoped that there would be no
unpleasant squabble'' this year over
the county printing and that he NC
Nay) would like it if the arrangement
that was III force through 1888 could
be extended through 1889. Mr.. Horns
said that wo nd meet the approval of
Horns & Dague, publishers of the
HERALD. 1t was then agreed between
j. M. McNay and E. F. Horns, in the
presence of Commissioner Mcdowell,
that the continuation of the terms
and the arrangements of 1888 would
be acceptable to the publishers of
both Dispatch and HERALD if the
Board saw proper to takesthat acti on
The annual "squabbles'' over the
county printing have always been IN
pleasant to US, and we felt that this
time the matter would be adjusted in
an amicable spirit so far as the HER
AID and Dispatch were concerned.
A compensation of 20 cents for what
the law allows $1.OO is low, but so far
as we were interested, we preferred
to do our share of the county print
ing at the One-ffth legal rates than
to engage IN a big tussle over it. We
rested easy. On Thursday at, or
near, the hour Of noon, Editor Nc
Nay told r. a. Dague that the Com
missiOners would not let the printing
till Friday-that they had told him
so. That was our understanding also.
Little did we suspect what was going
on, and that trap was Just ready to
be sprung. Just after dinner and be-
fore two O'Clock, happening to be in
the Court House, imagine our aston
lshment on being informed that the
county printing had already been let
to the Dispatch, the Democrat and
the HERALD at 20 cents Der souere
each, and the Dispatch made the
official county paper" and this ac-
ton was taken without asking for or
receiving any bids. We immediately
went before the Commissioners and
enquired the reason for this hastv ac-
ton We stated what we and others
had understood, which was that the
matter Of awarding the printing was
not to be considered till Friday. when
bids would be received. We stated
then and there the agreement exist
ing between ]. NJ. McNay and Korns
& Dague, which Chairman Mcdowell
corrobOrated We asked that the
Board respect and consider this