The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-03-13
THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE
PAINTING.
OUR BID TABLED THE SECOND TINE.

corporation printing for the year 1889
! At a previous meeting the Council
had agreed to pay to the Torn Tux
the snm of 500 per annum, and hav-
ing learned that member of the
Council had stated that this journal
conld not get the WORK at any price,
We purpo,ely placed our bid at sl0o,
(although we knew it was worth nore,)
to see if there was majority of the
Board willing to be guided by preju-
dice alone in public matter-parlic-
ularly when it was known that the
T,oUn Talk would not consent to enter
into contract at any price-and some
of the city administration were aware
of this fact
After the adjournment of the Board
Mr.. Mccormick was called on to pub.
lish the proceedings Of the Council,
bnt declined to do so for reasons stated
below. The proceedings could and
should have been published by ns-i,
would have cost no more than in the
Town Talk, and the Board had signi-
fled their willingness to pay certain
sum for their publication in that jour
nal. The proceedings were not pub
lished. One or two copies, at the suy-
gestion of the Mayor, have been written
10y the Secretary to be posted in the
most public places Of tue City. We
don't know whether or not they have
been posted, aud We Ito not care
What we want to know is. why is it
the Council prefer to hide their pro-
ceediugs rather than give them to the
public through the columns of this
journals
To say the least our bid was low
enough, when taken into consideration
that the printing III 1888, at legitimate
charges, would have amounted to near
ly S5O,. But our bid was tabled
although DO other bid was before the
Board, and in Justice to ourselves we
think, as will any other fair minded
man, that the contract should have
been awarded to this journal. No rea-
son was giver 10y any Of the members
for this action, and We are at a loss to
understand what motive actuated the
memhers of the Council ia the matter
other than malice.
We have been the corporation prin-
ter for tue past ten or twelve years,
and have always performed our duty
faithfully and we'll, as all will admit.
1t seems to us that the present Coun.
Gil have made up their minds tina, We
shall not have the printing at any
price-nay, not even if We were to Of
fer to do it gratis. This, however, We
DO not propose to do, as we do no
consider i. legitimate Or fair. We SEE
no reason Why tue printing should l..
done for nothing any uore than othe
public work.
The whole matter can he explain '
thus: Many of our readers are aware
that the Iown Tulk and DEMocR
had previously agreed to divide both
the Parish and City printing, charging
legitimate prices for the work. We
will say here, too, that both papers
have been publishing the Police Jury
aud City Council proceedings. The
T0rn Iatk was given the Parish print,
ing by mutual consent between the
owners of the two papers, and in turn
it vas understood that the DEMOCRAT
was to be the official journal of the
City. This method was resorted to !v
the two papers for the purpose OF
avoiding any cut-throat business, and
not for the purpose of grinding out an
exorhi,ant sum from either the Parish
or the City.
C"nll anything have been fairer
Both the papers were actnateh hy a
feeling to protect their own interests,
aud who can blame them for doing it !
But the Council, the newly elected
one, went in "n the reform plan. They
were willing to give 500 to the Tocn
Iaik for tue printing, hut when the
proprietor of that Journal refused to
take the work, they say by their ac.
tons that the City needs no official
journal; that the people do not wan,
to read the proceedings of the Conn.
ell that their business in future shall
lie private-or, better still, that Il saw.
ing of pal,ry 500 will he made
Great Scott did you ever hear of, o,
did you ever see, such pIayunishness
indulged i'll or displayed by any pub
liz body of men!
TO the outside world We would say
this Is the City Council that Alexana
ria, the Future Great" now boasts