The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-05-09
COUNTY PRINTING

The Republicans famous ~ Saturday
Weakly-Daily deyotes over a half
column in explaining Why, after refusing
to swear to their circulation, as the
Journal and UNION did, they were
awarded the county printing. Their
harangue boiled down amounts to this.
The letting to the lowest bidder has re-
suited in poor work. Mistakes in adj
vertising property for delinquent taxes
has offsett the gain. An obscure sheet
does not reach the tax payers, etc. If
this applied to The UNION We might say
in answer: Custom, if not law, requires
the letting uf the work to the lowest
bidder and no body OF men in the public
service can in any other way satisfy the
people, all other action lays them
liable to the charge Of interested action.
What surety have they that the highest
bidder will do the county better work?
Surely in this case their decision could
not have been reached on the ground
that the journal favored was established
on a more substantial basis. They
knew it was a stock institution paying
nothing on the money invested and
| obliged twice during the present year to
levy assessments to keep the thing run
ming. If they think it is less liable to
mistakes in public printing they should
have enquired at the land Office. In one
case OF many brought to our notice
| three errors in date were made in one
homestead proof and the interested
parties put to much inconvenience. But
we need not discuss this phase Of the ques-
ton. The charge does not apply to The
UNION, which never printed a tax list
under its present management. Let us
suppose that the board was right in de-
Gliding that instead OF letting the printing
to the lowest bidder they would let it to
the paper having the largest circulation.
Did they go at it in guod faith? They
asked for The UNIONS circulation. 1t
was given them. They requested that it
be reduced to the actual circulation in
the county. 1t was SO reduced. They
required that it be sworn to and the re-
quest was compiled with. The Republi.
can dared not show it's hand, and yet sc
anxious we're the board to favor tie
sheet that the Honorable Body visited
the office, inspected the books, (?) adj
journed to the p%ostoffice, interviewed
the postmaster and reported favorable
on the Doodle Sheet.
Those who are posted, say that
Philadelphia lawyer could learn nothin!
from those books. Did our Wise Boare
examine the mailing list, or simply thu
subscription books? At the postotlic'
did they get the weekly, or dailies OF TIN
whole week and weekly added? Jacl
gives the latter away when he claims
that the Saturday edition over-circulatet
them all. Well, w guess it does-so fal
over that very few taxpayers ever see it.
If the Republican don't lie, and Of
course it couldn't, Saturday'sis the boom
edition, and it has claimed in the past
to circulate all over the United States
and parts of upper Canada. Now, the
gentlemen who want to reach the people
[bosh] refuse to take THE UNIONS cir.
| culation outside OF Pennington county
and yet count the Republican boon
circulars-papers sent to it's numerou
patent medicine, soap. and lotter
patrons-and both the weekly and dali
editions, in many cases two papers t
t the same parties. 1t makes one tire
~. cr,nmissinna
wanted to reward the sheet that BOLT,
the state platform last year, why d
they not do it on the square and new
call for affidavits?
In the words OF the Republican, III
~ UNION issues more papers that a
regularly circulated in Penningt,
ri county than it's near neighbor, and
L. anyone takes exceptions to this sta
ment,w e invite a "show down." not
the p~ostofIice, where only papers Giro
If lated outside OF the county are wcighc
! but by actual count.