The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-10-03
Dickey and Hawkins New Rule
They now Award Contracts
to the Highest Bid
ders.
The Tax Payers to be Mu.cted out of
Several Thousand Dollars for
the Benefit of the
G. O. r.

~ S1NSos u an iuttCls tudt Lut COu-
tract for the county printing for the en-
suing two years would be let at a special
meeting Of the board on Tuesday, Sept.
10Th, and inviting bids for the same.
The TRIBUNE took it for granted that
this notice was served in good faith and
that the intention of the board was to
award the contract to the lowest respon-
sible bidder. The sequel shows, how
ever, that no such idea was ever enter
tanned, as no attention whatever was
paid to the bids. They cut no more
figure in the matter than did the plat of
the Boston & Montana addition to the
city which was lying on the table at the
time. Without a word of comment or
even a careful scrutiny Of the bids pre-
sented, Commissioner Dickey pushed his
feet as far under the table as possible
as il he had started to hide under that
article Of furniture-put his hand up to
his face and said:
81 o the contract be awarded to
the Leader Publishing company"
This somewhat startled Mr.. Chairman
Hawkins, who hadn't up to this time
much more than got his spectacles adj
justed. He was scanning in a %listless
manner the TRIBUNE bid and immediate
ly let it drop and picked up another,
After turning this around two or three
times as if examining the quality of the
paper, Mr.. Chairman Hawkins said:
II second the motion"
ENTER it in the minutes carried
commanded Mr.. Dickey, addressing the
clerk.
And so the bids were examined () and
the printing contract let! 1t is proper
to state that Commissioner Wegner was
not present and the prearranged pro
gramme went through without eyer the
protest that would otherwise have been
entered by that gentleman.
Now as to the details of this business,
and we would invite the close attention
of the taxpayers of Cascade county to
the facts. The bids were as follows:
The TRIBUNE offered to do all the pub
fishing chargcable to the county at &C
per CEN off the maximum legal rate and
all the printing Including printed blanks
and job work Of all kinds) at 30 per cent
discount. Blank-books and records were
not included, the board having the priv
ilege Of buying these where they could
be had cheapest.
The Industrial offered to do the print
ing and publishing at So per cent dis
count and all photographic and blank
book work at % per cent discount from
legal rates.
1t can be said of both of these bids
that there is no question as to what they
mean. They are absolutely specific
tenders, as there is a maximum legal
rate for all kinds of work in both print
ing and publishing. Fifty and GO per
cent off from that rate mean a certain
sum, no more and no less. The Lead
er's bid has not this merit. 1t is decep-
tive. 1t is a trap, and knowingly or un-
knowingly, Dickey and Hawkins walked
right into it. The Leaders proposition
is exactly as follows:
They offer to print whole sheet blanks
at 80 per cent off and eighth sheets at 10
per cent off; to print the synopsis of
the commissioners proceedings in the
daily at 10 PEI cent discount and the
same in the weekly at 80 per cent dis
count; to furnish blank books 13x1S
inches at 20 per cent off and same ska
inches at ID per cent off.
This is the whole of the offer. Only
one of the hundreds of matters Of publ
cation is mentioned-the publishing of
the commissioners proceedings. and the
full legal rate go per cent FOR daily and
10 per cent for weekly is charged for
this. The only items of job work named
are whole and eighth sheets. the two
sizes rarely IN demand. The county is
to pay the Leader legal rates less 10 and
20 per cent for records and blank books
when Barnard Il Co., the Pioneer Press
Co., and other like concerns will furnish
the same at 80 and 60 per cent off.
Immediately after the contract was
awarded to the Leader the manager of
that paper took his all ready prepared
contract into the county attorneys office
and that gentleman kindly wrote across
1t, 80. X. Martin This the chairman
signed after giving it his customary
scrutiny and consideration. This con
tract provides graciously that "whole
sheets and eighth sheets" shall be print
ed for 80 and 10 per cent off legal rates
respectively, but for every other possible
item of printing and publishing this
county will have done in the next two
wears, the maximum rate in the statutes
fixed years ago when everything was
high must be paid. Besides this from
80 to 40 per cent must be added to the
cost of all county records for the benefit
Of the Leader.
The TRIBUNE's bid for this work that
is, for all publishing and p~rinting-was
just about one-half that Of the Leader
and still it was thrown aside as unworthy
of consideration. The printing and pub
fishing of this county for the next two
years will amount to fully $1,000, and
the partisan action Of Dickey and Hawk
ms yesterday simply rob- Cascade co,uni
ty of $1,000. Add to this the Leader
benefit on blank-books, which it can MOI
manufacture, and the total loss VII
reach for the contract term not less thar
$1,000.
If Dickey and Hawkins and the r.
publican heelers paid this out OF theil
own pockets for the political service they
expect to get from the Leader, it woui,
be all right, but it is a pretty bitter phi
for the taxpayers to take. 1t is no won
der the taxes are outrageously llgl
when the control of county affairs is II
4, Al. l.-lz "a ,,,,h Dol;ticol hiuotS ant