Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1892-01-28
The County Printing.

When we assumed charge OF this pa
per, we found the Office in no shape
to do the work Of public printing 7;
then we neither had money nor en-
perience. now we have both. and have
taken the printing at what we believe
to be right, and have saved to the
tax payers OF this county, the snug
little sum Of 81 900 For the present
we shall say nothing more touching
this subject, but may refer to it in
the future.
The above item appeared in the
Banner OF Jan. 18th, and but for
our illness would have received oul.
comments last week. For pure, I'M
adulterated gall, misrepresentation
and falsehood we have scarcely seen
itseqnal. The editor Of the Banner
evidently tries to pose before the tax
payers Of the county as a public
benefnctor, arole which he is the least
fitted to play.
In order to enlighten the public,
and to remove the dust which Bro.
Cronkhite has thrown into their eyes,
the SHEAF will now give q true and
complete history OF the whole natter
OF county printing, that the people
may Judge for themselves how much
OF a philantropist the editor OF the
Banner reallyis. The arrangement
by which the county printing was
done last year is an open secret.
For some years prior to that the
SHEAF had done the printing at
rulnous rates to itself. There was
no profit in the business. This cut
rate and cut throat plan was found
not to be satisfactory, neither to the
paper who secured the work, to the
public at large, nor to the other
county papers. Subscribers OF the
other county papers failed to get i'm
portant county news, and if said
papers ever published any of the pro-
ceedings they did the work without
pay, which means at q loss to them
selves. Everybody cannot take al
the papers printed in the county, and
most farmers find that one county
paper is all they can afford to take.
The object of publishing the financial
statement, delinquent tax list and
proceedings is, we believe, to give the
taxpayers an opportunity to inspect
the public business, and for that
reason the publication should be
made as general as possible. Last
year the publishers OF the four coun-
ty papers had an agreement whereby
the county printing was done in all
OF them, each paper receiving pay for
work done. This matter was also
understood by the County Board
when they awarded the printing to
the SHEAF. The agreement has
been spoken of rs a newspaper
"trust or "combine'', but there is
no more trust or combine about it
than, for instance, in the famous AL
lance Hold Your Wheat" circular
1t was simply a fair and square bust
ness arrangement whereby the pub
fishers agreed to hold for fair com
pensation, and for the further object
OF securing efficient service. The
county printing in great many
counties is disposed OF in a similar
manner, and it gives the best general
satisfaction. There can be no rob
berry on the part of the papers, for
the law steps in and says what is fair
compensation to the printer. The
editor OF the SHEAF has no con-
scientious scrnples whatever for the
part he took in this arrangement; we
feel guilty OF no, wrong committed,
and our conscience is clear. The
SHEAF, being the official paper, re-
ceived the money for the county
printing, but paid over to each Of
the other papers it's share us III.
ranged. j. @. Cronkhite, the editor
OF the Banner, has received sos. Sc
cash, and there is still a small
balance due him, which he can oct
any time he calls for it.
Next let us see how much his silly
boast about saving to the taxpayers
the snug sun OF $1,000, really
amounts to-. The cost OF publishing
the financial statement last year was
$249.s9; the cost of printing the de-
lmquent tax list, which really does
not come out OF the county, was
$l31.16. The cost OF publishing the
Commissioners proceedings includ.
ing the report OF the board OF equali-
zation has amounted to $159.45.
This gives total of but $4,000 for
the three chief items OF printing, and
ii to this is added the cost of print
ing other incidental notices and re-
ports the sum total will foot up iii
the neighborhood OF 5000, and this
is for publishing in all the four pa
pers, tool And now comes j. O., the
great reformer for revenue only, and
claims that he has saved the county
$1,000, when, us a matter OF fact.
the total cost OF printing last year
amounted to only about 5000, out
OF which j. @. received over a hun
dred dollars himself!
A great hullabaloo was raised over
the printing in a certain direction,