Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-11
WHAT Do YOU CALL THIS?
Is 1t Republicanism or Piracy,
or Both?
How Taxpayers are Mulcted in Print
ing the Great Register.
Countv Clerk Ward and HI. Y. Osborne,
Both of the Union League, the
Chief Actors-The Award of
the Alleged Contract.

..'My name Is Captain Kidd. and I sailed and ]
Il had the Bible in my hand as sailed, as l
sailed,
buried it deep in foreign strand as sailed
as sailed"
The printing of the great register will
be done by H. 2. Osborne of the Ex-
press this year, and it will cost the tax
payers of Los Angeles county % cents
for each name therein, and 5000 copies
of the volume will be supplied. 1t is
estimated that there will not be less
than 25, ,O0Oinames in the great register
this year; the county of Los Angeles
will pay not less than $3.50 for these
5000 volumes.
The average taxpayer familiar with
the deeds OF the buccaneers of the Span
ish main-of the days of Captain Kidd,
will find strong suggestion of the time
of those worthless in perusal of the de-
tails of this great register transaction.
Some time ago the board of supervisors
decided that no more than % cents per
name should be paid for the printing of
the great register. County Clerk Ward,
in whom rested the power of placing
the contract" for printing the ''great
register" at once made an agreement
with the Express. through Collector of
the Port H. q. Osborne, by which the
latter should print the great register at
.23 cents per name.
But were bids received and was
there competition for the work? some
taxpayer may ask.
No, sir. County Clerk Ward did not
ask for bids from any of the printing
establishments of Los Angeles county.
He simply went to Collector of the Port
Osborne, signed an agreement June 16,
1892, with him, that Osborne should re-
ceive 23 cents for each name in the
great register-the maximum price
fixed by the board OF supervisors
the bond and agreement we're filed away
in the safe, and there the transaction
slept, waiting for the day when the
county treasury would open for the pay
ment of this handsome sum for work
done without any competition, without
notice to the printers that any bids were
wanted. The bond filed by H. q. Os-
borne is for 500 900, and the sureties are
City Clerk Freeman G. Teed, $4,000; d.
@. Miltimors, 10000; George L. Arnold,
$4,000. fs
Some days ago Charles W. Palm, the
unsophisticated publisher of the
Journal, of this city, wrote letter to
County Clerk Ward, in which he stated
that he desired to put in bid on the
printing of the great register, and would
do the work for IS cents per name, and
would furnish good bond for the faith
full fulfllment OF all requirements of the
county clerk, for any amount demanded.
A HERALD reporter yesterday called
on County Clerk Ward, and asked him
if any bids had been asked for in COM
petition for the printing of the great
register.
mo, SIR" said Mr.. Ward. 81 am
responsible for the printing of the great
register in first-class manner, and I
gave the work to the Express, as Re-
publican paper. That man Palm hasn't
got the facilities for doing the work, and
no printer could do the work in good
style for Is cents per name. / know
that, for am something Of a printer
myself. The only paper outside OF the
Express that could do the work here is
the Times, and gave the work to the
Express as a Republican paper, as had
authority to do. No, sir, did not ask
for bids on this work."
When the great register was printed
in 1890. the work was let by contract,
and bids, competitive In character were
asked and received, and the Express
was awarded the contract, after the
bids had been opened in regular form,
at 18 cents per name. There are addi-
tional specifications in the description
attached to each name in this year, but
no competition was asked for among
printers as to the price Of the work. The
job was simply dumped into the Ex-
press office at the maximum figure set
by the county board of supervisors.
County Clerk Ward was, by virtue of
his Office, vested with full power and
authority to make contract. He chose
not to ask for bids on the work.
In the county Of Ventura the work on
the great register was let by contract, at
the rate of IA cents per name, or 8 cents
cheaper than in this county, and in San
Bernardino county the successful bid
for printing the great register was IS
cents per name, or 10 cents cheaper for
precisely the same work that the tax
payers of Los Angeles county are COM