Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-09-28

deal more Of the true inwardness OF
the recent attempt of certain state
officials to load upon the taxpayers
the burden Of supporting their person
al newspaper organ. 1t would be use
less for the democratic press to ut
tempt to defend the secret job, and to
do SO would only be to do further in
jury to the democratic party. The
Sentinel correspondent says:
The failure of Gov. Peck to make the
contract for printing the second edition
of the roster OF Wisconsin volunteers
in the war Of the rebellion a part of
the official records of the business of
the state may serve to relieve the peo-
pie from a suit against the state for
violation of the contract and result in
the governor becoming the defendant
in an action brought against him for
failure to perform the duties under
taken by him in entering into an in
dvidual contract with Mr.. w. j. =.
McEail, While the state was unqueS-
tiOnably saved big pot of money when
Gov. Peck was so influenced by fear of
Il threatened legal proceeding to tcSt
the validity of the secret contract that
he declared it revoked and cancelled on
the part OF the state, by the same token
the other parties to the contract or in
terested in it as certainly lost an eX-
ceedingly fat and profitable job. More
over money was borrowed and other
obligations incurred on account of that
contract and there are several interests
involved which are likely to develop
into an appeal to the courts to deter
mine whether one party to an express
contract can revoke and cancel it with
cut the approval of the other parties
interested, even if the contract was
secretly entered into and contemplated
the milking of the public treasury with
the knowledge and consent Of public
officials who might naturally BE- sup
posed to be opposed to that sort of
thing under their oath of office, if they
were not as distinguished professors
of reform,
The information is accurate that the
peculiar character of the contract and
the facts III connection with it are
chiefly responsible for the failure to be-
gin action up to the present time OF
course the governor could Lot be held
us an individual for damages resulting
from his acts as IN official, and at
torneyS may have some heSitancy in
suing the state upon 4 contract entered
into secretly and of such doubtful
~ Il
the parties to it, undertakes to revoke
and cancel il for the given reason that
he had been led to seriously doubt its
legality. Yet the governors failure to
make the contract an official act to the
extent of making it part OF the record
of official acts as prescribed by law has
caused consideration of the question
as to whether the entering into the CON
tract by the governor was more than
the act Of the individual for which the
governor is liable as anybody else,-
Mr. McFail. for instance.
But whatever the lawyers may decide
to do, and regardless of whether OF
not they decide TO do anything, the
public will be interested in knowing the
tract and in learning how much has
been saveT to the treasury, temporarily
at least, by the defeat of the roster jct
as promoted by state officials for thu
benefit of the owners of the then Strug
Cling and now defunt newspaper organ
The Madison Times was 4 newspaper
Of the state administration of this city
a tn no nd mis- t1,l
ton and the democratic party, as wei
as TO giving the news. 1t was started
and published by The Times Printing
company, among the incorporatOrs o
which We're Col Clarence Clark, thu
governors private secretary, and j. M
Clancy, the assistant attorney general
Other state officials invested money il
the enterprise and state employees con
tributed generously Of editorial or new
matter. The organ was conducted OF
an expensive scale and at no time wa
it within sight of a paying basis as
newspaper. During the legislature a
effort was made looking to the maxim
of the official state paper Of the otficia
organ, but Il canvass of the legislator
of its removal to Milwaukee, wkic
resulted in nothing. Then The Time
came out one morning with the al
nouncement that it had passed TO tn
control of Mr.. w. j. Z. McFail VIII
had been employed is editor. Seer
tary Clark stated that he had dispose
of his interest to the new proprietC
aud it was passed around for news til;
Mir. McFail had secured large amour
of money; that fguratively he ha
gobbled up the whole business, an
that state officials were no longer il
terested in the paper excepting in
sentimental way. This was lmportan
whether it was true or not, in regal
for the law against state officials BEN
III any way interested in state co
tracts of the kind in question. In oil
time it was announced that contra
FOR printing the soldiers roster h;
been awarded to The Madison Time
There had been vague talk of this |
fore There were IDLE printers in TOW
who had limited at permanent emplo
ment, and friends of the strugglil
organ had allowed the report of
100000 job secured for the organ
come via GAINESVILLE. Later The Tim
to both the state and The Times up
the letting of the contract, ard conta
ing the cheering assurance that Il