Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-12-01
PECK'S REPLY
ALL THE DEFENDANTS TO THE
TRACY-GIBBS SUIT PROFESS
COMPLETE INNOCENCE.
NOT A SUSPICION OF CONSPIRACY
OR FRAUD EXISTED.

hifllSOU printers, ana IL Is cSSclilltll.
denial Of all the allegH tiOns. 81
course he admits that he made tho
roster contract and order, and says
lie relied Oh the holding Of the attor
ney general in doing 50. AS is vel
known Tracy, Gibbs Il Co, advanced
company to execute the contract giveI
by the governor TO it to print 10000
volumes Of the roster OF Wisconsin
soldiers, the total cost OF which tC
the state would have been something
over $4,000, the net pre- tit to the
Times being. it is claimed, about $50,
900 OF Sd 900. George and Robe Dow
millcrs and bankers, advanced IL like
sum, and to the two parties q
large interest in the roster contract
was assigned The governor sub.
scqucntIy cancelled the con
tract, upon the requirements Of the
state printer who showed him that nc
state printing could be done except by
the state printer, and then $1,000 was
& Co. and the BOWS. The suit now
pending is by Tracy, Gibbs & Co. to re
cover the ST 800 due them. The Bows
are made parties defendant. The de
PENDANTS, aside from Gov. Peck and the
BOWS, are Col. Clarence Il. Clark, At
torncy General j. l.. O'Connor and AS
siStant Attorney General J. l.. Clancy.
IN his answer the governor says he
never held any Times stock. He denies
that prior to the organization Of The
Times Printing company he requested
A. Woodland, Of the Clinton bank, to
make application to the state board
Of deposits to have his bank made q
state depository, or that such request
was made to Woodland with his knowl-
edge OF consent. lie states that he was
not present ut the meeting of the
board at which the Clinton bank was
made a state depository. He admits
that $4,000 of public funds was deposit
cd in the Clinton bank, but denied that
any sum whatever was loaned or turn,
cd over by said bank to any firm or
corporation in which he ever had any
interest.
The governor admits that on or
ii.
his private secretary, Clark, he, in CON
ncctiOn with said Clark and +. r..
PrOudiit, endorsed u note Of the Times
Printing company for SOTO; and this
note matured before April -, 1873
the date on which plaintiffs claim 10
have advanced the Times Company
so 900; that this note was never de-
~;
notice given him that it WAS not paid
1T maturity, and that he supposed
until long after its maturity. that it
had been paid. He is Informed and
believed that $1,000 WAS paid on the
note ut maturity; and proulft waived
protest on the note, and was and is
amply responsible for the note. The
governor tells OF the passage OF The
law Of 1882 for Il 1000 edition of the
roster. and alleges on information and
belief that when that roster was pub
liShcd it was found 10 be in many re-
SpcctS defective and imperfect, and
many changes We're found necessary;
that this roster was printed and bound
ut Il cost 10 the state Of S2.11 per vol
-
the total cost to the state 500: that i'll
1887 an act WAS passed providing for
Il second edition OF the roster, author
izing the governor to order the print
ing of I special edition. and in ease
the present state printing contract
shall not specifically cover the method
and material Of printing authorizing
hn tt N.ti lntn
tract for the printing thereof. That
the revised roster was completed in
the adiutant generals office shortly
prior to March 81, 1898, and that he
was informed that Il contract could be
entered into with the Times Printing
company for the printing and puhlica-
ton of the revised roster at $19O per
volume including paper. That he in
quired whether any legal ground OK.
listed for objection by the state printer
10 the letting of such contract and
the attorney general gave the opinion
that there was not. The defendant
says he has never been 4 lawyer but
relied upon the advice and information
GNen by the legal adviser of the state.
as stated in his opinion, and that he
did, on or about April 4, 1888. as gov
ernor OF the state. sign an agreement
with w. ]. Z. McFail to whom he
had been informed the Times had
been sold. for the printing and binding
Of special edition of the roster, in
two youmnS bound in cloth with half
RuSSla butfing. with a provision that
10 less than 900 SETS ShOuld bp or
dered at any one time. for S190 per
volume. That III the time this docu-
ment was signed he was informed that
1T least $4,000 sets of said roster would
be necessary; that before the defend
ant signed this document the form
thereof was submitted to ATTORNEY
General oConnor, who wrote in reply
that in his Judgment tho rights Of
the state We're fully protected by the
form OF contract submitted. and that
after this the governor issued IN order
authorizing McFail TO print $4,000 sets
Of said roster
lie says he cancelled the contract
"hen he found 1t was unconstitutional.
tie alleges further that until some time
after the reyoking of the eontract he
had no suspicion that any If the plain
TINS had advanced money to McFail or
Clark and had no knc Wedge or sus-
plclon that either or any of the parties
named in this action other than McFail
had any interes' of any kind or de
scription in TIE contract.
He denies tat he awarded to Clark