Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-06-16
REVEILLES GLORY DEPARTED

y
issue, carries out its previous policy oil
minlfying the amount Of money paid
out for the county printing and of mag
nifying the amount saved to the in
dividual taxpayers of the county
through the large number ofsubscribers
on the Reveille list and the few on the
list of the WORLD. These two points
are easily answered in detail.
With respect TO minifying the
amount of money involved in the
county printing, when the commits
sioners issue any call for bids the I'M
DERIVING principles involved are the
same however large or small the
amount of money to be expended may
be. 1t is the duty of the commissioners
TO accept the offer of the lowest respon-
sible bidder, and not to do so, without
the best of reasons, shows official dis
honesty and lack of integrity. The
officer who prostitutes his position by
accepting higher in preference to
lower bid is unworthy the least respect
and deserves the condemnation ofevery
citizen. The amount of money in
volved is a small consideration. The
principle at stake is the important part
of the transaction, for if Commissioners
Malloy and Mcdaniel will allow their
prejudices to control them in voting
one hundred dollars out of the county
treasury in fraudulent manner, there
is no reason why they would not vote
out one hundred thousand in the same
manner.
AS to circulation, Messrs. Malloy and
Mcdaniel found q technically on
which they might base their action in
awarding the contract to the Reveille,
though, as will be shown shortly, the
matter was previously settled on an en-
tirely different basis. In the state law
on this subject there is a clause which
says that in order to obtain the public
printing paper must have been in
existence for six months and must have
a bona fide circulation, in order to give
adequate publicity to the official
notices, and that this circulation shall
be taken into consideration. So that,
where bids are about equal, the journal
having the largest circulation, in the
intent of the law, merits the contract
But where the bids are out of all pro-
portion to each other, then the matter
of circulation falls out, and the decision
Is to be based on the merit of the bid.
The WORLD, in its bid, stated that il
was journal of three years standing
and general circulation in the county,
and in so doing complied with the legal
requirements quoted above.
But the editor of the Reveille
claimed that by giving the contract to
his paper the aggregate sum of 81, 900
would be saved to the taxpayers of the
county, thereby implying that he had
1000 more subscribers than the WORLD.
1t is with no intention whatever to
take an ungenerous advantage of the
Reveille that we undertake to answer
this argument on the tasis of an acct
dental break" referred to in yester-
days issue of the HERALD, but since
the Reveille insists on its boosted cir
culation, the facts are deserving a wide
publicity. Since the subject of circula-
ton was receiving such special stress,
Mr.. Gillette picked up the Reveille's
list to glance over it, and discovered it
to be greatly padded with names of
people living outside of the county
legitimate subscribers, doubtless, and
yet non-residents. Hastily counting
the names of those residing in the
county, Mr.. Gillette said, "There are
only about l75 names here" Mr..
Evans, proprietor Of the paper, seized
the list, and in few moments said
There are 200 names on these four
pages" Actions and language are un-
mistakable. Under such circumstances,
every man would put his best foot for
ward. Mr.. Evans make break -
mistake in his haste to recover lost
ground. In saying there were 200
names, he gave his best offering.
Double his amount, and make the small
remainder which he kept as +" bluff +"
200 also, and on the showing of facts,
accidentally developed in the heat of
debate, the boosted glory of the Rev.
eille-that which has frightened every
other editor in the whole history OF
Whatcom comfy, turns out to be a
paltry Est of 400 ma mes of resident sub.
scribers. Behold, the Revelle's day Of
bluff on this score is over. The WoRLn
can duplicate it name for name now.
But after all, since the shameless &C
ton of Messrs. Malloy and Mcdaniel
rho nuhlic hos takan tho ouaafioY M,