People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-01-17
The County Printing

Daily Mail, 10
By order Of the board of county
commissioners made this morning the
joint proposition of c. B. Macdonald
Of the Oxford Register, R. T. Simons
of the Caldwell News and A. A. Rich
ards of The Simmer County Star and
The Wellington DAILY MAIL to pub
lish the county printing in their sew
eral newspapers and to do all county
Job work was accepted and THE MAIL
was designated as the official county
newspaper.
Propositions were submitted by the
Peoples Voice, the South Haven New
era, and the MonitOr-Press and the
Standard, the two latter being includ-
ed in the one proposition made by
Campbell & Hood. Each of these
bids were lower than the one which
was accepted. The county printing,
however, has always been rightfully
regarded as political patronage.
Newspapers fight the political battles
of their respective parties; they do an
immense amount of work for which
they receive no cOmpensatiOn-and
ask none. But when the battle is over
and the victory is won, the newspaper
who has the happy privilege of dis
playing its large and well assorted col
lection of ROSTERS to the public gaze
naturally feels that he has a'legiti-
mate claim upon what public patron
age there is ahOat in his line of work.
On the other hand, the editor whose
gallinaceOuS possessions do not shake
off their shrOud of dust when the cleo
tiOn returns come in, naturally con-
cludeS that he lis not in it,. Thus it
has been from the beginning Of poll
tics and thus it will be throughout all
time, notwithstanding all the rides
cent creams and lugubrious hOwlings
about reform 10 politics. This theory
meets with the approval of not only
every newspaper man who conducts a
legitimate business, but also meets
with the very general approval of the
people. No saying meets with more
general response in the heart Of man
than that "tO the yictors belong the
spoils."
Naugle or the Voice knew before
hand that he would not get the work;
he is not sore nor disappointed. He
put in his bid accordingly, for the ex-
press purpose of getting matters in
to the best shape possible for him to
make Rome howl" OF course the
Voice will make one think that he
needs a little soothing syrup for his
stOmach's sake for few issues.
Bro. Branscombe, of the South
Haven Era put in fair, square bid
offering to do the printing for fifty
per cent of legal rates. But his loca-
tiOn is not favorable for a general
dissemination of the news and the
supreme court has decided that the
first duty of the county board with
reference to the county printing is to
give it the greatest publicity possible.
Campbell & Hood of the Monitor
Press and Standard put in a bid Offer
ing to print the tax lists for 40 per
cent of legal rates and the general
county printing at 10 per cent of
legal rates. They knew that stand.
ing upon their merits either as party
workers or as newspaper men. they
could expect nothing. Their one for
lOrn hope was that by putting the
price so low that they would even do
it at an actual loss in cash, counting
their time and space worthless.
they could crush out all opposition.
There scheme was to make their low
bid cover over the very general and
just prejudice which has sprung up
all over the county against them and
their newspapers. Their scheme
didn't work. There is no reason why
county printing should be done at a
loss any more than any other class of
work. This is the verdict of the
commissioners and there is no ques-
tiOn about the people of the county
approving it.
Under the proposition accepted, the
people of Oxford, Caldwell, Belle
PLANE and Wellington and their con-
tiguOus territory will get the official
county news in their home news
papers. At the same time the pub
lie services Of the three editors. who
are parties to the contract, are recOg-
niZed and rewarded. They and their
friends are happy and contented.