Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1895-03-22

counts of persons furnishing supplies to
the county are not, owing to their fire.
quent great length, given IN the published
minutes Of the board but the board al
ways requires and receives a bill made
out in detail. For supplies sold to the
county by merchant the published pro.
ceedings would put it, "fsr goods fur.
nishsd;" for printing done it would be-,
'for letter heads, bill heads, envelopes,
ETC." As the Records bill presented at
the last meeting, although itemized in
the bill, was, rs usual, Jumped with
county publications in the paper, and as
the Times publisher has not been up here
since the bill was allowed, hew does he
know that the work cost the county one
third more than the previous job7 II, then,
he has not seen the bill, and yet criticises
ltss extravagant, is it not evident that
the criticism is prompted entirely by NAL.
ice, just a. the false statement regarding
the writer's taxes was m ade last faIl7
AZ q matter Of fact. at the prices
charged in the bill complained of BY Mr..
Patterson, there is very little profit to
the printer. In truth, if tho work had
been done by journeYman printer at
the usual rate of wages. there would
have been no profit at all.
The writer hereby invites tho publisher
Of the Times to procure copy Of the bill
from the auditor, to publish 1t, and to
show wherein each item exceeds what the
Times man considers fair price.
One would think, to read Mr.. Patter-
sons structures, that most Of the public
printing bills in this county are for job
work. This is not q fact, however.
The chief item OF printing expense in
this county is for newspaper publications
required by law and the price of which ID
fixed by law. All Of the large work re-
quired is obtained from the big outside
"f1ces-preferably from those in this state
because country offices are not generally
prepared to do that class of work. But
1t is the policy in this and most other
counties to get supplies - whether OF
groceries for the needy poor, rope and oil
for fire wardens, or small job printing fol
! the county officsrs-at home. Notwith
standing this, we do not bslieve-al.
though We have not the figures at hand
that all the county job work done in EN-.
mons county last year by both offices
| amounted to hundred dollars, and it un'
qs.stionably will not reach that figure
this year.
Nor is 1t strange that fair county
board wishes to have its job printing
! done by a practical printer. Sensible
people do not 20 to drY-eoods store fo'
/ Goldfish, to an apothecary-shop for nails
or for printing to an iiliterate horse
jockey who has accidentally got posses
sion of print shop.
When the Times was caught in false
hood, last fall, citizens sometimes asked
Why do you answer the Times attacks
Nobody pays any attention to what that
paper says" But the writer believs
that where a charge is made against an,
one who does public work, or who hold'
public office, the people who pay hin
tor such work, or for performing the du
ties of such office, have right to an ex
planatlon and, when newspaper artiel'
or Il communication with name attached
criticises the writer as to his acts in eithe
of these relations, he will quickly re
spond. He does not claim to be infal
lible and if at any time mistake on hi
part is shown he will willingly rectify
if such rectlficatlon IS possible.
Even the writer's honorable politica
enemies will not deny that during tn
eleven years he has lived here his busi
ness dealings have been square and above
board, and in this respect he will cheer
fully submit to comparison with the
publisher of the Times. In his dealing
with the county the editor of the Recor
deals with his fellow citizens collectively
and he always has aud always will try t
act as fairly in one case an in tho other.
Again the writer asks the Times man t.
substantlate his accusations by printing
the job work items Of the Records recen
bill and pointing out wherein they ar
excessive. Thsreupen the editor of th
Record will endeavor to show by compe
tent testimony that the publisher Of th
Times is mistaken.