The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-05-02


found that it would have cost very
more to do the work on machines much
hand, as the machines lessen tb han BY
portlonate cost only as q numhar pro-
chimes are used and as they set nm ma
great deal of type. Then, of con COM
cost per Thousand ems is lesseneSSS ~ me me.
the State was on the make, the grind out
| It wished to look at the matter as thoa uaI
II W. had a government l office like that ~
machines, all of them running fnll win
on State work. While as a matt. nne
| fact there would not be full wori oI
two machines Ito do every biz Of 10! tor
States work year in and year out V yae
The Statesman was showing the State e.
the basis OF hye machines, the work wa s
costing US over 30 cents, the contrnas
price we had made with the Stata oa III
| tractor. We filed an affidavit 70 t AN.
effect, but then the State 'expert u.St
had never seen a type-setting macb;na
| knew more about the question than wa
did, and was he not there to see tbse
the, State was not robbed? Did it ever.
| strike the State officials, that it is inst ss
proper Tor contractors not to be robbed as I
But, as we were saying, the "exnart,; Il
SAID 20 cents was enough, and so the legal "
gentlemen also concluded. Mr. Worthsmvg
| was In a sad but fair minority. And 4
| though he fought for at least 30 cents
the legal gentlemen and the "expert''
would not have it, and Great Texas con-
GUIDED to cut the contract price from "A
TO - IL cents a thousand ems. And that
action meant nothing more nor less than
simple robbery of the contractor and tha
sub contractor OF course in taking adj
vantage OF Il technical breach of the law,
| mat the Legislature had done all in its
power 10 sanction, the State had the
might the power" to deny the CON-
tractor anything for his work, so highly
commented by the legislature; and so.
aouqtlesS the legal gentlemen of the Print
ing boaru thought they We're doing most
magnanimous thing in grudgingly giving
y IL cents for work that was in every
way superior to work they had solemnly
contracted to pay for at the rate of A
cents. But we very much mistake II
sense of justice in the people of Teas if
they will agree with the proposition that
the contractor has been treated fairly and
justly. And this point will be still harder
on the Printing Board when this further
point is considered.
THE QUESTION OF PRECEDENTS.
i If this had been the first time in the
i history of Texas when the size of type
had been deviated from, the action of the
i Board would not look so bad. But what
are the facts in the case? AS a matter
Il of fact, time after time, and year after
! year, the heads of the different depart
ments have ordered the contractor to set
up reports in a smaller size of type than,
than that called for in the law and the
!, contract. A number of agricultural and
otherreports have thus been set up in viola
ton of the law but then the State was the
! party who did the wrong, and of course
it was all right. And we have a very re-
cent instance of this kind. Governor Gull
berSOn, the very man who is now so much
shocked that a law has been departed
! from and that contract has been filled in
8, Il smaller size of type than the contract
!; called for, just a few days before he was
=, sworn in as governor, and while he was
still acting as the chief law officer of Tex
as, the legal adviser of all the heads of
. departments, even he gave authority to
! break just such a law and contract. He
3, wanted his report as attorney general
q printed in smaller type than the contract
called for, and this same contractor,
Ben. c. Jones & Co., re-
fused to do it unless upon
. the written authority of the attorney gen.
eral, and that written authority was sent
= the contractor from the attorney generals
, office. Yet this then attorney general, and
now governor, holds up his hands
holy horror over the idea that ass
| size of type in contract sSsslfS
been departed from and solemn,
: declares for this heinous offenSe
the contractor Should be fined in large
, amount of money. For that is what the
action of the Printing Board means. 1t
means great loss of money to both the
contractor and the subcontractor; which
loss comes as a fine assessed against
them by this trial judge and supreme
! court, the Printing Board, from whose
most unjust decision there is no appeal
Is it right, is it fair, is it honest for the
great Stale of Texas thus to trhe with
< and wrong those men who have in per-
feet good faith contracted with it to do,
certain work, and who, if they have de-
parted in the least from the contract, can
t prove that it was unquestionably to the
interest of the State, in that by the de-
e parture the State benefited not only in
e character of work, but in its cheapness I?
Is it right for the heads of departments
2 thus to constantly set precedents them,
selves and then when contractor, by
hairs breadth, follows such presidents,
for the Printing Board ito jump on him,
and while chucklng in their sleeves at get
: ting better work, still, at the same time,
5 summarily punish him with an exhorbi-
5 tant, fine for doing what they, by ex-
= ample, have told him to do? Is it fair, is,
, it just, is it honest for Texas to do these
81 things?
5 WHAT OF THE RESULT?
And what has Texas gained by this,
arbitrary conduct? 1t is true the State
, is better off in pocket by
just as much money as the
l action of the Printing Board took from
the pocket of the contractor, but we very
, much doubt if this blood money will set
very easy on the consciences of the peo-
, pie of this State when they know how it
was secured. 1t may be true that Texas
: is hard up for money, but we do not think
: her citizens wish for the treasury to be
| in any manner replenished by placing
there money. rightfully belonging to
others than the State. But, outside of
this pecuniary grab, what has Texas
gained? She certainly has gained 4 'i
ing in the way of reputation for M
e dealing. And that, above all other thl1gs,
should be specially dear to State. She
: has gained a point, however, for the State
: expert printer in his emnity ITO type
? setting machines, as the action of the
!, Printing Board made it impossible for the
! work to be any longer done
e on the machines. But that has