The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-18
COMMISSIONERS AGAIN.
Peculiarities In Their Methods of
Awarding Printing COntract-The
Standard on the Warpath.

The Standard has arrived at the con-
clusion that the business of the county
is not carried on according 70 business
principles and in accordance with
methods peculiar enough to suggest
! rake offs "niggers in the wood pile, u
the fixing" of pubic officials and
"burco games
AS is we'll known, The Herald has
heretofore pointed out a we'll assorted
| list OF peculIaritieS stocut the conduct
of business by the county commission
ers. The Standard is brought to see
! it, and to publish a column we'll be-
Sl2Tlnkled with heavy faced type ard
smal capitals, because OF the manner
| of letting the contract for printing the
i tax list. The contract was let, or was
about to be let, to the Evening Press.
! If the Standards account Of the way
| that business went through is the whcie
truth then the matter looks black in
! decd for the commissioners. PERHAPS
after all, the suggestion made by The
herald some weeks ago is the only way
to set the matter at rest. Let an Off
clad investigation by the proper au-
liberties be made of the various trans
actions of the commissioners.
1t seems the county collector first
solicited bids for the printing of the
! list giving detailed specifica tons of
| ficatfOns was sent to each daily paper
| published in Ogden. This communfca-
tion was signed by Collector Hurlburt
Before bids could be submitted the
request for bids was withdrawn by the
| collector in a note readsTg: Under
the direction of County Commissioner
John c. ChiAl, l hereby withdraw the
proposition asking the Standard to bid
for the publication OF the delinquent
| tax list" Mr. Ch.ld'S note to the cell
| lector was as fellows:
"F. B. Hurlburt, county treasurer
You are hereby instructed TO recall
proposals for publication Of the deifn-
quent tax list
from the following document signed
| by E. ". Wade and 20 KID" by Child
| hAnseR. 1T was agreed between W.
| G. Wilson and E. w. Wade, county
commissioners, that Commissioner John
| c.. Child should have the power to
contract with the Evening Press for
| the publication of the delinquent tax
| list
Collector Hur,but. it seems, kept the
documents showing each step in the
transactions and Monday night when
the Standard manager called, allowed
him to copy them.
The law governing the letting of the
| con tract Of the tax list specifically
! states that it shall be published at
| least ten consecutive days before Dee.
| 81, in a paper having general circula-
| ton in the county. The collector is to
collect therefor % cents for each de-
scrfption of a piece of property, the
publisher TO mail q copy TO each CNner
Of property SO advertised. The col
/ lector shall under the direction of the
commissioners let the contract
| Editor E. A. Littlefeld said that the
State Journal would have published
/ the list for 5 cents a description and
| if the commissioners should attempt
To le- IL for a higher figure they would
! be stopped by injunction proceedings.
/ 1t wculd seem that the intent of the
! law is that while 20 cents must be
collected for each piece of property
advertised, stin THAI money need not
al be expended in advertising it. There
are other legitimate expenses connected
with the business, such as collectors
/ salary, office expenses and the like
which OF right ought to be paid for
from the revenues of the office.
| Only one side, however, has as yet
been heard. Ws,&iam G. Wilson left
Immediately after the meeting on Mon
day to look after his logging interests
up in the basin. He may be back
tomorrow. Child was not in the city
yesterday and Mr. Wade did not care
TO give detailed statement until the
other commissioners could have a
chance to unite with him in a state
ment. He did, however, emphatEcally
deny that there was anything crooked
| in the transaction or that there would
be any rake off,. He declared that