Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-04-29
COUNTY PRINTING REVIEWED.

=
1t is not for the purpose of putting a
quietus on the Ores sets roar that we
give space to the county printing mat
ter because we know that it is a part
of a pap suckers business to howl when
the supply IS cut off; but IN order to
show what has been done in regard to
this matter for the past eleven years
and who received benefits therefrom,
we have gone to the trouble of looking
the matter up. We found the follow
Ing state of facts to have existed:
From 1885 TO 1889, inclusive, the
Cresset did the county printing at LIE.
GAL rates. During this time the man
agement of the Cresset and the man
agement of the INDEX 1.-THE INDEX
then being democratic paper we're
bound together by a contract which
made the two papers virtually one so
far as legal printing was concerned.
Both did the work but THE COUNTY
PAID FULL RATES for all its work. Just
think of it! For five consecutive years
the Cresset was party to an act which
it now characteriZes as robbery and
boodleism! Going on to 1890 we fine
that Messrs. Axline and Caruthers &
Musgroye came to dividing of the
ways" and there was discord, and the
commissioners, a majority of whom
were republicans, were forced to leave
the matter to the lowest bidder. But
10 and behold when the board had ex-
amined the bids then and there sub
mltted, an anomalous condition pre-
sented itself; it was found that the
INDEX had the lowest bid. All, this
was too much for the Holy republi.
cans and they at once did the recon-
sidering act and called for another bid
which resulted in Axline's getting the
work at rates varying from one TWEEN.
tieth of per cent for the lowest and a
fraction less than 10 per cent of legal
rates for the highest. He tried to work
the same racket this year and the board
truly did say ''nit!"
In 1891 Axline and Musgrove enter
ed into the same kind of a contract
that was in force between the Cresset
and INDEX between 'S5 and 'S9 with
the exception that only a very small
part Of the work was done for so per
cent of legal Rates. In this connection
we will state that the INDEX was a
democratic paper prior to August, 1890.
In 1892 the Cresset was awarded the
contract at quite a low rate and in 1893
the INDEX did the work at the same
figures.
In 1894 the Cresset was the official
paper and got legal rates, The INDEX
getting the job work, and in 1895 the
INDEX was the official paper and the
Cresset got the job work. The result
of this years contract is still fresh in
the minds of all OF us and needs no
repetition. Suffice it to say that the
contract is perfectly legitimate, hon or
| able and right.
The above facts are taken from the
records and are true, no one Will deny
that much. Now what do we havet
We find that the Cresset, during a Pc
| riod of ten years, was party to making
it necessary for the county to pay legal
rates for its printing for six of those
years. How, then, does this political
howl sound? If what the Cresset says
be true, that sheet. during the past
eleven years, has robbed the taxpayers
of Barber county of at least $4,000
| OF -;
self out of his own mouth of terrible
crime If his version be correct. As
for us, we don't believe that it is any
more an act of robbery to pay the print.
er lawful fee than it is to pay any
other pulic servant what the law says
his services are worth. We would
rather say it is robbery for the county
to deprive him of it.
The Cresset hit the nail squarely or
the head when it said its roar will be
spoken of as ''sour grapes"