The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1897-05-12

Diu W psi tCtlU. Nlo|o'A'ls dlll, Dh lllC
understanding which the court
says was had, If lie got the contract
at that bid he would be receiving, for
quarter sheet blanks 50 per cent, Of
the price on half sheet blanks, or $6
for the first one hundred copies and
40 cents for each additional one hun
drcd copies, a price equal to fun
statutory rates for the first one hun
dred copies of the size Of sheet fur
nishcd and only 20 cents less than
statutory prices for subsequent one
hundred copies. On the other hand,
il others bid 10 per cent. discount,
they could, under a higher contract,
have received but $500 for the first
one hundred copies, for quarter sheet
blanks, and ~ cents less than stat
utory price for subsequent one hun-
drcd copies. In other words, Il bid
Of 50 per cent. discount by Mr. Faulds
meant, under this understanding"
$G.40 for two hundred quarter sheet
blanks Goo is about tic average
order), while a bid Of 50 per cent.
discount by the Hamilton Times or
the Western News. meant 1890 for
two hundred copies, a difference in
the amount the commissioners ''un-
derstoOd' they were to pay Mr..
Faulds if. he got the contract, OF
$3.l0 for the same order Does any
one believe the board ever entered
into such a damnablc understanding.
whereby one bidder was to have SO
much the best Of it and the county
be the sufferer? The members of
the board who are now here, B. S.
Chaf1in and a. n. MittuWcr. two as
honorable mon as live ia the county,
say and sWorc they never entered into
such a deal. Mr.. Fuulds sWOrc they
did, and that lie was d party to it, all
the while leading the taxpayers to
| understand that he was getting only
what the face Of his contract called
for according to the proper meaning
Of the statutes. Judge Brantly says
by his opinion, that he believes such
an understanding" was entered into
and
s. That no fraud nor deception
was at any time practiccd upon the
board by the said Faulds in the set
tlcmcnt of any of said bills.
If the commissioners sWorc falsely:
iif Mr. Faulds svlorc to the truth,
and if Judge Hrantlcy believes hc
did, there may have been 'sno fraud
nor deception practiccd upon the
board," but there was considerable
''fraud and dcccption' practiccd upon
the other bidders and the people of
the county were deceived and dcfraud-
cd for two whole years. The REpuB-
Chat1in and Mittowcr, particularly as
| their testimony is substantiatcd by
the testimony Of the county clerk
and his deputy, who testified that at
no meeting OF the board previous to
the bids being presented was such an
understanding entered into, and no
such agreement appears on the min
utes. Other bidders never heard
of such an understanding as to size
of sheets until this testimony was
offered in court, and we do not
| believe there was ever {; board
| Of county commissioners in any
county in the state which would give
one party 100 per cent. the best of Il
matter of bidding for work the
county had to pay for.
The opinion rcctcs:
6. That upon the presentation Of
his first quarters bill to the board by
the defendant at the regular juno
meeting in 1893, another controversy
arose between him and the board as
to the proper meaning Of the said
phrase and terms, and thereupOn it
was again agreed between the board
and the defendant that the defend
ants construction Of the statute
should prevail. and that his bill then
presented should be paid, and his
other bills under the contract there
after rendered should be paid accord
ingly.
If this proves anything it proves
that the commissioners did not un-
dcrstandr in giving Mr.. l'auIds the
con tract. that (, quarter sheet should
be considered a half sheet, ETC., and
paid for us such, that they refused to
allow.hi:s bills and we're THEN induced
by Mr.. Iaulds to believe that such
was d proper construction Of the
StatutcS-AND NOT BEFORE. This can
readily be believed, for the average
business man, today, does not know
What a half sheet bill head is. Not
one ont Of 100, 600 knows that what
they call 8 full sheet bill head is only
Il half sheet, and that there is nc
such thing as Il full sheet bill head.
Printers do know this, however, and