The morning news., 1897-08-18
Mr.. NESBITT HAS HIS TURN.
THE ROW OVER THE PRINTING OF
FERTILIZER TAGS.

An Exciting Meeting Of the Arri-
cultural Committee-Mr. NeSbitt
RepenS Mr.. Surft's Charges, But
That Gentleman Refuses to Re-
tract and Intimates Something
About Undue Ipnuence.
Atlanta, Ga. Aug. 17.-Commissioner
Nesbitt has his innings to-day in the game
of tag" which has been in progress for
several weeks between the agricultural
department and the Blalook committee
He threw down the gauntlet to Mr.
Swift, the particular member of the COM
mittee, who has been most persistent in
criticisms of the administration of his
department and Mr.. Swift failed to come
TO time The commissioner and his
friends declare they have Mr. Swift and
the committee in a hole on the tag ques-
ton. and chat instead of injuring Col
Nesbitt, The tag business will prove
boomerang to those who sprung it, as in
the light of the documents produced to
the committee to-day the animus of the
attack is plain to be seen.
1t will be remembered that at the time
the charges referring to the printing of
the fertilizer tags were made through
the committee MIR. Swift gave out sew
ersl letters which he had received in re
ply to queries as to the cost
of these tags Two of these let
ters he presented to the public
as being in effect bids for the
work, one of them at "a cents per 1,OOO
and the other at II cents and2O cents. The
two latter figures were quoted by the
same house in New York The state had
been paying $1.60 per 1000, the disparity be
tween these figures making it appear that
the riches of Klondike would not be in it
compared with what the state has been
losing on this item of business.
Commissioner Nesbitt, who had already
advertised for bids for the tag contract,
paid no attention to Mr. Swift's figures,
but gave the contract out to the lowest
bidder a GA cents. The firms with whom
Mr.. Swift had corresponded with failing
to compete for the work. Commissioner
Nesbitt then wrote to these firms himself,
referring to the letters of Mr.. Swift and
in reply he received statements which
showed that there was a trolley off some
where in Mr.. Swifts calculations.
The firm which had quoted the 17c and
the 9Oc bids stated that their proposition
had been misunderstood, that what they
offered to do was to furnish tags at II
cents and hooks at 20 cents with boxing
and freight extra, which would make the
price laid down here 60 cents. The other
firms answered that the bid of "a cents
was a mistake and they withdrew it.
When Commissioner Nesbitt appeared
before the committee with these letters in
his hand he was somewhat warm in the
collar, and after presenting. he called
upon Mr. Swift to set him right in the
charges he had made. This, however. Mr.
Swift hady declined to do. He instead
intimated there had been some influence
used to secure the letter from the firm
Withdrawing the "a cents bid and at this
Col. Nesbitt expressed his ind ignation in
such strong terms until it seemed for a
few minutes that there would be a gen
eral muss
The commissioner also stated he was
willing to let the contract to Mr. Swift
at "a cents, and thought il was his duty
to the state TO take the work If it could
be done so cheap.
MIR. Swift begged to be excused.
Commissioner Nesbtt VIII use the let
ters he has received in making a formal
reply to the criticisms Of the committee
if. in the face of them, the committees
report to the House in line with Mr.
Swifts tag" interviews in the newspa-
pers.