Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-08
ROW OVER COUNTY PRINTING
MorehousO & Co, Get Right After the
County Board.
WANT TO HAVE THEIR BID RECOGNIZED
Attorney wndsuorth Gives Notice
that He VIII Carry the Matter
Into the Courts-A Day in
Council Bluffs.
Want TO HAVE THEIR BID RECOGNIZED

Another effort Is to be made to induce the
board OF supervisors to let the county print
ing and bookbinding to the lowest bidder.
Morehouse & Co. are the contestants again
against the Job printing establishment run
in connection with the local morning publi-
cation. Their effort made last year to force
the board to recognize their bid failed from
the fact that no fraud was alleged. This de-
iciency 1t is now claimed, can no longer be
made use Of, and the contestants intend to
make 1t hot for the county board and all
others concerned.
The matter was brought up Wednesday at
the session of the board of supervisors. s.
b. Wadsworth appeared for the contesting
firm, and he got after the members of the
board in energetic manner. The fact
that he was president OF the board for some
time made his appearance before his former
associates of considerable significance. Lest
fall he had presented the bid of Morehouse
& Co. for the bookbinding He had a con-
ference with the board and it asked that
the matter be laid over until the present
term. This was agreed to, and 1t was under
stood that Morehouse & Co. and the New
Nonpareil Printing company were both to
hand in bids As they are the only firms In
the county that can handle the work, it was
agreed that no bids should be advertised
for. Morehouse G Co. left their bid and ex
pected 1t to be presented at this term. When
the matter came up Auditor Matthews had
mislaid the figures, and another bid was
handed in by Morehouse & Co.
Mr.. Wadsworth stated yesterday that he
had an agreement with the board that 1t
should let him be heard before anything was
donu in the matter. So he came before the
supervisors Wednesday afternoon and asked
permission to address them. Nothing was
said to him, and he started to introduce
his subject. He had not gone far before
President Kerney interrupted him by say
ing: Its no use to waste any time on this
because we have settled 1t. We're busy and
have other things to attend to-"
II am citizen and a taxpayer of this
county" said Mr.. Wadsworth, "and you
are the servants of the people, and l claim
that have a perfect right to be heard and
will be heard in this matter You did not
seem to be so busy for the past hour. though
you are being paid~S20 day for your serv-
ices here. don't see how you can serve
the people any better than by devoting a
few minutes to reconsdering this matter and
let the contract to Morehouse q Co.. and in
that way save to the taxpayers you are
supposed to serve 1886. I've been a mem
ber of this board myself and you must give
me credit for being gamey when need be. II
1t was necessary for me in order to get you to
give my client fair hearing to take you out
and show you good time and have your pic
lures taken, WY didn't you say so? | could
have done it as well as the other fellow"
During Mr. Wadsworths address the mem
bers of the board were rather distressed
but they refused to reconsider their action
and Mr.. Wadsworth gave them notice that
he would bring the proceedings mentioned
He then continued to explain to the board
that the New Nonpareil company had over
charged on it's contract in printing the
court docket to the extent of about $500
In the bid submitted last year Morehouse
a n hp lxntc fnr re
a page and the Nonpareil company for 90
cents page. Previous to last year a page
was always construed to mean the ruling and
printing across the entire space wherever
the book was opened. The present printers
of the book took that to mean two pages
and consequently, Mr.. Wadsworth explained
what his client offered to do for s23S. so, the
New Nonparei company had furnished to
the county for S23S each term. This was
only one OF the items, said Mr.. Wadsworth
that he would bring suit on against the
board and the printers as overcharges on
their contract prices.
Mr.. Wadsworth was seen yesterday about
his charges against the board and he said
he was determined to make them recognize
the claims of his client and himself as a
taxpayer of the county. The injunction pro-
ceedings last year failed to stick because
no fraud had been alleged This, he said
would not be the case this year, as he had
pointed out to the board it's failure to do
its duty toward the citizens OF the county
it represented, which legally constituted
a fraud.
President Kerney said last night that he
and the other members were considering the
matter OF resembling the contract with the
Nonpareil company and the matter was not
definitely settled. The talk made by Mr.
Wadsworth he acknowledged had made a
decided impression on the board and in all
probability something would be done in
the matter before the board adjourned
Yesterdays session of the supervisors was
taken up in settling with the county treas
urer.
Now is the time to make good resolutions
Resolved That Davis drug, paint and
glass house. being the largest, it is the best
place to trade. Resolved. That II my bill
Is now over ninety days old that / will 90
up to Davis and settle 1t at once, il / have
to borrow the money to do So" That's
good.
Free SflyerwQre.