Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1898-01-19

charge full statute rates in several
where discounts were
offered by him and which might have
escaped the notice of the commits
sioners.
While the ARGUS bid was definite
on every point, specifying just what
bindings were to be put on each
book and offering a choice of flat
opener patents-an absolute neces-
sity with books used constantly
the bid of the Democrat said the
books were to be substantially"
bound and each one might have been
tight backed. "Substantially"-
pasteboard covers, we presume.
Why did he not mention books OF
sizes medium and less, two forms OF
printed headings, and offer a dis
count thereon? Or books of sizes
medium and less, one form printed
page and offer a discount thereon?
Why, simply because he had learned
there were many books of this ma.
ture-nearly every index being of the
first description-and desired to
make up on these books by charging
full prices.
And he says that the letting of the
contract to the ARGUS will cost the
county from 81 800 to $4,000 more
than if the Democrat had received it.
Let us see some figures on this mat
ter, or is it-like his bid-merely a
random guess. Ii he cannot figureit
out, he might get the junior partner
of a law firm to assist him he could
do it.
The contract given the ARGUS was
at a lower rate than the average OF
those given in other counties in the
state and if any reader desires to in
vestigate this statement let him come
to this office and we shall be pleased
to show him, for we have reports
from every county In the state but
one.
And. further, it would not surprise
us but that the letting of the con-
tract to the ARGUS, will result In
actual saving to the taxpayers OF
the county, ever allowing that the
Democrat would in every instance
have furnished equally as
good books, blanks, and supplies
and treated the county with the
same fairness and strict lnterpreta-
ton of the contract and the law as
has the ARGUS during the many
years they have had the work.
Who hears of such a roar as the
Democrat is making appearing in
any other papers of the state-ex.
cepting possibly the Milk River
Eagle? Yet year after year the
county printing is given to the
Independent i'm Lewis & Clarke
county at full statute rates, though
the Herald puts i'm a much lower
bid. "To the victors belong the
spoils" holds good concerning the
county printing contract in nearly
every county in the state-we do not
know of an exception-but Messrs.
Phillips and Slayton knew when
they gave the contract t. the ARGUS
that they were awarding it to a bid
der who would give the county the
best service, whose bills would be
strictly in accordance with the aw
and the contract, and whose prices
lower than ever before and reason
able on every item.
Our contemporary need not trouble
itself about the "amb iguity" of one
clause In the ARGUS bid. The same
clause was there last year and ever
MOrony, who was urged by the
Democrat to find something upon
which a charge against the county
printer could be based, found moth
ing which he could sustain, but
backed down absolutely when faced
with the facts.
The idea of giving a county con-
tract to a person not only whose
printing office plant, but whose very
soul is mortgaged to it's full value
which isn't much. Why thesocalled
proprietor of the Democrat is not
even a freebooter. In the pas he
has been compelled to go out of bust.
ness every two years.
1t is a wonder his bid was ever
| opened, and much less considered
worthy to include in the official pro-
ceedings.