People's voice., 1898-01-20
County Printing.

serves that from nearly every coun-
ty where the Republicans are in
control come reports like this from
the Hutchinson Gazette:
"The county printing was again
let to the highest bidder as is the
Usual custom in Reno county. The
News Co. put in the same bid as
last year, nifty per Cent of legal rates
on all but the TAX lists, which were
paid for at full rates. The Gazette
and the Bee each put in bids of forty
per cent on everything but the tax
lists, which were to be printed at sixty
per cent of the legal rates. These
bids were scarcely cUnsldered..'
And this from the Cowley County
Dispatch:
The Courier bid full legal rates for
tax redemption lists, and offered to do
the rest of the county printing for
one dollar. The contract was award
ed to the Courier over the protest of
Mr.. IrODs and in spite of the roar of
Pap Eckert."
We presume that all are aware
that the tax lists constitute the major
part of the county printing. The
publications aside from these amount
to but little.
There is scarcely county in the
State controlled by Republicans
which has not pursued exactly the
same course as that in Reno and
Cowley counties. And there are few
counties controlled by Populists
where some concession has not been
made to the support of a PopuEist
paper. Take Harper county, for
example; here is the order of the
board taken from the official pro.
ceedlngS as published in the An
thony Bulletin Jan. s, 1898:
Moved by G.. w. Markham that the
Weekly Bulletin be designated as the
official county paper OF Harper county
for the ensuing year, In which shall be
published the commissioners proceed.
lngS, tax lists, county treasurer's re-
ports, County superintendent's reports,
shertf'S prOciamatiOnS, road notices,
financial exhibits and all other such
notices as is by law required to be
published at the expense Of the cOun-
ty, and the Bulletin shall receive as
compensation for such publications
the statutory fees. Motion carried.
W. A. Miller and G. W. Markham
voting aye and c. A. Miller voting
nay.
Harper county is, and always has
been, more liberal with its news.
paper than any county we know of,
but we know of no other county in
the state except Sumner which does
not make some concession.
We are aware that the slogan has
been in this county TO let the print
ing to the lowest bidder. 1t started
with LukeiHerring when Republican
papers were receiving it at full legal
rates, Welding them as high as
$4,000 and more annually. Luke
Herring kept standing offer in his
paper-the Standard-to do the
work for 45lper cent Of legal rates
and which, when Republicans were
in the saddle, ,iwas never seriously
discussed, much less accepted.
When the Alliance movement came
on, the cry was taken up by them.
Jim Heskett was elected TO the
board and in conjunction with Bart
Fletcher let the printing to the low.
est bidder-the Sumner County
Press-at copper cent Of legal rates.
Everyone was surprised at this low
bid and knew at the time that it was
done to annoy Heskett and either
force him to let the work to a Re.
publican paper or prove recreant to
his platform pledge.
The next Populist convention en-.
dorsed this method and since that
time the county platforms have been
silent on the matter until last fall.
when the committee on resolutions
brought in a resolution, which was
endorsed by the convention, favor.
ing the maximum rate Of 40 per cent
of legal rates. Q Republican papers
charged that this was a "dark and
deep laid scheme" of the editor of
the Voice to use the party to enrich
his cofers;lthat he had an under
standing with the candidate for com.
missioner, George W. Bailey, that
in the event Of his election the VOICE
should have the printing, etc. 1t
would certainly not have been an
II IL - -