The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-04
CHECK TO new YORE'S GREED
SECRETARY HITCHcocK's RE-
PLY TO AMAZING DEMANDS.
Government Will Purchase Indian
Supplies From the Lowest Bidders,
No Matter Where They Reside.
nm. Anril . Secretary

Washington, April 2. = Secretary
Hitchcock has sent the following letter
to Frank S. Gardner, secretary of the
board of trade of New York City:
Department of the Interior, WASH
ington, D. c., April 8, 1S99.-Dear Sir:
have the honor to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your letter of the 91st, reply
ing to mine of the 2Sth, and if L under
stand its contents correctly, your. pro-
test against the opening of the bids for
the Indian supplies this department Is
required to furnish elsewhere than IN
New York, excepting in the case OF
cities as are best equipped to furnish
such as we ARE glad to admit those
cities can furnish; :, your claim being
that New York is, first, a primary mar
ket in many lines, and therefore, infer
entialiy, not in all lines
In reply, l beg to assure you that it
is not proposed to in any way discrim-
mate against New York, nor yet to
favor any city or section, but simply
to provide the equal opportunity to
which each is entitled.
Your protest, from your point of
view, is natural, and is respectfully
noted, but protests do not usually de-
termine facts and conclusions depend
ent upon evidence and actual transac-
y
position for New York. 1 am pleased to
note your generous admission that
some of her sister cities may be prop
erly equipped competitors. To what eX-
tent and how successfully they may
thus compete can only be determined
by actual figures, which in the present
case are to be represented by bona fide
bids The departments advertisements
and schedules call for bids from respon-
sible contractors, regardless of their
place of residence. Such bidders as are
successful can purchase the articles
they may contract to deliver either in
New York or elsewhere, so long as
shch articles are delivered in strict con-
formity with the conditions of the con-
tract with the government, which in no
way dictates as to the primary place of
purchase.
You will pardon me If I decline to
either discuss or critfcise the actions OF
my predecessors, especially with ref
erence to official orders issued five years
ago. The manufacture and market con-
ditione of our leading westerns cities as
you must be aware. have revealed mar
vellOuS development during that period
and their boards of trade and business
leagues make reasonable and forcible
demands that such extraordinary devel-
opment and increased resources with
| the resulting advantages shall be duly
and properly recognized.
There are government warehouse
for Indian supplies both in New YOrE
and Chicago, and there is no foundation
for suggestion that either is to be dis
pensai with.
Both the advertisements and seized
ules of the department were prepared
and issued after a most careful investi-
cation in protection of the interests OF
the government, which, in view of as
certained facts, should not restrict the
opportunity of bidding to one locality
! especially when that locality is more
than a thousand miles distant from res
ervaions and settlements where near-
/ ~ the whole of the supplies advertiser
! for are to be distributed and consumed
and thus by restriction fail to obtair
the best results for the government
THE co1'rect1lests, ON the contrary, OF
! the plan adopted by this department
can only be properly decided by the ac-
tual bids to be opened at Chicago or
the 25th of April and al New York or
| the 23rd of May. As before stated. there
| is nothing to prevent the successful bid
ders from making their purchases il
| New York should they find that marke
! the primary and most adyanta geous il
which to make their selections.
! AS your letter, perhaps inadvertent-
! ly, appeared in the Journal of Com.
/ merce before it reached me, 1 shall take
! the liberty of giving this reply equa
publicity. I remain, yours very re,
/ spectfuily,
"E. A. HITCHCOCK.
"Serretarv "