The times., 1899-03-11
One Step Too Far.

One Step Too Far.
District Commissioner Wight has al last
allowed his well-known partisanship for
Our estimable contemporary, the Evening
STAR to carry him too far, and it is our
imperative duty to call public attention
TO it. The Evening Star" is an ex-
ceilent newspaper with two most excel
lent proprietors, but it is not, as Com
missioner Wight evidently imagines, CO.
ordinate branch of the District govern
ment. At least, not yet.
On the 9Th OF March the District Com
missioners, by a letter addressed to the
publishers of the three newspapers of this
city invited proposals for the publication
OF the delinquent tax list six times in each
journal, and in accordance Herewith, The
Times offered to perform the service for
81, ,4GS.i9 in the morning edition, and for
81 49S.49 in the evening edition, respect
lively. or for S2,19975 in both. Neither the
Post" nor the Star" presented any bid.
and, therefore. according 10 every rule gov
erning such competitions, The Times
should have been awarded the contract.
/ It was not questioned that The Times
had fully complied with the specifications,
neither was II denied that its daily circu-
lation was in excess of either of the other
newspapers. Because the Post and Star
had not made any bid. although asked TO
co so, and because an individual represent
ing himself to be an advertising agent had
appeared and offered to make the publica-
ton in both papers for the total amount
of money left in the hands of the Commits
sioners available for the purpose, to wit,
$4.7O0, Commissioner Wight insisted that
The Times perfectly legal and formal bid
should be rejected and new bids should be
asked for. In short, having by this unjus-
tifable device disclosed what The Times
was willing to do the work for, the Post
and Star were given another opportunity
TO compete with it. It may seem harsh
10 compare such a transaction with others
/ in which loaded dice are sometimes used,
( but every candid reader will admit its ap-
propriateness.
Yesterday morning the second set Of
/ bids were opened, The Times bid being
the same as before. 50, 1875. The Posts"
bid for morning publication alone was
| s.. 400. and The stars for an evening
] DuDIlNdt!Ou dIOuE hdS S'raJv.aC. HtA
again appeared the advertising agent,
HungerfOrd. who was neither invited TO
bid nor could by any stretch of propriety
be legal party to the competition, and
said, Il cannot get the Post OF the Star
10 agree to comply with your proposals
at less than 10 cents per agate line for
each paper making an aggregate of
I sl3, f50.75t but l am still able to offer you
a combination price for both of 400"
This was the exact sum in the possession
of the Commissioners and the accommo-
dating advertising agent" was willing to
swipe it, If it had been less he would
probably have reconciled himself TO it;
if it had been more he would have doubt
less swept it all in.
II was and is a matter of small impo-
tence whether The Times prints the tay
list or not. We should not have bid for it
il the absurd pretence had not been sat
up that the Post" and Star got the law
passed which authorized the publication Of
the list, and that consequently they were
alone entitled 10 benefit by it. 1t occurred
to US that there was nothing in the Con-
stitution or laws pursuant thereto which
constituted them favored benefciaries, and
We thereupon resolved to put the matter to
& test The Times has borne a good deal
OF invdious treatment from Commissioner
Wight for year or more without dignity
ing it by any open complaint, but it does
not propose to bear it any longer. What
ever objection the Board of Commission
ers might have taken to the management
of the paper under Mr.. Conn. from whom
the present owners purchased it, does not
fairly attach to its existing control.
BY reason Of circulation. influence, de-
votion to the best interests OF the city and
District participation in and contribu-
tions TO its prosperity The Times can pre-
sent as strong claims to fair treatment as
either Of its contemporaries and does not
propose to be ignored or suffer defeat by
evasion or trickery without exposure.
In moderate phrase. therefore, and per-
feet good temper it calls attention to this
latest act of injustice and respectfully de-
mands the remedy or reparation. which
every honest and candid man will say is
its due.
The correspondence in detail, which ap-
pears in another column of the page, will
in conjunction with this article, make our
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