Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-10-18
OBEYEp TIE LAW.

Judge Sims, Presiding Justice Of
the county, may be able to fool the
voters OF Audrain one term. but he
can't do 1t twice. His disposition Of
the election printing was as nasty a
piece OF fayoritism as was ever seen
IN New York politics. 1t would make
the biggest st. Louis boss blush with
shame. He did this, too, at the ex.
penSe Of the peoples money. We are
glad to know that Judge McCune went
on record against it. Vandalia
Leader.
The order of the Audrain County
Court September rs, 1900, In regard to
.his matter was: sIt Is by the Court
ordered, Judge McCune dissenting
therefrom, he feeling that the papers
OF the Eastern District should be
recognized, that the ofiieial ballot, as
per Section, 7091, Revised Statutes,
1899, be published by the Clerk there
Of, In the Mexico Intslliqencer and the
Mexico LEDGER. Judges Sims and
Squirting holdingthat the publishing, as
ordered above, conforms to the re-
|qulrements Of the law; they, the pa
pers above designated, having the
greatest circulation OF any papers pub
lished In said county, thereby reach
ing the greatest number Of voters.
From the foregoing order 0f the
County Court it appears that the MAJ
jority Of the Court had the welfare Of
the poters, who are the people, in mind,
and not the papers Of any special
locality. The law, in making publi-
cations where all the people are inter-
ested, as they are in publications of
this character, contemplates that
such publications shall be made in
papers reaching the greatest number
of people. This the Court aimed to
doin making the above order, and IL
they had published it many other two
papers 1.-THE law requires publication
in two papers in the county they GER
tainly would not have reached the
greatest number of voters. There
was no intent "to fool the voters, !"
and the Presiding Justice, together
with the Justice from the Western
District, majority of the Court are
willing to have their action in this,
and all other matters, scrutinized by
the general public.
The printing was placed on Sept. 25,
and on the 10Th, f. M. Frost, of the
Leader, wrote Judge Sims the follow
ing letter:
Judge James Sims. Cant, Mo.
VANDALIA, Mo-, ,Sept.29. Dear Sir. |
was much surprised when | learned
that you have given the election
printing to the Mexico papers, LEDGER
and IateEligencer, j especially since you
told me in the vault in the County
Court room shortly after your election
that you proposed to get the work
done as cheap as you could. ] can
understand why Locke gave the work
to these papers when he was clerk;
but why you, who are unhampered by
political debts, should do,so why,
there's the rub. IL simply insults the
intelligence OF the other newspapers
OF the county to ask them To bid on the
tickets. None of us can afford to bid
against Mexico papers, because they
will have the advantage Of already
having the ticket up In type. Ii prae-
tIcally gives them all the work. If
all OF this work had been let to the
lowest bidder the county would have
saved $500 or S400. This is not very
creditable piece Of gossip TO 60 before
the voters In campaign year, especi-
.lf.t sssl...r. Ia al tsks nv llofnft.
cratic newspapers.
Excuse Of greater circulation can
not be pleaded because | would have
sent every taxpayer In the county q
ballot, and all / would have asked
would have been 10 per cent cheaper
than the LEDGER. Pike and Rails
counties each divide their printing
among its Democratic newspapers.
Why can't Audrain? This printing
will amonnt to 5000 or s700, maybe
81, 900. You not only have not made
Ia division Of this, or allowed the
papers TO bid on it, but you
have not given it to a loyal Demo
cratic paper. Judge McCune informs
me that he favored letting the
work to the lowest bidder or at least a
decent division. Bridges, granit0id
walks, etc, are let to the lowest bid
der. Why not the county printing?
You are making bad start as a re-
former, as you told me you would
be when you were holding your first
term of court. | expected to meet
the county court on the day this work
was given out but Mr.. Ellis informed
me that he had seen you and Judge
Squirting and you both consented to
the proposition he had suggested. l
had no conversation whatever with
Judge McCune In regard TO this print
ing previous to Saturday.
You simply add insult TO injury
when you ask me to bid on the tickets
Your proposition is not even original.
1t was put in your mouth by MT.
White, who seems to have great IN
fiuence over the county court, at least
part of 1.-THE greater part.
Now If there is any mis-statemenb
in this letter, let me know before II is
published. Truly,
+. N. FROST.
The above communication to Judge
Sims from +. N. Frost, editor of the
vandalia Mol Leader, is rather in
clided to be "bull-dozer," to say the
least. The County Court record under
the present administration is fully
satisfactory to the voters of the eoun-
ty, especially along economic lines.
We venture the assertion that Judge
Sims did not, while candidate, nor
since, make any promise that has not
been fully complied with under the
Ilaw. As to the 10 per cent saving IN