Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-06-06
MUST HAVE
CRANE BOND
County Commissioners Not
Satisfied With Usual
Stationery.

The county commissioners had an
other spasm Saturday, including
Stuckman. who wanted to stand in on
appointments" BY their action they
have shown a disregard, not only for
the law, but the rights OF the taSpay-
ers
Some three or four months ago an
injunction was issued against the
commissioners or anyone connected
with the county having any printing
done and paid for in excess of the
prices for which The Herald had
agreed to do the work. Answers and
replies were fled and the case is yet
to be heard. but in the face of this
| the commissioners have undertaken to
defy the injunction in some respects
while complying in others. BY reso-
luton Saturday they designated the
Democrat the official paper of La Pla-
| ia county in which to publish all le
gal notices and advertisements. tax
| list etc, without stipulating the price.
| This can go. probably. If the price
charged for such work Is not in excess
of the price for which The Herald
was willing to do the work. but when
the commissioners pay in excess they
will find the courts will have some
thing to say in the matter as The
| Herald does not intend that the tax
payers shall contribute from one to
| two thousand dollars in order that
Bradley may have n personal organ
in this city. The tax list, on basis
of last year, will cost the county. at
rates under the new laws. $3.50, a
clean pickup over The Herald price
of about s425. Other printing will
enable The Democrat, at full rates,
to pick up as much if not more.
AS to stationery. the commissioners
have concluded to obey this portion of
the injunction. and have advertised
for bids. and this advertisement for
bids for stationery. which is to run
the month of June, If paid for at legal
rates will amount to almost as much
as the stationery bill for the remain
ing six months. Another point 1t
is evident the commissioners had moth
ing to do in drawing up the bids for
| stationery and have allowed their or
gan to do so for them. as a present
will be given any one of the commits
sioners if they will explain what the
bid means or. what Cranes bond 10
and 2O-pound. is. In the first place
Crane paper is not sold or quoted by
the pound by any of the large paper
houses. 1t is not put up in letter
head sizes unless specially ordered.
because there is virtually no call for
it, and even the largest paper house
in Denver does not quote Crane bond
by the ream. but rather by the 100
sheets, owing to its high price. Now
to the point How long since has it
become necessary for La Plata county
to furnish its officials with Crane
bond letter-heads at cost of from $40
to $12 per | 900 sheets? In face of the
fact that bridges are rotting away and
country roads need repairing with a
depleted treasury and running behind
right along in the face of the already
high taxes which are going to receive
another tilt this year? Mind you nc
other kind of Letter paper is called
for. such as is used by the largest
and best houses in the country, there.
| lOre no DluS can ne submitted lot
anything but Crane bond. The com.
missioners are not content with fur
nishing various officials with good
linen letter-head which is used by all
the other counties at from so to 81
per 1000 sheets. Again, no stipula.
tion as to number of ballots is publish.
ed-whether by the thousand, no mum.
Der of any kind being given. Anoth-
er loophole.
To secure this high priced station
cry the commissioners have inserted
an advertisement to run a month
when one insertion would have been
sufficient If an organ was not to be
taken care of for Mr.. Bradley's bene'
fit, the rest of the commissioners
standing in with the deal
1t maybe the courts cannot restrain
the commissioners from paying out
from one to three thousand dollars
excess for printing. giving them full
sway to spend the funds of the county
in any manner they see fit. but this
will be fully tested by The Herald
and in case the taxpayers are helpless
it will stand the people in hand to
elect officials who viii look after the
welfare of the taxpayers instead of a
political organ.
from Tuesdays Daily.
Mrs. Charles V. Stafford of Aztec is