The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-03-05
BILL TO RUIN STATE PRINTERS.

hOl s0 "S either been submitted by
hir~ rr recaived his unqualified sup
POI. fortunately for the state the
senate has had the good sense and
Judgment to sit down on about every
measure that he has advocated and
thereby saved the state from the hu-
initiation of doing the wrong he would
have pe1petrated in it's name. Not
withstanding the repeated rebuffs he
has received he continues in his per-
nicious activity and no sooner is one
Of his idiotic and wicked schemes
throttled than he is up and at it with
another. He is credited with being
the instigator Of a measure as wrong
as it is uncalled for now pending in
the senate and which was introduced
by the senate committee on counties,
towns and municipal corporations. 1t
is known as senate bill No. III and is
all act to authorize county commits
sioners to purchase necessary blank
books, records, lithographing and sta
tionery for use of county officers.
Stripped of all su%perfuous verbiage
the bill is intended to give county
commissioners the right to purchase
all of the supplies enumerated out
side of the state.
Of course, there is an object behind
the measure. Mahon and the commit
tee will have you believe that the OBJ.
ject is to enable the different counties
to have their printing done at the
lowest possible figure. But that is
not the real object. There is another
and Interior motive. 1t is simply a
scheme either in the interest of some
foreign establishment or an attempt
on the part Of Mahon or some other
member of the committee to punish
some printer who has given %offense.
If it is the former, it is readily to be
seen that there is "something in it"
for somebody and who that somebody
is an ordinarily active mind can easily
fathom. If it is an effort to injure the
business of some Montana publisher it
is no less contemplate than if done in
the interest Of an outside institution
with the incentive of a bride, expected
or already received.
Even if, the motive prompting the
measure is honest, something The Ca
zette is free to confess it doubts, the
bill is wrong and aimed at every news
paper and publishing house in the
state. The committee is presumably
composed of men who make their
homes in the state and they should
know that it is impossible for the print
ers of Montana to compete with the es-
Establishments of St. Louis, Chicago or
other eastern cities. The difference
in the scale Of wages paid to journey
men printers and bookbinde1s in this
state and in the east is so great that
competition between their employers
is out of the question. Even were
this not So, it would still be wrong to
enact the bill into a law. The news
papers of Montana are part of the en-
terprises of the state and contribute
to it's support and development. They
pay taxes and in every way are iden-
titled with its progress and welfare
and it is only reasonable and just that
they should receive support and en-
couragement in return It is their
right to expect this.
If the bill becomes a law it will in
effect say to the newspapers Of Mon
tana that they are not wanted and to
the men employed as printers and
bookbinders that they must go else.
where, that they are not desirable
citizens and that the state is better
off without them. If Mr.. Mahon OF
any OF his colleagues q q grievance
against some newspaper publisher Of
the state he should seek some Other
method Of venting his spite than il
the manner proposed. Instead Of en-
%deavoring to kill the publishing bust
ness of the state the committee should
seek to foster it, if for no other pur
pose than a selfish one. Not a mem
her of the committee can say that HI
is not under obligation to some news
paper, if for nothing more than tn
support given him during the cam
paign by some Of those whose business
they are attempting to ruin, a supper