Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-02-12
LOWEST BIDDER aDyEarIsINe
Bill, Introduced by Senator Herndop. Of Geo.
nee County, was Killed by the Senate.

The following, clipped from the state
OF last "Wednesday, is a part Of .Tuesday's .
Senate proceedings:
Senator Brice moved to raeomn,; q
Senator Herndon's bill 70 reauire tbs
public printing in each county Co be. let
TO tho lowest bidder. He said YorL
county once had a special bin of this
kind and it proved to be an endless
source of annoyance and confusion
The object of having county matters
published is for the information of tbe
people, and no good end would be served
by having the printing given to the low
est bidder.
Senator Graydon stated that in Abbe.
vile county both papers publish all the
advertisements and each gets half the
legal rates. He thought the bill shonld
be killed. ,''F
Senator Herndon defended his bill.
lie said that in Oconee one paper has
been grabbing all the public printing aud
the other had been shut out. He wanted
to give all a little pap. He thought if
the bill passed, all the papers would GET
together and agree on the bids and in
this way the advertisements would
appear in all the papers. The State
printing and contracts for bridges, ETC..
are given to the lowest bidder, and he
wanted the Same principle applied in
this case.
Senator Ragsdale said the bill should
pass. The present legal rate may be
low enough, but all printers do not OBJ.
serve the law. You won't get the same
prices on the same advertising from two
Offices. None of us want to offend the
newspaper men, but the man who is
willing to do the piinsing for tao ivass
money should have the job.
Senator Ragsdale's attention was called
to the fact that the bill applied only to
the advertising to be paid for by the
county. Senator Ragsdale said this
practically killed the measure.
Senator Sharpe said the bill ought not
to pass. In his county there are four or
live newspapers, but only one of general
circulation at the Court House. If the
bill passes some of the little Sx1O news
papers, which have no circulation and
are run at no expense, could get the adj
Vertlslng aud the responsible newspaper
would be shut out. He thought this the
best bill to kill that has come up at this
session.
Senator Raysor then moved to indefi-
nitely postpone the bill.
This was done by an overwhelming
vote and the bill was killed.
The Yorkvillo Enquirer, in speaking of
the killing of the Horndon lowest bidder
advertising bill, says:
We are glad to note the killing of
Senator Horndon's bill providing for
the letting of public advertising to the
lowest biddor. TO the Inexperienced
the proposition appears fair enough-as
fair as the letting of bridge contract.
But there is no fairness about it, 1t is
seldom the case that the advertising
value of two newspapers is exactly the
same. 1t is rare that the advertising
value OF two newspapers covering the
same territory is even nearly the same.
Numerous clements enter into the cues
tion of value of an advertising medium.
Among given number of papers every
individual has his idea not only which
paper he would like to favor, but which
is calculated to give the best advertising
results. With a public official it is not a
question of favoritism, or rather should
not be, but of reaching the people inter
cSted with the information to be given
out. Take York county for instance,
and it will be found that local papers
circulate in every neighb0rhood. In
some instances the people take the
papers and pay for them, and in others
the papers are sent without authority.
These facts have their Significance i'm
determining relative advertising value
which paper has the best standing in
given neighborhood, etc. 1t is right and
proper that official advertising should go
to the paper that is confessedly most
popular with that portion of the public
that is capable of intelligent discrimina-
tion in such matters, and it is not right
to ask that paper to give its services az
prices that would be. acceptable to the
less important, less expensive and less
meritorious bidder. In killing this bill
We think the Senate has done an act of
justice to the newspapers and done credit
to itself.