The Indianapolis journal., 1903-11-12
THE PRINTING CONTRACT
ATTORNEY RAPPAPORT REPLIES TO
THE BOARDS STATEMENT.
He Points Ont Certain Things He Says
Took Place at the Meeting When
Contract Was Awarded.

Attorney Rappaport. who represented the
Chelt anham Press before the State Prlntihs
Board, said TO the Journal last night
'T see that the Printing Board has MADE
a statement for publication regarding tne
alleged irregularities in the lettlns Oh tnS
contracts for the State printing, IN when when
q number Of things are said concerning
myself that are far from being coIrect.s ..
according 10 the statement issued II
would seem that 1 had gone DeIorS lnS
hoard in an angry manner, made allega-
tions OF fraud, demanded that the pios De
rejected, cast reflections ana lnSihuatioile o.l
upon the board and then refused the OPP
portunity OF examing into the matter more
fully when given permission TO do so Dy the
board This is, practically; the suos'anIS @ INA
and while / have not desired 10 enter INTO
q newspaper controversy with the board
or. or any OF its n msmpsTsi EN- %ncbiailenged. aio'
I'm the first place / at no time dls-
played toward the board or the Dldqers
any anger whatever, nor did cast any re-
fiections of any sort upon the board. but,
on the contrary. repeatedly told the board,
after the Governor had attempted 10 con-
strue Iay protest into a reflection upon
himself and the other members, that no
reflection whatever was intended; that all
we desired was to be given the opportunity
of bringing before the board such evidence
as would induce the board OF Its own
motion TO take steps toward investigating
the question of collusion. / did not even
at the meeting directly charge any collu-
sion, bsst merely pointed out TO the BOARD
that the bids on the large contract were
or such nature that they ougnt 10 pe
more fully investigated. In fact, the only
thing that did ask for at any time during
that n.eeting was delay IN the nnaI
awarding OF the contracts.
AT FIRST REFUSED.
Governor Durbin. without even consult
ing the other two members. at first refused
20 permit any protest whatever. Only
after repeated efforts upon my part did he
finally withdraw to the rear part Of the
room with the other two members of the
board and after few moments of consulta-
ton told US that, while the bids were open
for our inspection, we would have to look
them over then and there. demonstrated,
saying that the specifications, which con-
tanned twepty-four pages or closely printed
matter. were so intricate tnat II would re-
fully; but again the Governor insisted that
our exssInination would have to be made at
once, Uhereupon We yielded and proceeded
Immediately to analyze the bids.
I'VE selected two items at once. viz. {:
paper and composition Upon the larger
contract for $4,000 pounds OF paper Mr..
Burford charged As. cents per pound, while
for a much smaller quantity, viz: $500
pounds OF the very same paper Mr. Bur
ford charged only Is cents per pound.
likewise, for IS. 900 o000-ems OF composition
Mr.. Blrford charged 80 1-3 cents per ZOO
ems. while for a much smaller quantity,
viz, 9oS9.000 ems Mr.. Burford charged only
30 cents per 1000 ems.
1--WE pointed out to the Governor that 1t
asea % ina. t,s one nf anv Do rIre
ular kind of matter at a certain rate and
then charge a decidedly higher price for a
unless the person making such charges
knows that he Is perfectly safe In doing
so. Mr.. Burford as well as the other MEM
bid only upon the printing or the Supreme
and Appellate Court reports, as the Chelten-
ham Press Is not in the business OF furnish
inc 1rRrslf0 I'm
printing contracts. therefore the other bid
ders were perfectly safe IN fixing any price
upon which they might agree among them
smaller contract they had to actually COM
pete With an outside bidder.
CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED
II could point out a score of things in the
bids. as well as in what occurred at the
meeting. that would convince any fair
minded person that all was not regular but
there IS in going too much into de-
tail for the reason that the contracts are
signed and anything I might say would
avail nothing. / do. however, desire to re-
fnts the charge made by the board that ]
refused to give them any evidence. I called
It's attention TO these discrepancies In the
called. its attention to the fact that the
bids CT the four bidders were higher this
year by from e5 to SO per cent than they
ducuon or printing had increased only II
Der cent, and the amount OF work required
under the specifications only 3 per cent
Further. that Tor years previous TO 1901 the
State printing contracts had amounted &c
considerably over 100000, and that the ap.
parenny low figures in 1901 were due to the
fact that the printers in that year haC
disagreed among themselves and conse
quenty had actually bid against one an
These matters were given to the Gov
ernor In an informal manner, and Mr.
Thorsch, the proprietor OF the Cheltenhau
Press In the presence and I'm the hearing
Of the Governor, requested me to presen
the result OF our tabulations to the boart
In formal manner. Instead of permitting
brought his hand down with a thud ant
announced that the session was closed anc
the contracts awarded 10 the William b
There was absolutely nothing said abou
giving Us SIX hours nor the balance of tn,
day 20 make our Investigations. but oil
the contrary, our efforts were throttles
there In the board room as though we did
not even have the right to appear.
CHECKS RETURNED.
The Governor at once returned tn
checks. that had been deposited TO show
good faith. to the unsuccessful bidders; bu
asked. on behalf OF the Cheltenhan
Press. that It's check be allowed to remain
deposit until L could get a formal writ
ten protest into shape. This the Governo
sry,,,t r,y ,,ara anu ulu ~. hol h even want
the record until Mr.. Storms insisted tha
this was proper.
And let me say here that the rules O
the board do not even require protes
TO bn In writing, and. IL the board care
to consider our protest at. all, IL could hav
considered the verbal one, which was &C
tualy made, just as we'll as any which w
might have reduced to writing
81 wish to mention just one other thine
and that Is that II appeared very significan
TO NE that during the entire proceeding
the other bidders seemed just as anxiou
that Mr. Burford should get these con
tracts as he did himself. Had the bids al
been rejected they would all have had an
other chance 10 bid, and yet they oppose
the rejection just as much as Mr. Burfor
aid, Perhaps the board did not see any
thing 10 Investigate in the matters that
pointed out. but IL Is certainly oyerreach
Ing its authority in making the sort of a
attack that IL made upon me in the state
ment which IL issued And from IL all tn
public can draw its own conclusions"