Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-25
The Lewiston Journal Explains.

1
failed to live up to the agreement VI
the Association Of Maine dailies 10
charge the State only four cents "
line for legislative notices.
Replying to our comments upon th's
matter it says:
THE real and serious charge hlaue
tby the Augusta newspaper, Is THAT ''ie
Lewiston Journals business MANAGE
Iattended the State association Oh Nifn"
ldailics where he assented to a rate OF
cents per line for legislative notices
land that he broke that agreement Now
on this point, we beg to say that 'ile
Kennebec Journal is in error, acco'u
ing to the understanding OF our pus.
ness manager, who alone OF all III tiii'
office knows anything about the de'ais
of the matter as unlike the kehhepec
Journal. the editor and the supervising
PRINTER on these premises each Is III
charge of his own department ana the
Ihusiness manager is neither editor nor
| politician, Mr.. w. A. Pidgln, our
busircss manager. attended the meet
ing referred to and necessarily assumes
tho nsibility'-LewistOn Journal.
The Kennebec Journal also has its
DEPARTMENTS The editor of the paper
is i'm personal charge of all the mat
ter. aside from advertisements. that
enter into its makeup. Mr.. Flynt is IL
immediate and personal charge of the
business and mechanical departments
of our establishment which includes
the State printing. And yet when the
editor of the Kennebec Journal. who
represents the firm of Burleigh &
| Flynt us Public Printer, stated the
above facts before the Printing COM
mittee, and referred it for infOr-
nation on the various phases of the
printing to Mr.. Flynt "who alone of
all in this Office knows anything of the
details of this matter" the Lewiston
Journal was very prompt to load the
| Public Printer with obloquy and ridi-
cule. He Was charged with hiding be-
hind his partner. and it was very
broadly Insulated that his failure to
/
| tails of Mr.. Flynt's department by
| answering questions which Mr.. Flynt
| alone could answer was due to Il de-
sire to conceal something. Our es-
teemed contemporary was not willing
tc accept the Public Printers plain
| statement that he did not answer those
| questions because. not having had per-
sonal charge of the work. he was not
familiar with the details asked for. 1t
sought to throw iiscrcdit upon hi,
motives and to impugn his integrity
Even at this late day, disregarding the
testimony i'm the case, it asserts that
the Public Printers inability to an
swer for Mr.. Flynt's department was
due to an "infirm memory"
Now we have no desire to retort in
kind. We shall not accuse the editor of
the Lewiston journal with hiding be-
hind Mr.. Pidgin OF question his state
ment that the latter alone is familiar
with the matter of the Legislative no.
tees. Verify it makes quite Il difference
| whose OK is gored
In connection with this subject, Mr.
Pidgin says:
II do not recall thai there was any
meeting of the Association of Maine
Dailics at Augusta four years ago. do
not feel sure that the $500 :atiOn was H.
existence then. Two years ago previous
| to the Legislative session | attended Il
meeting. We talked over, among other
things, the proper charge for publishing
legislative notices. I fully understood
from that meeting that 6 cents d line
was the rate to be charged. If any
other arrangement was reached, it vas
after left. l understood fully. as fully
as | ever understood any arrangement
in my life, that the KernCbec Journals
price was to he 6 cents line. / never
| heard any other arrangement until
| some time after our bills were render
ed-and rendered as I supposed in har-
mony with other leading papers of the
stare
This year at the session of the asso-
citation. the representative Of the Port
land Argus said. the understanding
|
cents was the price to be charged.
said, Very well. but I did not so un-
dcrstand il; for | understood Mr. Bur-
leigh to say that his price would be 6
cents a line"
We do not question .Ir. PidGin's good
faith in the above statement. Inquiry
upon the matter in question: however.
has confirmed our recollection that the
Meeting at which tn" subject of iegis-
latiNe notices was acted ul.on was held
in this city four years ago. and that
Mr.. Pidgin was personally present al
the time. The cent rate was agreed to
without dissenting Voice. and so far
as the matter was concerned was I'M
dcrstood to be definitely settled. Mr.
Surleigh made no staten nor offer
cd any suggestions on the subject the
views OF his firm being stated by Mr.
Flynt it's business manager who
lacquicsced in the opinion that uniform