Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-30

A determined effort has been made
on the part of several publications III
this State to misrepresent and MIS-
lead the people of Maine relative to the
matter of the State printing. There
has been a persistent, and apparent
lly concerted attempt to make it ap-
pear that in determining this matter
the Governor and Council were not ac-
tuated by desire to serve the best
interests of the State, and that the
awards made by them were not justified
by the soundest business cOnsidera-
TONS 1t is needless to say that state
ments or insinuations of this char
acter are absolutely false. The Gov
ernor and Council believe that the
awards made by them after very ex-
haustive consideration of all the facts
bearing upon the matter were absolute
~ the ones that would enable them
to get the work as a whole done on the
terms most favorable to the State.
There is not a fact nor
figure connected with the award
OF these contracts to which they
cannot cheerfully call the atten-
ton of the people of Maine-fOr the
proposition they had to deal with was
a business one, and they settled it alb
solutely upon 4 business basis.
The two papers which have had the
most to say in criticism of the Cover
nor and Council are edited by disap-
pointed bidders. This fact will ex-
plain their obvious spleen. There is, it
is true, 4 third; but its notorious per-
sonal hostility to this paper ana its
proprietors, as well as the real roa-
sons for il, are so well known TO the
people of Maine that any structures it
may make so far as We are concerned
will carry little weight with the intel
ligent citizens of our State.
The facts Of the printing matter are
these: After a very thorough inves-
tigation of the whole matter dur
ing the last session of the legis-
lature, q committee representing
both political parties found that the
ties strictly in accordance with the
provisions Of the statute law, and had
received the prices for his work fixed
by the statute. Leading printers of
this and other states testified before
the committee that these prices were
considerably lower than those which
they We're receiving for private work.
The committee recommended, however,
a return to the bid system which had
law in question. This recommendation
received no opposition whatever, and
was given an unanimous passage.
Under the provisions of the new law
the matter was left with the Governor
and Council to be determined upon q
basis of competitive bids.
In view of the false. persistent, and
malicious charges and misrepresenta-
tons which have been made by the
that from the day this law went into
effect, until the awarding of the con-
tracts, no member OF this firm ever VOL
unteered a word to any member of
the Governor and Council on the sub
ject of the Public Printing, or offered
any suggestion as to the manner in
which it should be handled. The Gov
ernor and Council will bear us out in
the foregoing statement.
In preparing their proposals for sub
mission to the printers of Maine, the
Governor and Council employed their
own printing expert, a gentlemen who
has never had any connection with the
Kennebec Journal establishment. AS
a result of their deliberations on the
matter, they decided to divide the
printing into three classes. Printers
might bid on all or any one of these
classes, but it was clearly under
Stoct tiiil DIi NOuiu We COIISIueIeu
Cor less than distinct portion
or class. On this basis bids
were called for, full instructions
and blanks being furnished all appli-
cants. The Governor and Council re-
served the right to reject any or all
bids. The call for bids was issued
September 16, the advertisement being
published very generally in the news
papers of the State. There We're seven
responses to this call, most of them
from small plants. In fact, the Ken
nebec Journal establishment was the
only large plant in the State to bid upon
the work at all, and was also the only
firm to put in bids upon all the work
In submitting these bids. however. we