The Greeley tribune., 1906-06-07

sociation was only friendly agree
msnt between publishers. and wa,
binding upon no one, except as hi.
moral sense might dictate. Til,
agreement covered only that class u
advertising broadly designated a.
legal" advertising, and for this tn,
legal rate was charged. Not one
cent more, and as we have seen, con.
siderably less than regular CONNER.
cial rates in the Tribune. On this
latter point we speak only for our.
selves. What other papers of the
county charge for advertising space
we don't concern ourselves with.
To make an eQuable distribution
OF business between the publishers,
one certain paper was agreed upon
each year to do the county work.
Fifty per cent of the gross receipts
from this and all other illegal" ad-
vertising went to the publisher do
ing the work for that year. The
other fifty per cent was distributed
pro rata among the other publishers.
Only by the existence of this
agreement for three years would the
plan work out equally for the pub
fishers, but every one at that time
was satisfied. The county commits
sioners were we'll aware of this
agreement, and were also satisfied,
because politics at this time had not
reached the grating stage in Weld
county, to which later and more up
to-date methods of management have
since Brought it.
In the spring of 1905 In the course
of events it came thu Suns time to
do the work. For two years then it
had been fattening on the profits
taken from other publishers of the
county, without turning a hand.
Amid considerable good natured
banter from the county commission
ers the Sun was awarded the print.
ing contract at few cents below
the bid of any other.
The county printing that year
amounted to nearly s2, 500. In the
course of the year SO per cent of this
amount would have to be paid to his
brother publishers. An inventory of
himself showed the (then) Sun man
ager, now business partner Of present
manager. that the appropriation to
himself Of this 81, 200 would not hurt
his conscience much. especially as
there was only moral obligation,
and he could not be put behind the
bars for breaking 1t.
His possession of the contract
that year was made possible only
upon his express moral agreement
that he would keep faith with his
brother publishers, and return their
per cent Of the funds that belonged
to them, and which he had been en-
joying from them for several years.
When the present manager OF the
Sun bought into the business he
knew under what circumstances this
contract had been secured, and know
ing this, he still bought this con-
tract in with the rest of the junk,
and for the past year has been trying
to bolster up his circulation with
the amount it covered.
When it came time for opening Of
bids for the county printing this
year, that same paragon of virtue
who had bought the questionable
goods, had bid at the same old rate !;
this was railroaded through by the
nliant county commissioners, and
this time at cost of 81, 200, not to
the Weld county publishers but to
the Weld county tax payers. mat
Is what the man who in two columns
of space in his paper deplores the
lack of virtue of the Tribune man
ayers, calls breaking the combine.
We leave the tax payers to Judge
There is no longer Weld County
Publishers association. lhsteau
there has been combination formed
between the county commissioners,
the republican political machine anu
the Greeley Sun, by which the com.
missioners, who have the handling OF
all county funds, take the tax payers
monev and with it indirectly pay
the campaign expenses of themselves
and the political machine.
We ask, how do the taS payers
like it?
No Street Signs.