Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1906-04-11
RITZVlLLE TIMES IS A
CHARITABLE INSTITUTION
But The Publisher Thereof Is Found Grating
and Will be Made To Blow Back With
Many Dollars Of County Money
CHARGES TEN TIMES CONTRACT PRICE AND MUST REPAY


Occasionally in the great struggle Of present day
lcommsrciasm when business methods often shady
and We hear much about that word, GRAFT, there
light truth. In its bid for the county printing
last week the Rtzve Times advertised to the world the
fact that space in that great family educator is worth
nothing Poor Adams county, unable pay fair price
for printing is rescued by the publisher of the Times who
agrees publish oil county proceedings and legal notices
absolutely FREE OF CHARGE Advertser merchants and
business who have used the columns of that paper
for years appsed of the knowledge that they have
been buncoed Instead Of endowing colleges, building
universities following the footsteps of John D. Rookie
Teller emulatng the great example of Andrew Carnegie
phanthropist of the Times exceeding those modern
gvers Of charity in self abnegaon and sacrifice presents
the county with the public printing platter.
Following is the charity" bid
Ritzville, WASH, April 2, 1906
To the Board of County Commissioners
Adams County, Washington.
Genemen-In complying with the call for bids for print
July 1906 respectfully submit for your consideration
the following prices:
All notices proceedings, ETC., requiring publication
will be published free of charge.
Followed by job schedule.
Signed, D. W. PETIJOHN,
Editor and Publisher Rtzve Times
Thsre is also another side this story Knowing that
years contract below cost production and know
that conducts their business for the simple
saetion of getting something to do and realizing there
must be private secret graft the Times method
handling the county business several the other editors
of the county engineered asmal their
hook with the result that it unearthed that large
portion Of the public printing which did not directly
under the commissioner eyes, the charges found
be TEN TIMES THE CONTRACT PRICE and matters which
the law specifically states should be paid for at contract
price and the terms other public matters 1t
ascertaned to how great extent the public
pocket book had been mucted but enough discovered
know that several hundred dollars have beehive leave
the word for the public to guess.
This matter brought to the attention of the county
at their last session and they have taken
the matter with the Times and the overcharges must be
returned has thus been proven that the Times has
acted in bad faith their contract and therefore
must be watched in future Ignorance Of the law is
excuse and there is question whether it not
for action on the bonds of the printer
Again, this year the Times comes before the Board
schedule far below the reach of the energetic printer
EARTH if he expected to do legitimate business Evil
IDENTIFY the losses must be made up somewhere
or tho publisher of the Times bonanza phianthropist
unexceed outside the wild and woods What are
the methods to be pursued in the year? the county
printing had been given the Adams County News
been delivered the price stated there would have
been question about bills and three Republican county
commissioners whom this paper worked for; supported
and elected and whom were opposed by the Democratic
organ would have been saved needless labor and worry
in keeping accounts straight and would have been
assured that their contract was in safe hands.
In beautiful prelude to his bid the Times tells
the commissioners of the many virtues of that publication
thela one by one winding up with six pure