Amador ledger., 1906-03-23
CITY OFFICIAL PAPER.
FRIDAY Y............ MARCH %, 1906
The Admission of Silence.

all the damaging charges contained
in the Ledger article of two weeks
ago, in relation to the management
of the city government. The state
ments concerning the printing bill of
the Dispatch, the outrageous looting
charges therein contained, allowed
and paid; the saving of more than
one half the amount of the bill that
would have been effected had the
work been done under contract with
the lowest bidder, as the law specif-
cally directs, stand unrefuted. This
amounts to an admission of their
correctness. Now, what can the
people expect or hope for when the
evasion of the spirit and letter of
law, passed fol- the very purpose of
safeguarding the public interests, are
ignored in that manner.
But the Dispatch makes the matter
great deal worse by the effort to
create the impression that the Ledger
Is engaged in the grating business.
We are pleased to republish this
portion of its article:
But the most glaring effort to de-
ceive the public in this connection
consisted in the fact that he purpose
ly failed to mention the fact that he
presented a bill to the board OF
trustees for the publication of an
ordinance, before the contract was
let, for one dollar per square, which
IG fnr
four times as much as the Dispatch
charged for the same kind of work.
These are facts, and we merely
mention them TO let the people judge
for themselves as to the animus and
fairness of the above mentioned
kicker, and draw their own conclu-
slons whether or not he would be
first class ''grafter'' if he had the
opportunity to do so.
That's rich! A man holding an
official position who would stoop to
such statement under such con-
ditions, must indeed be hard pressed
for defense. We might remark,
that if it were true, that the Ledger
was in the grating business to ten
fold the extent of our esteemed
contemporary, it would constitute no
justification for grating by the Dis
patch, or its sanction by any one.
1t is true, that the Ledger's article
purposely omitted to mention the bill
referred TO, for the simple reason
that that indentical bill has not been
acted upon by the board. We re-
cognize that it would be out of place
on our part to discuss the merits of a
claim of the Ledger IN these columns,
while the matter is under the con-
sideration of an official body. When
the trustees act, we shall then be free
to discuss the subject, but not until
then. But the indecency of the Dis
patch man in dragging this bill into
the controversy-relesses US to some
extent from this policy of silence.
The bill was for the publication of
ordinance No l, establishing regular
meeting nights for the board. 1t was
published three times. Whether 1t
could or could not, as the initial step
in setting the machinery of municipal
government in motion, have been
brought within the scope of the con-
tract with the lowest bidder, was no
concern of ours as a publisher. 1t
VISA not SO brought, and was handed
to US without any agreement on our
part, other than the published legal
rates, which have appeared at the
head of these columns from time i'm
memorial. The circumstances con-
stituted an implied contract to pay
the regular legal rates. We charged
just those rates. We have been charg-
Ing the same rates right along for
years. The Dispatch has been doing
the same, and so has every other
paper in the county. Ibis rate is
lower than the average legal rate in
other counties. And right here we
may say that when this very bill was
under consideration before the board
trustee Penry expressed himself, that
it was just and should be paid; he
has said the same outside privately.
What can we think of man who as
an official, sworn to do his duty
under the law, favors the payment of
claim, and thereafter when caught
in the act of overcharglng, turns
somersault in the columns of his
paper, and wishes to convey the idea
that the charges are excessive and
sample of graft. Is it not the hades
limit of contempt? According to this
version every publisher-not only in
this county, but throughout the state,
who has charged full legal rates for
an advertisement is CRATER. And
the Dispatch, which has probably done
more legal advertising during the
past few years than all other papers
in the county combined, according to
its own platform, Is the greatest often
der of all. What a pretty dilemma.
The Ledger has not said that %
cents per square for advertising
charged by the Dispatch was too
high. On the contrary, we admit
that is too low. That has been the
price fixed by the schedule of the
board of supervisors for many years.
and the publishers of the county have
repeatedly taken steps to have the
rate raised to more equitable basis. |
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