The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1907-10-21
Mr.. BRADlEY's BROADsIDE.

Standard contains an editorial about tire,
columns wide and one co. umn long, to som,
portions Of which we wish to reply, the
article being too lengthy for complete
answer in one paper, unless the editor
like Mr.. Bradley, can devote an entire
week to one article.
The Standard man quotes a law of some
thirty years standing to the effect that the
County Treasurer shall do all the clerical
work of the County Commissioners office
at salary of 81, 200.
The law is obsolete and should he re.
pealed, as it imposes qualification which
is practical impossibility. The man who
could measure up to the requirements
could not be induce d, nor could he afford,
to accept salary of 81 900 per year
Moreover. when Mr.. E G.. Hopkins, a
Republican, was county treasurer, he EN-
ploy cd two clerical assistants, one of whom
was employed by the county. Had the
: Republicans desired to effect reforms,
they could have begun then, when their
sction could not: possibly have been as
cribed to partisan bias.
Aud then the Stand ,rd launches into
the question of public printing-and this
Standard it must be remembered is the
paper which waxed fat nu the Comptrol
ier's printing. and, In Its eagerness to save
DR. Herring, who succeeded Hon. p L.
G ldsborongh, from the embarrassment
OF not having sufficient supplies when he
came into office, printed UP $4,000 10
worth of stuff for th' year 1900 And it
is still the Same Standard which accepts,
we und+ rstand aprice per page for doing
The plinti> 6 for the Clerk of the Court of
Appeals that enables it to farm out the
printing for 70 cents per page less than il
g is, the Standara furnishing the paper,
worth. perhaps. &c. per page, and the
binding, worth, perhaps, Sc per page, or
70 cents per page prott--all legitimate
enough, but it shows that the Standard
does Lot exactly run away from public
money.
But to return to our muttons. In 1899
the election returns on their face indicated
that Mr. James G. Leonard had been
elected County Commissioner, which gave
The Republicans control. The day the
Board organized it executed contracts
with the Republican papers. the Standard
and the Era. for doing the county print
ing, not for $l45 year each, for which
the Standard man now says he would be
glad to do it, but for $500 each, and this
in the face of the fact that the Democratic
papers had contract, afterwards pro-
nounced valid by the Circuit Court, for
doing the work for eighteen months.
After the recount rs result of which
MIR. George W. Woolford was declared
elected Commissioner, the Board declined
to recognize the contract with the Repub
lican papers and the latter sued the
county for 5000, practically the entire bal
ance due on their contract, and compro-
missed on $500, in return for which they
did not do stroke of work. The Demo-
cratic papers were paid only for the time
that they actually did the printing, re-
ceiving nothing for the time that the Re-
publican papers were doing the work.
Why did not the Standard at that time
come up with It's caEer 20 do the work for
Sl45 per Year, II would have had an
excellent chance tolmake the bargain.
Perhaps, however, Mr.. Bradley will say
that he had nothing TO do with those
events; that his puissant lance was then
but sapling on the banks of the Nanti
coke and his facile pen had not even be-
gun to grow in the wing of the gray goose
whence he plucked it. So be it. MIR.
Bradley says he is willing to take the con-
tract at $145. Would he turn it down at
500? From the number of ads. in his
paper. We judge he has ample room for it.
The truth seems to be that Mr.. Brad
ley's estimate was based not on any par
ticular idea of the value of the ork, but
with a view to cutting down the price
paid the Democratic papers or embarrass-
lug LuG OULuIulSSlOuClS LAC WCAt W q bSt
ocratic editor and suggested that both put
In bid of $500 The Democrat replied
that that was what he expected to do any
way. Mr. Bradley then made out an es-
innate of $195 and showed it to the Dem
ocrat, who told him, in view of his prop
osition it was not a nice thing to do (only
the Democrat spoke little more plainly
than that) Mr. Bradley then offered to
90 back to his 5000 estimate, but the Dem
ocrat told him to do as he pleased, as his
own action was not governed by MIR Brad
ley's The S145 bid followed. We doubt
not that the Republican papers would be
glad to do the work for $3.50, but it must be
remem bered that the Commissioners in con
tracing with them would secure circu-
lation which at the most charitable esti-
mates we can not place above 1,7O0. In
contracting with the Democratic papers
they get total circulation of about 900,
/ IL