The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-04-23
HASKELL POURS OUT
BURNING ROAST
SAYS CREDIT OF STATE CAPITAL
IS TERRIBLY BAD.
Hence Bond Was Made Heavy
Severe ExcOriatiOn Of News
paper Concern atHandS
Of GOvernOr.

Governor Haskell has given out
the following:
Executive office, Guthrie. Okla.
April %. 1908. To the Oklahoma
State Capital Guthrie. Okla In your
issue OF this morning you ask me
three questions at the close OF a col
unn or more statement of your own
concerning the state printing and why
you have not got the contract. Since
you ask these quesGons ! shall ans
wer them with a complete history of
the state printing board
First:--Tbe state printing board
has never had a single dollars worth
OF business done up 20 this date, and
only a small amount OF necessary
printing is being done by any office
and what Is being done Will be paid
for in the end nj the lowest bid price
when the work IS awarded b. any
body, but outside Of legislative print
ing, practically an the printing that
viii be necessary for the year Is Se.
ing held back until fair contract can
be made.
Before the law creating the print
ing board was passed the legislative
committee had arranged way OF hay.
ing It's printing done and the only duty
devolvIng this board is TO SEQ that
the bills for that printing are proper
ly checked up and the result OF this
Is that the legislative printing Is not
costing mere than one.third as much
as you got from the last Territorial
Legislature for the same work
After the legislature passed the law
creating tho printing board, the board
organized aud directed the state print
er to prepare schedules for printing
upon which. bids could be received. As
soon as these schedules We're pre-
pared, the praper advertisement was
made and about u dozen bids were
received at the day stated IN the no
tice-among others. yonr own
Tho bids were opened and as there
were a laree number of items it took
few days for the state printer e
check up and make o schedule of al
81 the bids.
We then examined and found that
schedule two included perhaps three
foufths Of all the work and material
the state would require. and your bid
was the lowest one for that schedule
The state printing board Immediately
awarded you that contract for the
year and as il was estimated that
that contract would amount TO iifty
thousand dollars or more during tht
year. the board fixed the bond which
you We're required 10 give az thirty
thousand dollars.
You ask why We flxed that bond al
about half the amount OF your con
tract:
I viii tell you why.
The credit OF your company Is ter
ribly bad in this community
| have been in Guthrie practically
all the time for q year and q hall
now, and / do not believe there has
been single day of that whole time
but what the checks given by your
company 10 your employees have beer
offered on the street at any price
even as low as fifty cents ON the dol
la aud / am satisfied that there has
net been a day Ia that whole time
when the bank upon which you draw
Your checks would cash any of them
unless they first had your money IN
AZ equal amount 10 the check. Right
here in the state house recent incl
dent Of somebody giving the little
boy who runs a cigar stand one oi
your checks and the hoy had % hold
II long time and even yet | do not
know whether he has been able tc
get the cash on H.
Aiuo, our Investigation into the ter
rilorlai accounts show the practices of
your company IN territorial days 20
have been such that no one would
take contract with you unless Il
had 2 frst class bond to guarantee that
YOU would perform the contract
Again. one OF the largest items Of
sour schedule two was specified
grade of paper F0f this paper you
had bid below wholesale price OF
copse We were glad TO get tho paper
a. chap az possible. but RS your com-