Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-10
For Maine to Consider.


were deeply stirred by the revelation
that high official of the State. (Mr.
Cyrus w. Davis, secretary of State)
was pecuniarily interested in a con-
Germ (Waterville Sentinel Pub, Coz
holding a State contract, and that as
an official of the company the State
Official had actually signed the con
tract with the State of which he was
the premier. AS the law makers of the
State had made provision against just
such possibilities Of tavoritism, unjust
awarding of contract. and graft, the
matter was called to the attention of
the Governor and Council
The law reads:
mo trustee, superintendent, treas
urer or other person holding a place of
trust in any State office or public in
stitution of the State, shall be pecuni-
ariIy interested, directly or indirectly,
in any contracts made in behalf of the
State or of the institution in which he
holds such place of trust, and any con-
tract made in violation hereof is
void.v - -
One could hardly expect a child in
the primary school to misunderstood a
legal provision so plain, with intent
so obvious. However Governor Plais-
ted and his council deemed the prob
lem SO intrieate-or the possibilities of
squeezing by the law so alluring hat
they referred the matter to the Su-
preme Court of the State, on Aug. Z,
1911.
The decision of the Court was rem
dered Nov. is. 1911
Any school hoy could have told what
the decision MUST be. The court was
unanimous that the Davis Sentinel
contract was void, as the law provides.
week later the Governor and
Council made arrangements to ITEM
porarily" continue the printing work
Pub. Co, AT THE SAME PRICES.
The farce of reorganizing the Wa
terville Sentinel Pub. Co., to circum-
vent the law, was carried out in a
manner with which Maine people are
familiar. Cyrus w. Davis, secretary
of State, stepped out and William r.
Pattangall, attorney general, stepped
in as the brains of The Systems or
gan.
Nine months have passed, and the IL
legal arrangement for the States
printing has continued under guard
of the attorney general; under the
sanction of the Governor and council;
under the manipulation of the secre-
tary of State, and under the permits
sion of the State auditor.
The very thing which the Legislature
made law to guard against has been
brought about through disregard of
law.
More than $4350 in excess of contract
prices already has been paid a concern
Gin which several department heads
are interested) doing work for the
State, under an arrangement for tenn
porary service, or while the Cover
nor and Council could call for com
petitiye bids and award legal con-
tract in place of the one declared void
by the Court.
The methods of doing this have been
so bare-faced as to be amazing. BY
what authority, in law or reason, has
the Wateryille Sentinel Publishing Co.
been allowed to collect in excess oil
contract prices, in many instances ex-
brilliantly? BY what authority dc
State officials pay out large sums foi
work which has not been delivered oil
completed?
The details of the performances in
connection with the States printing
within the last year are, to say tn,
least, remarkably enlightening as t
the present regimes reverence for law
and business principles. Most ridicu
lous transactions have gone through
under the eye of that financial expert
State Auditor Stevens, and the Stat,
has settled the fraudulent charges.
/ AS specimen of Democratic econ
omy2 ii is worth while to Investigate
in the few weeks before election.
i Startling figures, backed by the rec
erds at the State House, have come t.
the hands of the Kennebec Journal
Only an outline has been given in tn