Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-08-10
Senator Chase to the Rescue.

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Senator Chase to the Rescue.
Senator Chase with his Herald
comes to the rescue of H. B. Hummel
in the controversy Mr.. Hummel in
|augurated over the city printing and
tries to brush the whole contention
of this paper aside by saying it is
sore, etc. The Herald proceeds up
on the theory that the city council
can favor the papers it pleases and
the question of cost to the city is
only a secondary consideration, thus
the main contention is ignored. The
council, with Fred Hahne as spokes-
man, called the newspaper proprie-
tors before them and told them that
hereafter the legal city printing was
to be printed in only one paper and
of course 81 per square was to be
paid, and the publishers were not
asked to do it for less. The Herald
in it's next issue said that was
good arrangement and it would help
the auditing committee in keeping
tab on the work. 1t was after this
that the Freeman-Tribune submit
ted it's bid which forced the council
to back up, and then in order to
take care of publishers that had de-
Tended it the council awarded the
printing 70 two papers at double the
cost either one had agreed to do it
for. Thus testifying to its duplicity
in hiding behind the subterfuge
that it was going to print the legals
in but one paper. The fact that the
city saved something by cutting out
the Freeman-Tribune is due to the
bid submitted by this paper and the
council or other publishers are en-
titled to no credit for it. But had
the council done as it agreed the
people would now be getting the
service in the Herald or in the
Journal at one-half the price now be-
ing paid.
The bid was submitted by the
Freeman-Tribune on its weekly
Tribune, which seems to cause the
Herald editor and Mr.. Hummel so
much anxiety, merely because the
council had been using the weeklies
as the official papers. The Tribune
has the same circulation as the
Freeman and as the Freeman had
been satisfactory there was no rea-
son why the Tribune should not be
if the council was looking for way
to save the people something. The
is ready, and was
ready at that time, to do the print
ing in the daily or the weekly at
half the price now being paid for
service which the council and it's
defenders said need be
printed in only one paper.
Senator Chase also refers to some
of the law suits instigated by the ed
itor of the Freeman-Tribune and
others. It is mighty good thing
for the taxpayers that some citizens
have had the courage to face the
council in the courts and try to get
a square deal. But the senator has
another and more effective way. He
simply lets the treasurer advertise
his property for sale, knowing that
nobody wants to buy law suit and
will not therefore bid upon his prop
erty. Then after it is advertised the
requisite number of times the con-
tractors take over the certificates
and trade them to the senator for
some lots of questionable value out
On the prairie. And isn't it a fact
that when the city put a sidewalk
alongside of the senator's property
he absolutely refused to pay for it,
leaving that part of the proceedings
Tor the taxpayers to attend to?
The Freeman-Tribune is not
Senator Chase for getting
al the work for the Herald ne can.
That is simply a business PROPOSE