The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1916-08-03

and that he expects to file in a
large number of counties on the
first Monday in August bids for
the county work for the next two
years. He is filing these con-
tracts in the name of 'The Sena-
tobia Blank Book & Stationery
CO., domiciled at Senatobia,
Miss, but there is no intention,
as the Sentinel is informed and
believes, to do the work in Sena-
tobia, or any other Mississippi
town. At any rate, it is fact
susceptible of proof, that at this
time there is no blank book man
ufactory located in Senatobia, and
to all appearances, no effort is
being made to install one there.
In other words, Mr.. Grafton is
using the name of this corpora
| ton as a blind to evade the law,
with no real intention of comply
ing with the law which makes it
compulsory to have this work
done in Mississippi.
Mr.. Grafton speaks in con-
temptuous terms of the MISSISSIPPI
pi editors and printers, saying
that they have no business sense
and that he would not credit any
of them, and has thrown down
the gauntlet and defied them and
the laws of Mississippi which are
designed not only to foster home
enterprises, but to save the tax
payers of Mississippi the large
sums that have been sent out of
the state for the past quarter of
a century to build up million
aires in Missouri, Tennessee and
other states.
His attitude towards the Mis-
sissippi editors and newspaper
men is further shown in the fact
that wherever he has filed a bid
for county work he has omitted
no classes, and has included those
classes that legally and rightfully
belong to the local publisher, such
as letter heads, legal blanks, etc.
In framing the house printing
bill, it was the unanimous opin-
ion of all the larger Mississippi
printing plants that this work
rightfully belonged to the local
printer, and even before this law
was framed, every large Missis-
sippi printing plant has pursued
a consistent policy of cooperating
with the local newspaper man,
in refraining from soliciting such
work as he was equipped to do.
This is in sharp contrast with
the policy of Mr.. Grafton, who is
endeavoring to hog it all, . law
or no law.
The question is, What are we
going to do about it I? So far as
| the Sentinel is concerned, we
think it is about time for organ
lied labor in Mississippi, for the
press of the state, and for the
taxpayers who have to foot the
bills; for all public-spirited citi-
liens everywhere, to pick up the
guage of battle thrown down by
this Mississippi misrepresentation
of the big millionaire printing
concerns in Yankeeland, and test
the natter out, and see whether
| mr.. Grafton and his allies are
bigger than the state of Missis-
sippi whether they are greater
| than the law; whether or not
they can be taught that the tax
payers of Mississippi have some
rights that they are bound to re-
spect. That is the Sentinels
answer. Will the other newspa-
pers in the state stand with the
Sentinel in this fight ? We be-
Iieve they will.
Mr.. Grafton makes his boast
that he Stands in" with various
chancery clerks, sheriffs and cir
cult clerks in the territory, The
Sentinel does not charge that he
holds them in line on the county
printing by a little hand OUT
on the side, which comes out Of
the price charged on the bill.
Whether or not this is true the
Sentinel does not undertake to
say, but Mr.. Grafton himself no
doubt can tell. The fact remains,
however, that in some mysterious
manner Mr.. Grafton has had
what in street parlance may be
termed a "cinch" on much' Of
this county work that no one else
could take away from him, price
or no price. The Mississippi
printers now want to change all
this. They think it is about time