The daily morning oasis., 1920-05-08
BR 0 W SINGS OF
1.-THE SACRED
cow"

Yesterday the Daily Herald at
,empted to break the force of the
liticism in ''The Oasis" of yesterday
nCrning, wherein it was shown that
two years the house of Roy & Tit
,omb had received about $25,OO0
rom the town treasury, by publish
lg an interview with Mr.. Titcomb in
hich that gentleman states that
nile his establishment had sold the
unicipal government various COM
.lodities, the goods had been sold at
ost always.
But that is entirely beside the
ark, the charge conveyed in the de-
a led publication of "The Oasis"
.esterday morning was bristling with
points, none of which are answered
by the interview with Mr.. Titcomb in
last evenings Herald.
The reader will not forget that the
point to the articles in "The Oasis"
was that it was in reply to an article
| in preceding issue Of the Herald al
leging that the present administra-
ton is playing favorites in business
transactions for the city, and that
there is in the present municipal gov
ernment ring" that is dealing un-
fairly with some of the business men
Of the city. "Tl.e Oasis" denied the
allegation of existence of a ring at
this tine; and went on to show that
if there ever has been a ring in No
gales affairs, dealing unfairly with
business men o. Nogales, it was when
the house of Roy & Titcomb controll-
de absolutely the municipal govern
ment, with two members of that
house, seated on the board, one of
them the mayor, and that within
those two years the house of Roy &
Titcomb, with allied interests, had re-
ceived about $4,000 of municipal
money, while their principal COM
petitor could not get one dollars
worth of business from the mu-
nicipality. Yet their organ prates
about a square deal" Did they
give one?
That was one point, which we
proved by publishing detailed state
ment of the various sums, with
months when paid and numbers Of
demands. For Mr.. Titcomb to aver
that the goods were sold to the town
for cost was no answer to that point.
Then there was another point that
Mr.. Titcomb's interview in the Herald
failed to answer. That is that every
time Roy & Titcomb was paid de-
mand by that municipal council, both
Mayor Clagett and Councilman Mix
were open to criminal prosecution;
for the law prohibits councilmen in
towns and cities having any inter-
est, "direct or indirect" in any con-
tract with or sale to the city. Viola
tions of that law are punishable by
fine, or Imprisonment or both. "The
Oasis" quoted the law two years ago,
when it successfully opposed re-elec-
ton of Mayor .Clagett. In that list
Of demands paid Roy & Titcomb, as
published in "The Oasis" yesterday
morning there are sixty-two separate
demands, each and every one of which
constituted separate offence when
Mayor Clagett sat in the city gov
ernment and permitted them to be
paid. The law is plain, and is cannot
be misunderstood. Any time a coun-
ty attorney should go into those mat
ters he would have a substantial
basis for criminal prosecution in all
those offences. Upon conviction the
penalty in each count would be $1OO
fine, OF a Jail sentence, or both.
That is another point that Mr.. Tit
combs interview did not meet. Sell
ihS SOOdo w q municipality dI COSL
does not excuse violation of the
law in selling them.
Mr.. Titcomb's allegation that the
goods were sold at cost recalls the
story of the girl who rallied at the
fuss that was made about the birth
of her baby, without wedlock. sTt
was such a little one."
Further Mr.. Titcomb's interview
asserts that Roy & Titcomb sold the,
town their goods at cost. But in
Continued on Page Four)