Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 108, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1911 — NO ONE BOBBED AND NO ONE WAS BRIBED. [ARTICLE]

NO ONE BOBBED AND NO ONE WAS BRIBED.

Superior Equipment of Republican Secured for It Particular dob of Printing “Chaos.” a A big wail has gone up from the Democrat office. Crying and babying is a specialty in that shop and the public pays but little attention to it. The Republican was given the Job of printing “Choas,” the high school annual, a student publication that depicts the various features of school life. The Republican’s price was $235. And the Democrat howls. Says it is robbery and falsely says that the bid was SBS higher than the bid of the Democrat. Just how false the Democrat waa in its statement can not be told accurately, owing to the indefiniteness of the Democrat’s bid. To begin with the Democrat was false 25 cents a page. It says in its howl that the Democrat bid $1 per page; as a matter of fact the Democrat bid $1.25 a page. It says there were to be 125 pages in the book, there are 128. Then the Democrat’s bid said that in addition to this would be the cost of the paper, the cost of the cover, the cost of the cord, etc., which was so ex- 1 tremely uncertain and indefinite that it is difficult to tell just where the Democrat would quit charging. But, 128 pages at $1.25 amounts to T. $160.00 Cost of paper, approximately. 30.00 Cost of cover.... 5.00

Total $195.00 Thus the Democrat started its wail with & misrepresentation of $45, not counting anything for the “etc.” in its bid. ' ~ ; The school committee that had the giving of the contract gave the greatest care to their work. They wanted to be assured of a high-class job as the first essential, and they sent out twelve invitations to bid on the work. Here are some of the estimates from printing companies: Repub. Pub. Co.,.Hamilton, 0..5375.00 Ind. Ptg. Co., Crawfordsville.. 221.00 Burford Co., Indpls., S4OO to.. 500.00 Franklin Ptg. Co., Chicago, approximately .... * .. 700.00 Burt-riay wood Co., Lafayette, too busy to accept the work at any price. One concern at Terre Haute, one at Richmond and one in Wisconsin also replied Saying that they would be unable to do the work owing to a rush of other work.

There were thus two bids, lower than the bid of The Republican. One of these was $14.00 less and -the sample submitted was not satisfactory. There was also the inconvenience of having the work done out of the city, as well as the desire to give the work to a Rensselaer office if they were sure of equally good work. While the bid of the Democrat office .was apparently about S4O less than that, of The Republican, there was then to be considered only the ability of the two offices to do the work. The Republican office has a Miehle job cylinder press, which is especially made for fine cut work, in which the publication largely abounds The Democrat office would have to do the work either on a platinum job press or on a newspaper press, and it is an absolute impossibility to do good half tops work on either. The committee studied this proposition over, as well as taking into account the fact that, there never was a printer in the city of the ability possessed by The Republican foreman, Thad H. Stephens, whose work stands for printing efficiency. Another thing taken into consideration about Babcock’s bid, was his intention of sending the half tone work, which bis office is not prepared to do, down to Monticello to have done. The high school committee did not want the work sent away from Rensselaer when they could get as good or better work at home, v And The Republican was given the contract, just as you would have given the contract for any kind of a job to the person whom you knew had the equipment to do it right

The editor of the Democrat is probably enough of a printer to know tlm there is no comparison in half tone printing between cylinder and platir num press work, and he evidently knows that his shop is not prepared to do the class of work "Chaos” required. His bid was S4O less for a job so much inferior that tbe committee wisely decided to have it done at The Republican office. “We print anything for anybody;” we do it right and we defy competition in prices, results considered. And we don’t furnish flimsy 6, or 8-ply card board for a 10-ply Job. We abide by the specifications. And we answer all questions and we don’t act the baby.