M'arthur Democrat

The County Printing.

An article in the last Journal upon this subject, contains the following paragraph:

"The Republican Commissioners acted in good faith in this matter—they gave us the printing because our bid was the lowest, and they have saved the County several hundred dollars by the operation. If they had been disposed, they could have given us the printing, at the price we had been doing it, without asking Mr. Pearce to put in a bid at all. But they did not—they gave the people the benefit of the lowest bidder, and in so doing, they were much more tolerant than their Locofoco predecessors, who insisted on giving Mr. Pearce just what he asked."

In order to show the gum-elastic sort of conscience possessed by the Journal, we simply submit to our readers the protest of Mr. Magee, as recorded in the minutes of the Commissioners:

Whereas, the Commissioners gave notice that they would sell the public printing for Vinton County to the lowest responsible bidder, and whereas J. W. McBeth, A. Pearce and H. S. Hamilton put in their respective bids for said work, and whereas the majority of the Board refused to open the bid of said H. S. Hamilton, alleging as their only reason that said Hamilton is not at the present time the owner of a printing press in Vinton County, I, Samuel Magee, one of said Board, have therefore opened the said bid, and find it to be—as follows, to-wit:

To the Commissioners of Vinton Co.

Gents—I will furnish all the printed blanks for all the County officers at fifty-five cents per quire. I will print all the Sheriff's advertising in the County at thirty per cent. lower than the rates now charged by J. W. McBeth, of the McArthur Journal, and will do all other public printing and advertising for the County at the same price I offer to do the Sheriff's printing—the contract to be in force for one year from this date. I will give good and sufficient security for the faithful performance of any work I may contract for.

H. S. HAMILTON

Dec. 7, 1859.

Now, therefore, I, Samuel Magee, do hereby protest against giving said printing to any other person than said Hamilton, he being the lowest bidder.

Now, when J. W. McBeth asserts, as he does above, that his bid was the lowest, he utters that which the records of the County show to be untrue. His assertion that the County has saved several hundred dollars by accepting his bid, is a bold, unvarnished lie, which no man, having any regard for his own honor, could ever be guilty of.