The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-12-18
OFFICE OF PUBLIC PRINTER.

JonnHon from fe!ect committee, tor aboli hing
the Office of Public Printer. The heads of this
Bill are
1T. That this office flould be henceforth abo
lined.
End. That it fhould be the duty of the Clerk of
the Houfe of Delegates TO contractwith fomc
printer for the printing of the Journals, Bills
and other Jobs executed, during each FELTON,,
for the ufe of the houfe.
3ri. That it fhould be the duty OF the Execu-
tive Council to contract with fome printer for
the execution of all the other printing for the
ufe of the Fate with this provifo, that no
contrast fheud be made for a longer period
than 8 months.
Mr.. e. Rarriicn obfervcd that this was the
proper time TO arref the Bill before the houie.
That he was oppofed to all its provifions, and
particularly 10 its lait fiction. The Executive
are to contract for the printing of the work for
the ufe Of the fate. And is it proper then in US
to degrade our Executive Council to board of
contractors Every three months they are to ad.
vertze for fome perfon, who will execute thi.
mechanical work in the beG ayle and on the low
eft terms. They are 20 receive the different eff
Inmates which may be offered to them, and thew
are then to count up each petty item OF ex-
pence, and compare all theie various propolti-
ons together for what To obtain printer
who will do our work on the bef terms. ak,
whether Our pre!ent printer is incapable. I de-
mand the reaion why we ihoald throw the ref
ponfibihty upon the Executive, for choice mutt
be made by fome department or other and
why we ihoud be afraid to take it upon our
felves Is it to fave the pitful FUN of e,7oo dol
loars There is another argument which has
fone weight. If we adopt the fyiiem fpecifed
by this Bill, the expence of the public printing
will be uncertain. For it will be left entirely to
competition. Is it not better to let the people
know at once, as they do underline pre(ent plan,
what is paid for this work, than leave it in un-
certainty
MIR. p. JobuRou.--Tt is unufua, believe Sir,
to debate a Bill like the prefent upon its fri
reading. tits always proper to let it lie over
ihort time for the inveaigation of the members,
who are feldom prepared with fufIicent facts to
cove to an immediate deciiion. None but j
very frong mind can properly climate ftlch an
innovation, as this may be flid to be, at fra
fight. If the gentleman from Amelia can, there
are certainly very few others who are as well
prepared. Thu gentleman has omitted the very
ttronget feature in the Bill public ECONOMY.
l mean the rconomy Of money and the time of
this houfe. How much controversy. fir for the
lait or years has taken place in this houie
on the falary TO be given to this officer, and of
the candidate TO whom it ihould be given 70
much, that will venture TO fay, we have diiIipa-
ted the amount Of that falary.
Bnt the gentleman fays, the executive will be
degraded: will they indeed? And is the gentle
man then more diipoied to degrade this houfe
than the Executive Or is it in fact any decra-
dation at all ?-Excluive or this confederation
there is another point of view, in which this flb-
ject may be coniidered. The economy which
we ihouid obierve, ia il .esards TIE jaiz-y. Tho
faiary is now about 2,7oO dollars but highly
respectable printer has told me that if the work
A., a., f.ls -.
be done for half OF that fun. Let us not then,
throw the Bill out Immediately Let US take
time to enquire into its serits At all events let
it progrefs.
MIR. Bar0Ow.-How comes it to pats, fir, that
this is the firt time face tbs efabliihment ofthc
colony ofVirgna, that the propriesy of this office
has ever been quetioned Our fate has inva,i-
ably employed Public Printer. This fact is
numerically atteited by the archives of our coun-
Try. Is our public printing icfs cxtenGve now,
than formerly? Show ne, fir, if it can be done,
why we fhonld IN the preicnt cafe innoyate up-
OH antiquity. | viii venture TO alieft, that
public printer is an officer of the fate that the
appointment of this officer is part the patro-
mage of this houfe. Sir, will never content TO
take away any part of our patronage. The gem
ticfnan who preceded me has aifcrted that the
pablo money and the time of this houfe have
been diiHpated in controversial arguments upon
the amount of falary aud the character OF the
candidates. But fir, the fyitem which has been
propoteo, will Introduce more controversy into
this houfe. The climates OF expenditures will
be !aid before us and then we fhall have TO
make 1t matter OF contention, whether the pro-
per departments have not contracted for too
much or for too little. The Clerk of this houle
IS 70 be inyelted with the power of contracting
G4Ai5;tnm and 70 alto viii the Executive.
can never content 70 truit either ofthofe organs
With iuch ali unlimited power.-Wc have been
told that the work may be executed for one
half ofthe Stipulated falary. Why then did they
not bring in Bill with fuch proyifo /? For then
foine refpett1ble printer might have come for
yard to comply with its terms. Sir, have
thought proper to meet this Bill at the outfet
1t any meafure has my difapprobaton, viii
fay 10 qb ;1i:io.
Mr. HA.ize believed, that the bill had been
brought in for the purp0is of economy, and la
this point OF view he could not but approve of
ii.-The gentleman from Orange E.ys, that il is
an inn. alton. lie did not think 70. A law
was not brought in fooner than the year 1893,
recognizing this oflicc.-Another objection had
been made, that it would be degradation TO
the executive. lie ihould be forty indeed to
make the executive mere agents but under the
pteient ttrn6tGre of our government, it could
not well he avoided. In other governments,
the executive department had feyeral flbordi-
nate officers to contract but in our fate, no
inch organization was to be found.--It has been