The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-07-20
THE PuRIIC PRINTING

THE PUBLIC PRINTING.
five could be surprised at thing coming from
Mr.. Geo. s. Gideon, his advertisement in the Ma
lona lntelligsncer Of this morning would excite our
astonishment IN eminent degree. That individual
seems so bent upon adhering TO his errors even af.
ter his gross" calculations exposed, that we
are half-ncned to leave him to his own conscience;
but he has chosen, Sin justice TO the committee"
he says, to take up his pen in their Defence upon
his head rest all the consequences of his rashneSs.
| II so happens, however that we made attack at
all upon he committee. We expressed, indeed, our
surprise that the evidence Of Mr. Gdeon-wthout
the least practical experience the subject-with
out any quality either Of intelligence" or "me-
chanical skill" at all comparable with such
Mr.. Rives and Mr.. Grouard-should be nevertheless
received in preference to the testimony Of tn gen
temeni-men whose active personal acquaintance
with the public printing has existed for periods the
one Of fourteen the other OF twenty hve years But
ia expressing our surprise at the conclusion, we were
far very far from attacking the motipss OF the COM
mittee and, even had we done so, we think those
gentlemen might with some proPriety exclaim with
Virgil "N6n tall auriIiO," &c.
Mr.. G., with the most amusing simplicity, says
we "have aaduced no evidence to rebuff his cacula-
tions-no figures TO prove them erroneous" We
thought it sufficient "eVdencep to put the statements
ofMr. Grouard and Mr.. Rives in contrast with Mr.
Gdeons; and il these did not show the utter absurdy
Of his calculations" how could we hope that any
of our estimates would be relied upon'
"No figures to prove them erroneous" Well,
| IL; =. Of. of
that we could expect even from Mr.. Gideon. Why,
did We not concusiVely "Prove," from his O,cn
6gures, that for three months work Of our extern
sivs establishment, he thought $500 would be "far
profit to the printer And has he attempted to
answer this point, or even TO explain the absurdty1
Yet he complains that toe have given no figures to
prove his statements erroneous. Truly we might
have spared ourselves the pains-the task had been
fully accomplished by the "intelgence and skill"
OF Mr. G. himself.
We cannot hope to satisfy Mr. Gideon that the
averments we have made in regard to the profits on
congressional printing are comfortable with the
srictest TRUTH for that parsonage resolutely repudi
ates all testimony but his own. But efforts
may prove more fortunate in another quarter,
where practical experience will be acknowledged
paramount to Estimates" and where theoretical
calculations" must give place to the sober reality
Of reason and Of truth To combat with all the err
rors and absurdities put forth by this witness, would
be to flight with shadows" and the shortest way
to show that no dependence can be placed on the
testimony that gentleman has submitted, is to give
his own evidence and in his own way, and then re-
peat the question, "What reliance can be placed" on
On the 4th of May Messrs. J. & G. S. Gideon
! swore to the following
1--WE are satisfied that a change from the presen
mode of ereeung congre sionai printing to the con
tract system would he of great advantage to the
- public service in point Of economy. We believe
that if the work should be given out, in classes, &c
/. the lowest bidder, al least so per cent. would b,
saved and the work executed well and as prompt
ly as it now is under the present system"
Well, "the present mode of executing congress
sona printing" is that the printers elected shall
perform the work at prices 20 per cent less thar
we're allowed by the joint resolution of 1919, &c
Now, let us once again apply Mr. Gideon's theory
to his figures, and see how it squares with hi
assertion that cat least so per cent would be saved.
We take the first Item find in the table Of the re
port, compiled from Gideon's estimate:
80 pages of Presidents message, under "the
present mode Of executing congressional
printing" costs the government s75 3
Take "at least 50 per cent" off, would be 81 6!
But Mr.. Gideon says the "cost TO prn-
teri is 50 "
= Los, to the printer Is .,
e We will now take up the table again, and SCI
e how il would work upon the six pet documents
comprising some 1889 pages; promising that tn
''cost to the printer" must be the under what
ever system the printing may be executed
Jsss s passs costs the government $3.50
so per cent off would be 4,l59 s.
Which Mr.. Gideon says would coat the
3 printer 5,399 D
Leaving loss to the printer, after three
1t months pOrk, Of $40 0
And this is Mr.. G.'s own figuring, not ours whic
he says we "cannot upset." for we repeat now
lie what have before said, that his "cost to the prn
l. teri is put down very far below the reality Ha
we not reason, then, when expressed our al
constituent that the report should have adopted III
vagsries Of this fgruatps genius, Tin than on
sense) and thrown out Of view the only reliable ev
de,ce--viz: that of distinguished practical abilit
and "mechanicsl skill" which il to be abundant
found in the testimony of Msssrs. Rives an
Grousrd'
We have no further time to bestow on the smu,in
eccentrices ofths gentleman, further than to motto
the forsshsdoving Of what Congress might cxpec
should the desire Of Mr. Gideon that the printing
given out to the lowest bidder be grstifed. II wi
Il be reoolleeted that, in letter from our foreman
which we recently published, he stated tina, the eo'
decomposition had been incurred lhrss Erls, in prin