The Arkansas banner., 1847-01-27
ACORN.
Tor fAs Banatr.
TIE PRINTING BILL.


 it ia within the recollecii,n of many. that Scpaaos, the friend of Mr. Wuodruf, mnseal ihe printing nG 500 copies nf lhe G"Eernor's Message in ,he Arkansas Stale Democsat-- n paper that from Us heg,nsng up to the meet ina of tlis Legislature, had been most siolent and bi,ieT in Us sienuucialions nf that gentle man 6 official couslucl, and whose editor was kaown to be personly unfriendly tu him. The attempt io lnrce upon hun, as his es- pseial organ, paper so jussly nsilons, was believed too humIlialing ay memorable Seaa- tors. and turn was given tc the tnoi'on, by various amendments, which finally resulted in the passage nf a resolution, tn give ihe Public Printing to the lowest bidder, and wi.h it the printing of the message
 The usual course pursued by former i.e- gislature< had heen to eoniTacs for the print tug af that body alone. leaving unimpaiFetl the rights Of co-ordiaate departments ef the Ssaie Governmeni; each. Executive and Ju- diciaI, 10 contract for sach work as pertains so those departments themselves. <
 The psin,iag for every department oG the Ssaie was however provided snr, in this res oln,ion ,s be ,loae by one Press, and that the lowest bidder.
 The committee appointed for the purpose. received proposals, aud accepted as the low est. the bid af Mr. Borden, editnF oi the Stale Gazette. previous to :he enrilIment and ap- praval of the resolution hy the Goyernor.---I Aud upon being presented lo the Governor, while he approved ilie course of letting the printing oi the General assembly to the low est bidder, slisapprovcd the general scope ta- ken by the resolution in its eatrenehmca, upon the rights of coordinate Departments, and gave strong instances, why tfe executive should not be confined to the use of the col- nmns of one paper alone, in all cases os pub lie service. all which may be seen by refer cnce to the reto which IS before the public, and the ground of objection, and will be readily appreciated by an intelligent pablic. by referring to that dncumenl; but be they SO or mol. the objections urged by the Gov. upon returning the resoiution, were sustained hy respectable maioaity Of the House Of Reps. who SO altered the resolutions, as to embrace the public printing only of tise Gen. eral Assembly, and in this shape the resolu- ton kas approved by the Gov and Mr Bor- den closed his contract under l..
 will not charge that this sspFinsins bill, that male its appearance on the Governors table late on the last evening of the session, had been rune m tthe instance of Mr. Wood rufF But # t was. and there is some room for such supPosision, when we look back to the willy attempt of this gentleman through his friend in sheA Senate, tn his motion to print the Governors message in the s.Demo- crasa then il must Have been for one of two ohiects-either for the sake Of being quar- tered upon the treasury once more al some price; or io afford him capital against the Governor. and oI this last, he felt himself sure in either ease; us he was to be tan,a- lixed fsir his meekness in surrendering the grounds he first occupied if he shouid, ,ap- prove the bill, which was liable to all the objeciions of the resolution he had vetoed: and with rioiatioa of Ass public dHiy. and q breach of the trsst reposed ia him, if he should disapprove, or withhold the bill. l7
 l, would be we'll for ihsse who attempt to enligh,ea the public, to do SO, with some te- gree of fairness lt the ed,tor of The Dem ocra. had aimed a, fairness, he never would have given to the public, the 'soairageous aet of ihe GorerRer," without also giving true history of tie matter, and to have done so, would have destroyed ihe whole fabric of his charge.
 To have given the above facts, together with the further one, that not less than, per haPs hfteen or twenty members had left for their homes, when this Printing bill was passed, would have destroyed the force of his charge.
 bill passed a: the last oi the session, when il Is doubtful whether a suosum was present; done ia the general harry and con- seqnent inat,ention of members al such time; and lastly, the passage of .his bill was violation of their own rules, aud those oi all well regulated delibefative bo,lies---for u Is eviden, that such proposition had previ- onsiy been destroyed hy the House of Rep resenta,iyes ia sustaining the Governors oh- jections, when that body was full--and while u remained full, no attempt ofihe kind could have prevailed; bu, the last hours of the sts- sion, in ihe absence ef many, and the inst. seniIon of others, afforded the only opporti- nity to the advocates of ihis restrictive mea- sure upon the legitimate rights of the Exec tive to accomplish their purpose; and il was attempted, anl the resul, has been, as the public are aware, total failure.
 W.