The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-10-05

select their channels Of advertising throughout the
country The public interest, and an honest ad.
miD,sration of the public money, demand that this
system Of pauperism and corruption, this waste Of
the public funds on mere leeches on the treasury,
should be stopped. The post-ofice law has applied
the entering wedge-let II be driven home till the
log s opened and the vermin destroyed. Another
great engine (high pressure) of corruption, which
has disgraced the government for a period coeval
with the memory Of the oldest inhabltant, has been
the bestowal of the printing of Congress to the
organ of the party msjoriiy of either house. For
twenty years, down to the last Congress, the most
exorbitant prices have been paid In this way to
the party machines at Washington. A limitation
has frequently been fixed to the prices, but
an appeal by the printers for damages, has
never failed of from twenty to forty thousand
in "exua allowances" BY this system, CALLS
and Seaton, as printers to one or both houses,
have been paid an aggregate rising half
million, and it is their fault that they are not
as rich as Jews Blair and Rives, from their work
as the pets of Congress, have, like shrewd and
practical men, made all they could, pocketed the
profits and retired to country residences, with
stock in bank, lands IN the West, and hoases
and lots In town. Father Richie, who had got
poor upon the Virginia Legislature, IN two years,
as printer to Congress, and publisher of the
organ of the government advertising, got fat
upon II, bought the splendid town mansloa of Cor
coran q Riggs, and lives IN the style of Wall
street broker. His partner, Major Hess, from de-
pendence upon the experiment, has become the
ord proprietary of gold mine, and pays for the
| price of stocks by telegraph.
| Such have been the splendid results of the Con-
gress printing. Its costs do not fall short, but
coed, $4,000 for the House, and 100000 for the
Senate, per annum. But the profits have been fat,
clear fat. From speech of MIR. Clayton, IN the
Senate, in lS47, it appears that Richie d Heiss
made upon six documents (probably the Presi-
dents message and documents) clear profit of
&77,000. THIS had been the secret of changing
the system to printing by contract. The soup was
too nch. The wings, feared that Father Richie
would die of surfeit, and 80 in charity they took
it away; and law was passed, uader which the
printing for the last Congress was done by con-
tract. The successful bidders took it at a reduc-
ton of from twenty-five to thirty per cent upon
former prices. They had to purchase materials,
and fit up an Office, and they lost money, but
have petition pending for the usual "extra
allowances" heretofore paid. The work was
not done to the satisfaction Of either house.
Their complaints were frequent of bad paper, bad
printing, and unreasonable delays. The fault was
IN the contract. But it will probably be made
pretext for attempt at the next session to restore
the old plan Of favoritism. Several young printers
have contracted for the work upon reduced prices,
and, If they permitted to begin, any defect or
irregularty will be an excuse for ssspending the
bargain.
The organs at Washington are hungry for their
accustomed broth. They have their friends, aad
there will be some log-rolling to get it. But the
abuse should neverbe revived. Ifgood and prompt
work cannot be secured by contract, there is yet
another plan of killing off the old system Of public
plundering for the party presses Let Congress
erect national printing Office, and do its own
work. The present eystem of government adver-
tising. excepting single feature, is q nuisance;
and the old plan Of Congressional printing is
monstrous system Of plumber, bribery, and corrup-
ton. Who will undertake the reform Will not
the Preneent recommend il in his message Will
not some member Of the House make the measure
the ladder OF his own promotion tits good stock
for the White House, and these abuses must be
corrected. We shall leave the book printing, for
the present, TO Massa Greeley.