Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-09-19
RATES OF ADVERTISING.
INDIANApoLrs, SEPTEMBER IA, 1850.
The Public Printing.


The Auditor of Public Accounts who has pur-
chased with money, the Office of Printer to the
State, copies the letter of the publisher of this paper,
addressed to the members of the Constitutional Con-
yenton, declaring himself as a candidate for Printer
to that body, and then proceeds, cannot say, in
a lawyer-lke manner, TO argue the question, by Co
pying section from the Revised Statutes providing
for the election of public printer having just about
much TO do with Printer TO the Convention as
the election of constable in Liberia
He then commences his article by saying, that
Mr.. Chapman gave the bond required for the State
printing and for 'he faithful performance of all the
duties required OF him by law" Now, the law goes
to designate the character of the printing, such
as printing ordered by the Executive and LegiSla-
tive Departments of the State; but does say that
he shall execute all printing which is to be paid for
with the public money Hundreds of dollars have
beer paid for printing to Offices in different parts of
the State since the law alluded to was enacted and
it never even dreamed, that all printing, of
whatever character should be executed at one Office
until it supposed that man could concentrate
in his individual character all the emoumentS of of
fee in the State
Now, the Doctor is a great metaphyscian, and he
goes to argue that because the Legislature pass
ed law, providing for the meeting of the Conven-
ton and the number of Delegates, every thing done
by the Convention is the act of the Legislature
that if the Convention orders printing it is ordered
by the Legislature, and not by that body The Leg
isature, he thinks, puts the Delegates to the Conven-
ton under kind of mesmeric influence, and COM
mands that body to do its WILL and is responsible for
its acts.
The law of last winter provides, that the Conven-
ton shall organize by ''eecting President and all
other officers necessary" and if the principles of
mesmerism not brought to bear, we cannot see,
for the life of US, how the learned Doctors argu-
ments viii operate Under this principle, however,
he says 'the Convention has no more right to elect
another State Printer than the State Bank has %
No one contended that the Convention could
elect State Printer; but Printer to the Conven-
ton and State Printer are two distinct Offices The
law compels the Public Printer to perform certain
work under his bond, but nowhere compels him to
do the printing of body entirely unknown to the
law at the time it was enacted
Our County Boards are organized under law of
the LegisIature-they even IegisIate, by enacting
laws; but no one ever dreamed, that the printing
they order should be performed by the State Printer
at Indianapolis.
There was an implied understanding, at least,
when Mr.. Chapman was elected Public Printer, that
all the work to have been performed at Indian
apolis. Here he fitted up Office erected the ne
cessary buildings, SIC. Now, the Legislature might
have directed the Convention to meet at Michigan
City, and might have provided, that the printing for
the Convention should amount to only fifteen hundred
dollars, Every acquainted with printing can
here see, at glance, that there would be great in
Justice in compelling Mr.. Chapman to do this print
ing at Michigan City, and any win see, that nc
Court of Justice would compel him to do il under hi;
contract and the law.
He cites the Auditor, Treasurer, Secretary o
State, Sc, as Offices parallel with Printer. Accord
ing to this reasoning the Secretary of State should
be the Secretary of the Convention. If our Consti
tutional Convention is to perform its duties under
mesmeric influence, and the Legislature, that mere
ly provided for the time Of meeting is responsible a
the worker of The wires-if the Delegates are mere
puppets in It's hands, we can reason why j
should not, with the aid of the Auditor have made
Constitution at once had adopted and printed and
if necessary, merely ratified by the Delegates. i