The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-04-26

house ne breaks the conuact ana Goes moi puiu Tue
house n q manner corresponding 70 the contract. o.
within the time agreed upon. have right either to ter
inmate that contract and employ another capencs OF 70
come too mutual agreement upon the matter In the Tor
nsr case, he i certain TO you and in the other ne
could not The question brought before ~ BY the senator
from Arkansas Is ths Shall terminate this CONTRAST
and put out the printing 10 A. b or D; OF shall we
rates Indicated certain persons 10 DO selected BY US 90
The bnsnessi This is the simple view OF the case an
inclined 70 the contract systems butmy respee % my
the chairman OF the committee, who says II - an UNSAFE
system, would incline 10 gel rid OF as soon as
BILE, and 10 put the contract In the hands OF so"sDoy
whom we could employ a reasonable ,ss senator rom
| Wisconsin advocates, think il would be lawsuit
without any profit litigation without any use; y may
be- as suppose that he intends TO rebuke and censnie
these contfacors--o hold them up Ia isTcrsm 70 warn
the public and aard the easuTy bu so Lar as Inc ac
tua bond is concerned. think we could gel no benefit
from IL think the shortest way As the BEST and TO Come
10 An understanding upon the matter, If 10 close
IN the ORE sent Contract and either let out by contracts
as to lei Blair Riyes and others come In, or give y to
Gales Seaton and the Union Office for, If we employ
a, The rates taken from hose oil the law of 16l9 suppose
Gales Sealon and the Union Office will do the work by
common understanding. and perhaps reasonably any
other person. il could be done upon contract
where Others should come in My friend from Arkansas
has told that the latter will end in good deal OF
confusion and difficulty and that the other Is more GER
taini and, that account shall 60 for the relief the
occasion calls for hope the vote will be taken feel
prepared by resolution, to terminate the contract and
employ others 70 do the work upon such rates as the
contract may agree hope the vote will be taken IN
MIR Mr. uni UNDERWOOD Mr.. President, this matter Of
public printing, for the last fifteen years. has been sub
ect which Congress has been called upon various times
to act upon AT the commencement Of my experience it
was connected with The political press Of the country ;
and great many exceptions taken to that
ion The project has been from time 10 time suggested
that the government ought to have its printer, its
own press, and employ It's own agents 10 do the work.
really am inclined 10 think that that would be the best
thing that could be done.
AS 10 thismatier OF contracting sir, which my friend
from Arkansas Mr. BoRLASDl objects toand there is
great deal Of force in the objection-we sir are to
blame in very great degree for the existence Of the OBJ
jectons which result from this system Tkegovernment
price with great many persons who engaged to perform
the public labor and, instead of rigdly enforcing the
contract upon them, You have let them OF, and invited
petitions from them BY your conduct and, in many in
stances, have paid them great deal more than the 6rg
nal contract price. The consequence OF this state of
things just this: II is fraud upon bona de bidder
fair price for receiving his labor Some Individual,
knowing the bid he puts in, will not furnish fenlune-
ration, will underbd The individual who goes for fair
price, with the expectation OF applying 10 Congress 10
make up the deficiency and loss he has sustained Now
SIR year or two ago we paid hundreds and thousands,
believe, Tor contract upon the avenue The preext in
that was that the cholera had affected the hands
and upon hataccount there perhaps Just found
alton for the ntepositon Of Congress. That not
The only case, sir. My position upon the COMMITTEES Of
The New York custom.h house is one. recolect the
application TO the committee by individual who had
made contract to furnish the stone and marble for it
He stated that he had lost money. | believe he was
Enumerated. In instance an act was passed for his
benefit, not giving the amount which he thought Just
compensation, and he applied again and again.
These things, sir, are OF constant occurrences and the
result OF the practice OF the government OF aevatng
the bidder and compromising him, allowing him to make
contract al an unfair rate of compen salon. and then
undertaking afterwards 10 pay him what reasonable
and just is fraud upon the bona de and honest bidder
who puts in bid by which he live, and which he
expects will enable him to execute the contract The
only remedy for that IS rigid adherence to the contract
Now, sir II we cannot get along by enforcing contracts
rgidy, and making bidders put in such bids they
live BY. and which will enable them TO do the work. il
seems to me that our best remedy is TO employ
who shall in truth be the printer for the government
for the government 10 establish government press and
furnish the printer funds enable him to do the public
printing. am satisfied that system OF that Sort If
had time to carry IL out, would be immense saving to
the government upon the prices allowed IN the resolution
OF 1919. Whether il could be executed by the present
Congress. am not sufficiently informed. suppose II
could n OF be.
The present emergency could NOT be well met by a
system OF that sort we must adopt some other system at
present II you adopt any other system, and this con-
tract has not been executed and il take away the
printing from the individuals who have failed to execute
it. il is an abrogaion Of the contract npoa our part leav-
ing remedy hereafter. because il is based upon its
failure He will be entitled 70 nothing Still, II the mat
ter could be arranged SHOULD prefer that there could
be understanding at the time when the work is taken
away from him, that the contract has been dscon.
1 tinued
There great deal Of force in the remarks made by the
senator from Alabama, MIR. CLEMENsl that we ought
not BY this amendment 10 confer premium for .he vlo-
aon OF the contract and in amendment 10 say TO the
individual is true, sir, you have made bad bargain
IN undertaking 10 work at price that you cannot live
by; in consideration OF that will pay you what the
officers OF the Senate may allow those hereafter to be
employed" That Is the very state oil things which want
to obviate II s your federation OF things OF that sort
which confers premium upon these NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
fraudulent bidders-and which drives away individuals
willing 10 work al fair price, and who put in fair
bids, out OF competition You will drive them Oft; and
then when you do that, you will compensate these in
dviduals for undertaking the printing at price that
they cannot live by That Is all wrong. 10 my judgment.
that they shall not put in bids unless they live BY
them have not, the chairman Of the Committee on
Printing has, turned my attention TO the subject sup
pose the suggestion OF the senator from North Carolina
would not be present remedy. The only remedy Is 10
allow the contracts 10 be bad out in one form or
another 10 those who win do the work. taking away
from the present contractors. II II cannot be done with
their consentf they will not consent am for making
the change, and leaving them TO their remedy hereafter
The second experiment in the history Of the government
OF letting out the congressional printing under contract
has thoroughly failed, and demonstrates TO the sats
faction OF every observing man, that the failure now u
little more complete than IL before the resolution OF
1872 when abandoned the worst system which
could be adopted under the government as understand
from gentlemen OF that period. believe the failure q
| be complete feel, In common with other gentlemen
who have spoken upon the subject the Inconvenience o.
being deprived OF access 10 the public documents W.
have reached point, sir, when we must establish
some permanent system and upon some better footing
infinitely prefer the old mode OF electng printers for
the hous<sfhe Senate and the House oil Rep