The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-10-09

the cost and contract price Of documents NOT yet executed
Il is clear that Mr., Marshall. like Mr. Orr, did not
take the necessary pains topresen correct view Of die
subject He selected the basis Of his cacpaiioDa the
two documents which came the nearest to eimbugsing
US. and presented them as samples. In making his
estimates he forced TO repudiaie the very Witnesses
who had been summoned against in The early part Of
the investigation Then the instgators Of the invesga
lion expected TO prove that the contracts in which
were interested had not been taken in good faith and
therefore they introduced evidence and had calculations
made to show that the contracts were taken ruinousy
low But the contracts were faithfully fulfilled and we
brought forward the most conclusive evidence to show
that every exeron made to urge the public work.
and TO execute il in good il not better syle-ceainy
with much greater promptude had been
cuted These facts constituted such overwhelming evi
dence Of good faith, that enemies were forced TO
change their ground Although they had been laboring
for months to prove that the contracts were taken
ruinous rates. with the intention OF getting possession Of
the work, 80 that by delay and bad work, the con-
tract system might be broken up. all at once we find
Messrs. Marshall and Orr sraining every nerve to
create doubt as to whether we have lost anything
under those very terms which they. with the aid
and supenntendence Of Mr.. Wentworth, had sue
ceeded in proving be runously low But this is not all
Mr.. Marshall. after attempting show. BY selecting
particular document that the contract is not losing
one still unwilling TO be consistent, and makes
another desperate endeayor prove that there in
tenton to coerce Congress to break up the contract sys
tenn In this connexion Mr. Marshall introduced the
statements made by Mr.. Wendell. Of New York, when
we not present. as to conversations held with
h;rl hal Qnls
statements which preposterous on their very face
and which Mr. Wendell himself modified in his
animation Mr. MARSHALL we'll knewif. indeed, he had
read the record with which he pretended to be SO familiar
We say, truly, that when the contracts taken,
and when became interested in them, neither we nor
any other person in America, that we know OF,
had the Iemotest expectation that the present
House OF Representatives would contain dem
ocratc majority. A large portion Of the members Of
the House had been elected, and the wings had gained
unprecedented victories Nothing but the faulty aud
folly Of the last cabne-atuity and folly which one
could have foreseen-would have prevented an over
whelming wing majority in the present House OF Repre-
sentatives We expected such majority when we be-
came interested in the for printing and il is idle,
therefore, TO suppose that we ever expected anything
more than sheer justice from the hands Of Congress Had
we been allowed sheer justice. would never have com.
planned Had the census been given according
to awhaf the contracts been interpreted according TO
their legal intent and meaning would never have
asked Congress- for decentralization. As weinerpretthe
Interpretation is sustained by the abes
lawyers we have consulted-they in the aggregate
good remunerang contracts Congress has not given US
our rights under those contracts and, consequences,
heavy pecaniary losses have been inflicted u.s. Yet
4 Z WE la & ~ I y 49, /. !.
still we have proved, by the most conclusive evidence,
that have strained every nerve 10 discharge our obi.
cations to Congress- The Joint Committee Printing
had invited the contractors to renqush their contracts
Mr. Belt accepted the offer Internationally as early
February; yet Congress would take action the sub
ject, and thus forced to execute unprece-
dented amount Of public work. The proposition for
reef-in which Mr. Marshall pretends TO see the proof
OF his foregone conclusion that there conspiracy to
break down the contract system-was not prepared with
our knowledge. In fact, il fell short Of our own
propositions our own calculations, hopes. II
was brought forward by Mr. Soule of Louisiana, with
out consultation with us, and, far as we know and
believe without the knowledge Of any person connected
in any manner with our establishment II pressed
by that distinguished gentleman in the handsomest and
most honorable manner. Il carried through the
Senate by an overwhelming vote; and Mr. Marshall. in
his eagerness to nure u.s. has but nsuted the Senate
We leave the country TO judge between that august
body and Mr.. Humphrey Marshall, Of Kentucky.
One more statement: We could not even get what the
Senate would have allowed US. low as that We had
offered to take IS per cent of the prices Of 1919 the
great mass Of the work. and IS the smaller jobs, when
the lowest that Congress had ever fixed 33i per
cent We had offered, too. il Congress would grant
those terms, 10 give up the enormous sum Of between
100000 and $4,000, which eminent counsel had adj
vissd us we might claim under the contract, and TO
charge it upon the reduced rates. Congress would
neither grant us propositions adopt the PROPOSE
ton Of the Senate.
They granted us nothing-no relief-no facility even
to expedite for their own benefit, the immense guam.
ti,y OF work which they left upon our hands. and
which should be done during their recess To two
other printing Offices they have granted immense APP
preparations 100000 or 100000 il not more, TO
one, and from $4,000 TO 100000 TO anoher) but to
the contractor for the public printing not dollars relief
We do not complain Of this. II 10 misfortune, per-
haps, that we cannot make our way as well as our
brethren In spite Of our memoral-in spite Of the
sderate report Of Col McWiilie's committee they
were told that our means exhausted by losses
they adjourned without assisting with dollar to
do their own work for their own benefit
We never should have been able to do this work but
for The voluntary offer OF means by gentleman OF large