Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-10-19
proGt of $4,000.

profit OF $4,000.
Tho gentleman from Illinois, Mr..
McCleriand, with some emphasis
boasts that it has not been pretended
that the present contractors have not
executed their contract strictly ac-
cording to its terms. Well, sir, ]
take issue with him upon that point,
and charge that the contractors have
signally failed to execute the work
according TO their sGpula,ions. do
not mean TO be understood as inclu-
ding Mr.. Towers: he ! as executed
faithfully his contract, and has not
sent in, petition TO he relieved from
its terms, or 10 be allowed greater
compensation than he stipulated to do
ihe srn'k in his class for.
When the Secretary of Senate and
Clerk of the House of Representa-
tives advertised for proposals for do
ing the public printing for the present
Congress, they exhibited to the bid
ders as a sample of paper which
they announced as the standard for
paper for all the work. BY compar-
ing the sample with the paper used
by the present contractors, for the
greater part of the documents, it will
be found that The latter is greatly in
ferior 10 the sample. The regular
number are printed on good paper,
which are about tWenty-six hundred
copies of each document, including
those placed cn tie tables of the mem
berS, but all "eafrd" Numbers, which
embraces the documents we send
home TO oar constituents, constituting
the great bulk of the contract, is
printed on paper of an inferior quail
lty. If the contractors go on and eX-
ecute I'll the work now ordered and
10 be ordered by this Congress, and
continue 10 print all the extra copies,
as they have heretofore done, on pa
per of inferior qua 'ify, they will save
some twenty thousand dollars, which
would not be saved if the contract
was cHecuted according TO its stipu-
lations. 1t was urged as, an excuse
for this departure from the contract,
that it has been the custom hereto
fore to print all extra numbers on in
ferior paper. 1t is of but little con-
sequence what custom prevailed pre-
vlous 10 the establishment of the con-
tract system in 1916. The reply con-
elusive againt the plea of custom is
this: The written contract requires
that all The papeI 10 be used shall
weigh thirty-eght pound per ream,
and the paper used for all the extra
copies weighs but thity pounds: the
former is worth $4 rs per ream, and
the latter $3 30per ream, The cen
tractors pocket by their non-compli-
ance with the written stipuIations
ST. do per rerm on every ream thus
improperly used, which, when aggre-
gated, will fall but little if any short
of twenty thousand dollars. 1t this
a faithful compliance with the terms
Of the contract! IL it is not, then ]
have sustained myself in the issue
made with my friend from Illinois,
[Mr. EcClerland. c.
There is another feature, which /
shaIlnot pass by in silence. The
public printing las not been urged
forward with sufficient industry and
energy. The first part of the Patent
Office report for 1919, is still in the
printers hands. We have not been
able to send a single copy to our CON
stituents; and as to the second part
of The same report, for lS49. it is
doubtful whether it has been com
menced. will not charge the con-
tractors now with delaying the work
for the purpose of forcing Congress-
10 pay better prices, but it is appa-
rent TO all that he printing is far be-
hind what il should be. If the con
tractors had increased the number of
their workmen, and run their presses
night and day, as other printers have
heretofore doiie when ihe exisency
required it, we should have had much
less reason to complain of the harras-
sing delays with which we have
been SO seriously afflicted al the pre-
sent session. 49, .9
To conclude, then, the contractors
have no legal or equitable claim TO
be relieved from a contract which,
they have voluntarily made. With
full knowledge Of all the facts at the
time of entering into it, Ifthe House
determines to relieve them by aDnul-
ling the contract, their liberality
should step there. fit is determin-
ed to pay them actual cost for all
their work and materials, it viii be
making a free use Of the money of
our constituents; but if it should be