The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1850-09-14

printing already executed, ard les II
wait for the hoped-for higher 1rces
| Ritchie's agent even sought TO a3i The
Census printing to the monopoly n one
ircrtietA IT'S cost, in order as i. Is believed
that by holding tack this indispensable
work, Congress might be driven into
measures. OF this proof under oath can
be given, il required
We here beg leave further to quote the
editorial Of the Evening Post.
"Fehruary ls49, came rornd, he Gourmet
law still being In force, the ben''i arsci Of tue
old and corrupt svsem dctnrnnnnG TO resttrs It..
with Ill its advantages TO them. ihcY hnnaeh
together and consplrcd to ahr"gt'e tue craira t
system by cunning and indirc1,; Ii. Numerous
bids were received, many por 'ns II" bat tar
and reasonable rates, With amplc scra'!iy tor do.
ing the work. But the iorrmen CT Thomas
Rtchie's printing office, W1rc f!und to have bud
so low for the mass OF the printing. rs to fave
ruled oft all the comp, titos. They were regard
ed as the "a sptws oft their emp oyer at he time
I IL was known that they had n0 means OF any
sort to jrsly such uutiritakay, 10 u,ateTiAia,
no Oil q, no capital nc ha.!rs' rc-ut,t,o', a.
crc,lt.-The rates at which they Offered to take
! the work, were so low tlut every pract cal prln
ter, who was cognrz,nl Of tao Transaction, at
, once pronounced these 6li,U! bids, and the pre-
tended bidders to be tho G'cre Peter tnnks CT
some concealed operator, IN an iUtcnded impo-
Sltion upOu the government. THE chairman OF
The printing committee in the House Indignantly
denounced the prop 'sals from the Union Office
as sham bids, unreal offers, HE cover to p"cmcd~
| itated fraud ard called upon the Speaker to dis
! regard them, an. rive tie contract {, the next
loves, bidder who gnve evidence OF honest inlcn
ton, and was repaired vii, proper security:
| The scheme was known to hc, TO keep these
straw c!iigies OF contractors hefnrr til" ublIc
/ until after Congress should assemble aud enter
upon It's business, until the usual large nnrAhcr
OF documents should be orierct, and then To re-
/ fuse to do the work, in order To compel Congress
/ to abregate contract. AMI rctniu to the uid JOB
bing system, Ivy which Rit 'ria wound have been
enabled to clear, daring the fifteen months pt lhe
Congress. a, least h,'fa million ofdoIars
About tho beginning OF January, R,tchic :
cents stated to the Senate printing committee,
mat they could not do the work req ircd by
their contract, at the stipulated prices. the
> nate manifested no cordial disposition TO con-
nlvc at the scandalous rickery of which this
movement tho first development
At this time hundreds of thousands OF i'm
| menscly volumnous documents had been order
ed, embracing the Presidents ANNA message of
I nearly three thousand pages. the Treasury Ro-
port Of one thousand the California message and
correspondence Of one Thousand, and the Patent
Office sport Of iitnon hundred, (of which Latter
document, one hundred and seventy five ,hnu-
sand copies were ordered, and i, WINS presumed
that If both Houses were assa,led by tho threat
that these Indispensable documents should be
indetn ;ely withheld. they would consent to any
terms, however ext-avagant, scandalols, or col,
rupt. The stake for which Mr. Richie was
playing was half million Of dollars"
If Thomas Richie should succeed in
the Efforts he is makingto break down the
contract, his profits out OF the Treasury
would be enormous. On the Patent Or
flee Report alone, the profits this year
would be 100000, and proof OF this
will be furnished under oath, if il Is de-
nlej On the whole printing his plum
der, by good authority, would be moi less
than 100000 prof.
But this is not all: Belt chat is Rtch-
IT, was bound to furnish paper weighing
3S Ibs.~ to the double ream. The copies
Of doc uments lod on The members tables rs
specimens tone for each member,) were oil
this weight, and printed with contract
ink, and evenly and smoothly bound,
when they were bound; while those sent
to the folding room, there to be covered
up with paper so that they would not he
the documents and all those intended 10
be sent ont among the peop'c were furnish
ed by Richie from paper of 80 lbs, to the
ream inferior ink and wrinkI-d and COR
rugated binding, thus secretly vlolating
the contract and swIndling the public.
Copies of each kind OF the documents can
be shown IN proof. Moreover, docu
nents rejected by the Senate as inferior
and in violation OF the contract were Sent
and imposed upon the House.
Such are few of the frauds rrac,lssd
upon Congress in conneXion with the
public printing. Our space will no; per-
nit further developments.
l, was while these efforts to break up
the contract and to &c, a! the public mon
ev were being made, that on the 10th OF
July 1850, Richie wrote to the Char
man o the committee on printing, let
ter in relation to printing the rulogies
upon he death Of G, n. TAYLOR, III winch
he sand that $50 great was his confidence
" in the jus ice and magnanimIty Of Con-
"gresS that they will grant relief from the
other very oppressive parts OF The con-
'rract,' that he was willing to give ~
this JOB OF printing the euIogies, TO be ex-
.cutrd in Philadelphia, where it coulA
be done, as he sad, in more clrgan, style
, And he aided | hereby beg leave to be
:. understood that all the obligations OF
{: the contract are dispensed with on my
g part This letter was evidently thus
ln.iduous'y woTdcd in order to catch
Congress IN trap and bind 1t by legal
tnendmem TO ''grant RELIEF if they had
the eu!ogies printed bv another than the