The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-18


came voluntarily involved. Will the House moi
consider it proper 10 d3lay until we can see with
what aim and object this unfortunate gentleman in
kerfe~ed in the matter Of the public printing
certainly deem such delay advisable.
but the resolutions relate back to the com
mencen,ept OF the session, and will auth orze pay
ment to the contractor AT rate not only specified
! by his contract, but far beyond that rate thai
he will be paid for what is now done, more profit
than would have contented a competent printer
for the whole work to be done during the year
The honorable chairman holds up to your view
the first part OF the Presidents message, aud
exclaims thatthe contractor is allow ed only TWEEN
lynne and half cents per volume Tor that work
lie informs the House that his resolutions will
swell u at compensation 10 seventy six and hall
cents. The difference amounts to about one hun
bred ard sirty per cent. additional profit, We or
dered fifteen thousand extra numbers Of the mes
sage and accompanying documents, according to
my recollection, and the proposed increase oi
compensation tbr the first part Of that document
(there being three parts) will swell the printer
bill from forty-fve hundred dollars to near twelve
thousand dollars ls it possible this can be just
TO the people representa- II this rate Of in
crease is to attach to the whole printing, how
enormous the aggregate OF additional profit to the
contractor, and how stimulating to a repetition
Of the practice Of nnder-biddng, reserving reIi-
ance upon the machinery of party to alter the re-
What was the difference between the bids of the
present contractors and those of their COMPETE
tors' may be permitted to suppose that prir ter
of experience in his profession, competent as to
means, willing to embark his fortune in the BUSH
ness Of printing for Congress, and ready to de-
vote his time to the prosecution of the business,
placed his bid before the Clerk, after minnie
calculation of the rates at which he could perform
the contract to realize fair and living profit
If the bid Of such person should turn out to ex-
coed the actual bid Of the present contractors by
no more than ffty-one thousand dollars, is 1t not
| palpabe that this House cannot be justified in
voting sum greater than fifty-one H. ousand dol
lars to these contractors for what they have per-
| formed, releasing them from the remnant Of the
contract? Mark, sir, in that sum of ISL 200 1
suppose the printer to have calculated his profit IN
it not certain that the point at which loss COM
mences must be far below that sum- The repre-
sensations Of ruin which have been made are the
exaggerations of fear, Mr. Speaker, if not Of in
ferest. We should lock infinitely at the tscts be-
fore these representations become the guides of
our Judgment have heard much, out Of doors,
on this point, but venture to say that when the
cost of executing the public printing is compared
with the rate Of the contract, t,r0 per cent. aciil
coper the actual oss if, indeed, there shall appear
any loss. Let us not be frightened from our pro-
priety, but come calmly to the consideration of
this whole subject. 1t is matter of very great
public Importance. No branch of public expen-
diture makes much larger gaps in the public trea-
sure than the public printing, and none has yielded
so large profits to the successful employees Of Gov
eminent, when adroitly managed
But, sir, there is a popularity about these reso-
lutions which invites especial scrutiny. No SINH
lar instance of liberality be found on record
among the archives of the public printers of
Congress- Ii is real bonnie bouche offered to this
side the House, for which, no doubt, we should
be duly thankful mean the voluntary partition
of the public printing with Gales and Seaton
Ia No of off
enable the work to be done there? Does this fact
occasion this remarkable stretch of generosity 1t
is magnaninify to which parties not accus-
toned Surely, it lis not designed to imbody the
strength Of both parties in this Hall by the pre-
sentntion Of this proposition divide but respect
fully submit, that il is curious specimen Of conbi-
nation, which cannot fail to attract attention, and
which both sides of this House ought deliber-
ately to examine before its adoption. If the tes-
tnony before the special committee should ex-
hibit Willingness among the proprietors of the
Union and IntelligeDcer to do the public printing
on joint account, that each should have noieiy,
and that the proprietors of another newspaper
should have the printing of the departments pro-
vided they can, by joint effort, induce Congress to
abandon the contract system, what would the
country think of the passage Of these resolutions
after the development of that combination shall
have been madei 1.-THE contract system is wrong,
abandon it if it is right, adhere it. IL you find
the proprietOrs of the press unanimous in their de-
sire to return the law of 1919 the standard by
which prices shall be regulated and find that they
propose 90 80, 40, As, sc per cent. below those
| prices, as rates at which they will contract, YOU
have testimony at before you that the stand
ard is very high and the point at whcl~ business
men will settle for fair compensation deserves
| more investigation than enabled to-day to
give to this subject. l am opposed to the sealing
and delivery of this contract at this time. /
claim for the ''craft" of the country another day
for the hearing of this case. claim for the peo-
pie another investigation before judgment. | re-
present that the special committee now only
delayed from presenting report by the exam
nation Of testimony which MIR. Richie desires to
bring before them, and, he is the party bene-
fically interested, as it appears, | submit that
while his is under hearing before the tribunal
to which proper investigation of it has been re-
ferred by this House, there should be no call upon
the House to pronounce judgment. Let come
Oh the merits.
Mr. PARKER desired to ask the gentleman
from Kentucky, whether the special committee had
not caused the delay to which this case was now
to be subjected, by refusing to allow Mr. Richie
to cross-examne the witnesses the investigation
progressed and whether the testimony in chief
was not concluded before the committee allowed
Mr. Richie to recall any witness.
Mr.. MARSHALL. 1t is true Mr.. Richie was
not permitted to cross canine the witnesses as
the investigation progressed. The committee did
not know Mr.. Richie the public printer or
what he had TO DO with the investigation. MI
Belt, who gave bond, and who bid for the contract
and to whom the contract was assigned under the
law, never has in,mated desire to come before
the committee, any interest in the proceedings
of the committee. He has never applied for the
privilege of cross-examiniDg the witnesses, and we
have his memorial soc under consideration request
ing that he shall be reeasad from the contract. In
the face of this Mr. Richie himself TO be the
public printer and the party really interested but
sir, he is only of the securities, and is not
known, under the law, as even bidder for the
| contract. Why shall he be allowed to intervene
He makes no allegation that his principal is insol
vent or unable 10 execute the undertaking for which
he became his surety. Mr.. Belt is a journeyman
printer, l understand, in the Union office. Mr.
| Richie knows his means. and knew them when
has several subjects of general nature referred TO
them and no courtesy required for Mr.. Richie the
privilege of giving direction to their investigation
of those general topics, Of prolonging that I'M