The republic., 1851-03-15
Mr.. badger ON tn. Public Printing.

| he does between the points OF the compass, In
the discharge Of his constitutional duties
Mr.. BADGER ON tho Public Printing.
/ We have been running our eye over the Off
cial report of the debate in the Senate on Tues
day last, on printing certain extra copies of the
Patent Office Report. 1t is amusing to observe
the excitement which is reused among our le-
glslators whenever proposition is submitted
for any matter of public printing. 1t would
seem to be unimportant whether the printing is
done well or done seasonably; but it must not
| be SO done as to allow fair wages to journey
men printers. That would be corupting. With
| all humility we submit that this monomania in
regard to under-price printing israging with un
| due violence. We think there are subjects of
large expenditure quite as worthy of occupying
the attention Of Legislators, as this cutting and
carving at the ''art preservative of all arts" No
man of truth can deny that the system pursued
by Congress for the last four years in regard to
its printing has resulted in the unreasonable
execution of bad work. The provisions for the
next Congress will inevitably produce the same
result There is no help for it, But then
! there is the satisfaction that, if the work is
badly done, and unseasonably done, the con-
| tractor will lose money by it. This is a
''grand and glorious consolation" There is
no knowing what infinite corruption might pre-
vail in this pure metropolis, if the Typographi-
cal Society should succeed in interfering with
the contract system. The country can put up
with bad printing, or with no printing, but it
could never flourish under good printing at
honest prices.
There is no doubt that large sums Of money
| have been paid in past years for the public
printing, and there is tradition that in one or
two instances since the establishment of the
Government individuals have really accumula-
ted competence in this interesting craft and
mystery. There is no doubt that the tendency
Of such accumulations is alarming to free and
liberal institutions, and that the only way to
insure really independent press is to cut it off
| from all these polluting sources of revenue
Still we cannot but wish that Legislators would
devise some system by which they can secure
good work, and it will be to us a matter of en-
tire indifference whether they pay for it or not.
But in commenting on this subject we are
running into the garrulity which distinguishes
the printing reformers, whenever printing
proposition comes up in either House of Con-
gress. Our only object in commencing this
paragraph was to write a line or two of intro
BADGER, of North Carolina, in the debate to
which we have above referred.
L "Mr. BADGER. i agree with the Senator from
Ohio that there absolute necessity for print
ing this document at this time. And go further :
neither il there any absolute necessity for printing
it at any other time If we confne ourselves TO the
printing only of what is absolutely necessary to
print, we will be confined to the journals of the
Senate and the laws of the United States, which we
are bound to publish. But there il more impro
priety in printing this matter than in printing
any thing else at this time. If it is to be printed at
all, shall be extremely obliged to any gentleman
who will tell me why there is any particular i'm
proprety in printing it If printed at all, the
sooner the better II is large job; it will take
long time to print it; and the sooner, therefore,
about it. if it 10 to be done at ALL the better
because it will be in our hands for disribu-
ton among our constituents.
"Now, am totally opposed to the amendment
offered by the Senator from Ohio. i am opposed
it independently Of the stated by the SEN
ator from Arkansas, Mr. Borland,) that it will
amount to rejection of the whole proposition.
If the work il printed at ALL it ought to be printed
we'll. It is a work intended for preservation !;
and /, and you, and other Senators of some ex.
perience in regard to the style and manner in
which documents have been printed under the
last contract, know what the execution will
be if printed it is proposed under tho amend
mcnt of the Senator from Ohio IVc shau haze
it published upon smch miserable paper that, at
the end of three years, the ink iDiH haze destroyed
it, and the printing ioiu haze become toh0ily iis-
giJe. And far from considering IL
Of economy, consider IL, in effect, though oithoxt
any sscA dssign his part, proposition to take
just erachy ,chat shall pay for the printing in the
style for tchich Il be procured for the price pro-
posed, and rotoing IL into the Potomac. and sinking
it to the bottom. W. shall either get book at all,
book tchich ciH be disgrace 10 iche it srisfs,
chch ,ciH not be great ,che, to be sureor Il ,cin
be iesiIis at the end of t,oo three years. lift is
printed at all. hope it will be done in respecta-
bic manner ; and think reduction of fifty per
cent. from the prices Of 1919 is but reasonable
and fair reduction
If there can be found any more severe satire
and censure on the cheap-printlng mongers
than are embodied in the above remarks, we
should be happy to give them currency.
We desire the country to take notice that
here is the highest official testimony to the fact
that public documents are now published upon
such miserable paper, and in such miserable
| style, that they are disgrace to Congress
while they exist, and must become illegible in
| two or three years.
| John Howard Payne.