The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-02-13

the facilities Tor executing printing IN 1919, when
| the old prices fixed, and the improvements,
by steam and power presses of the present day. and
said that the contractor wants to line his pockets
with Government gold, relying on the berality of
Congress. Further remarks were made by the
honorable gentleman from South Carolina.
| Mr. BAYLY understood the gentleman TO say
that the successful bidder for the printing, Sat
urday, was lower than Mr.. Ritchle.
| Mr. ORR. On one class,
Mr.. BAYLY. The gentleman ID in the hall, and
has authorized and requested me to state that his
bids higher than MIR. Rtchie's, for every de-
scription. lie says that on one descrption-l take
from his own lips
Mr. ORR. interruptng) say that Mr.. Rives
was the gentleman who got class lower than Mr..
| Richie.
Mr. BAYLY. Mr.. Hamilton, who got the mass
of the printing, says that one description of
printing he is fifteen cents per page higher than
Mr.. Richie; on another ) 10 higher than Mr..
Richie, and on press work his bid Is between hve
and cents higher, but he Is not able to state
precisely; certainly five, and perhaps seven cents
Mr.. McLANE, of Maryland, inquired of the
| gentleman from South Carolina whether he had
not inexperienced that the class of printing OBJ
tanned by Mr. Rives yesterday was the class which
| Mr. Richie has.
Mr.. ORR understood that Mr. Rives had obtain
ed the class executed by Mr. Trenholm.
| Mr. McLANE. That's the class executed by Mr..
! Towers, and not by Mr.. Richie.
| Mr. MOREHEAD wished to state the reasons
| which would influence the vote he intended to give.
! This question one of utter and entire ruin to
Mr. Richie and if he should not be relieved, it
would PROSTATE him, in pecuniary point OF view.
He free to confess that he had come to the con.
clusion that simple sheer, naked justice required
the passage of the resolution. AS to the amount OF
printing, 649 documents had been ordered by the
House, and 425 by the Senate, making l,074 docu-
| ments in all. Mr.. Richie has completed thirty
three volumes, of eight hundred pages each. and
two volumes Of journals. making %, los pages.
| The whole number OF pages printed and de-
livered is 202, 900, averaging six hun
drcd pages TO volume, eight hundred vol
umcs day during twelve months. lie referred TO
the controversy between Mr.. Richie and Mr..
Rives in which he took part; and after advert
ing to the deliberations Of the Committee on Print
ing, said they came to the conclusion that half the
prices of the resolution of 1919 was about right to
be allowed to the contractor. lie desired that the
motives and principles by which the committee
were governed should be understood. When Gales
and Seaton agreed to execute Congressional print
ing twenty per cent. less than the prices of 1919.
were Unidentified. He did not disapprove of this;
ifhe had been here he should have voted for it. He
would do the same thing when apotical opponeat,
as in this case, concerned. We were told dur
ing the last session, that MIR. Rives had lost, &C
cording to his own testimony, hundred dollars a
day, by publishing the debates, I'D relief was
granted He was for that, believingi it to be right
It right now, in this case, and perfectly right
This stronger case, and the resolution mere
ly proposed to pay him for his losses.
Mr.. BURT said he had obtained the floor, not for
the purpose of discussing the merits of the propo
sition, but for the purpose Of offering an amend
ment, which it seemed to him would be acceptable
to every member. On one side 1t was claimed that
Mr.. Richie is legally entitled to large sum, and
on the other, that lie is not. He desired to know
what the facts are, and was free to declare his be-
lief that if it be shown that Mr.. Richie has lost by
the printing Of Congress, he will be amply remune-
rated He concluded by moving that the report be
recommitted to the Committee on Printing, and
that they be instructed onquire and report whether
, Mr.. Richie has executed the public printing,
having regard to the quality of the work and to
time. agreeably 10 the contract, and what sum he
has lost by his contract.
MIR. ORR rose to correction. He had said as
to the class of printing assigned to Mr. Rives, that
it was undertaken at prices less than those paid to
the present contractor He was now informed that
!, Mr. Rives obtained the fifth class, it being one Of
the classes executed by Mr. Belt 80 he incor
rect in stating that it was the class executed by Mr.
Trenholm.
Mr. BAYLY said that the class assigned to Mr.
Rives that ont of which he makes enormous
profits.
Mr.. MoLANE, of Maryland, said that the effect
of the motion of the gentleman from South Caro-
lima, if agreed to, would be virtual postponement
of the subject.
Mr.. BURT remarked that he did not desire to
postpone the matter for moment beyond the time
necessary to make the inquiry proposed.
MIR. McLANE, of Maryland, would consider
such to be the effect of the motion 1t said that
Mr. Richie bid for the work, at ruinous prices, to
break down the contract system, and that those
who contrved with him intended to defraud. To
this imputation to be attributed the failure Of
Mr.. Richie to receive relief at the last session He
ORR,) as a printer, what amount taken from the
prices of 1919 would pay Mr.. Richie.
Mr.. ORR did not claim the honor Of being
practical printer He had only been the editor Of
country newspaper. From the best calculation
he had been enabled to make, he thought that a
deduction of sixty per cent. would about make him
compensation.
MIR. McLANE said he should vote for fifty per
cent. deduction. Mr. Rives thought that about
forty five per cent. would make good contract.
The gentleman from South Carolina thinks sixty
per cent He wanted no profit nor fortune for Mr..
Richie. The prices at which he is doing the work
are seventy per cent below those of 1919 Mr..
Rives's recent bid for the fifth class fifty per
cent. Mr. Ritchie and this class, it appears
from the documents, amounted this year to tho
pitiul sum of So ,204.
MIR. RAYMOND moved the previous question,
but the motion was not seconded-ayes 81, noes 10.
| Mr.. CROWELL offered the following as an
amendment to the instructions of Mr.. Burt
"Prorided, also, The same relief be granted and
compensation allowed to the printers of the thir-
tieth Congress, (Wendell s. Van Benthuysen,)
and on the same terms and conditions al
lowed to the said William NJ. Belt under this act -
The SPEAKER ruled the amendment out of
order
Mr.. MARSHALL said that the resolution reported
by the Committee on Printing was to change or
modify existing law. He endorsed what he said
on this subject during the last session, and would
stand by il to the letter He only DESTROYS of
maintaining the law as it now stands, and prevent
ing certain men from putting their hands into the
public treasury 1t was derogatory to the charac
Of this tribunal to carry out the schemes of those
applying for relief And was understood to express
the belief that the printing undertaken with
intention to break up the contract system, 30 that
the prices of 1919 might be re-established, and the
work given to the conductors of political presses in
this city.
Without concluding he gave way to
Mr.. CROWELL, on whose motion
The House adjourned