Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1851-03-08

X. have concluded that he would be
entitledsto the binding, when he did
not even propose a bid? The binding
'ior this Congress is done at one hall
the price paid Wendell for similar
work.
There is no dispute as to the fact
that the contractors have used the
best paper weighing thirty-eight
pounds to The ream, 0nIy i'm printing
the regularnumber ofeach docum8nt,
the extra numbers, constituting three
fourths of all, which we send home
to our constituents, being printed on
a much cheaper and inferior quality
OF paper, weighing not. more than
thlrty-two pounds to the ream. The
excuse offered is, that it has been
customary heretofore to do the same
thing. Well, sir, the Board on Print
ing seems to have been aware of that
fact, and took the most special pains
to preventitS recurrence. Mr.. Hick-
ey, their secretary, says on oath, that
''the only sample Of paper and print
ing shown, was the Coal Report of
Prof Johnson, made at the first ses-
sion of the Twenty-eigth Congress.
The sample at the last letting (for the
Ihrtieth Congress) was the same,
and it was attached to the contract.
But the board thought the best way,
10 consequence of the deviation by
the last contractor, WENDELL for
the new lettings, was TO specify the
weight of the paper and its quality,
and the bidders were notified that a
clause TO this effect would | in the
contract, and 1t was so inserted. -
And, Mr.. Speaker, you will find that
the contract requires all the printing
to be done on paper weighing thirty
eight pounds to the ream. Will any
one seriously set up a custom as an
excuse for violating a contract, when
the contract itself so explicitly and
purposely negatives and repudiates
that custom? Bythis departure from
his contract, Mr.. Richie has saved
$l 10 per ream on every ream used
for the extra numbers; which aggre-
gated will make near $4,000.
Wendell lost some $4,000 by his
contract; and as these contractors
have taken the work at less price,
their loss is consequently said to be
greater. He says that the prices of
1919, deducting ffty-six per cent,
would make him whole; and same
thing would, of course, result to Mr..
Ritchie. But Mr.. r. could well af-
ford to take less for Wendell in
cludes in his calculation all the press
es and material for his office-he had
to purchase everything new before
commencing. Mr.. Richie had the
presses and much of the type idle in
the Union cffice, and would not lose,
as much as Wendell at the
same prices.
1t is conceded up all sides, that the
contractors knew when they bid that
the prices were low, perhaps too low
the testimony taken before the
committee proves that; the declara-
tions of Trenholm show thatthe con-
tracts were taken for Mr.. Ritchie's
benefit. He acknowledges interest
as early as the 22d March, about one
month after the contracts were de-
clared, and Mr. Farnham, the paper
dealer, testifes that he sells Mr..
Ritchie all the paper he has used for
the newspaper and for congressional
that he keeps but one ac-
count, and that is against Mr.. Richie
alone; that he is paid by MIR. Ritchie's
draft; that the accounts for the news
paper and congressional paper are
not separated or distingIiShed. There
can be hut little doubt that he was
from the beginning the real party in
terested in the bids, allowing Tren-
holm perhaps some commission in
lieu of wages. The reasons assigned
for taking the contracts so low, are
as numerous as they curious. Tron-
holm said to my friend the chairman
of the committee on printing, through
whom he was importunsng Congress
to relieve him, that "the only reason
ofhis taking the contracts so low was
tnat he felt some pride in having the
public printing well executed, it hay-
ing been badly done before How
wonderfully patrioticl He said to X.
Woodward "he would not take $780,
0O0 for the contracts--he expected
Congress would relieve them" And
If you pass this bill, he may congrat-
ulate himself on his foresight and
judgment, for think it doubtful if he
would take twice that sumthen. 1t
may be, SIR, that personal rancor and
hostility, to John @. Riyes will furnish
some reason for taking the contracts