The southern press., 1851-04-09

at the next, without notice of his intention, was
to leave Congress no alternative but to employ
him on his own terms
This was to break up the contract system.
When the committee proposed to permit me to
offer terms to be considered with new ones pro-
posed by Mr.. Richie for HIMSELF he perceived
that his wel-laid plan was blown up. He there
fore refused to surrender what he calls his ill
starred" contract, if was allowed to bid for the
new one. To acquiesce in Mr.. Ritchie's exclu-
sion of all competition, was, on the part Of Con.
G. ess, surrender of its law and to this the
co nmittee would not consent. Mr.. Richie
could not attack Congress for maintaining its
own authority and the public interests; but he
told Mr. Hamlin, a member of the committee,
who informed him was invited to bid, that he
would not resign his contract, if | was allowed
to become his competitor. To justify his re-
fusal to make the surrender he had himself pro-
posed on such ground, rendered it necessary
that he should make me odious, and this he at
tempted.-First, secretly and insidiously, by in
snuating to members of Congress; then by
Productions spread abroad by a reporter en-
ployed by him, who wrote letters for publication
in Philadelphia newspaper; and, finally, by
open denlncation in the Unim. That he was
not prompted by party luminosity, is manifest
from his assigning as motive personal ill-will,
growing out of an injury which he said had
done him, which he did not specify. The source
of this feeling was doubtless the wrong he had
done me in Withholding the interest he owed on
the deferred payments for the Globe office, and
the money he received from the subscribers
who were supplied, at his request, with the Con
gressional Globe, instead of his Register of De
bates, which, after being paid for, he failed to
print. 1t is clear that party feeling had nothing
to do with it. It is obvious, from his readiness
to agree with the antagonist party press of this
city, to fix the price and divide the printing, that
he can merge all party feeling in private interest
His motives are merely mercenary, which will
make evident on some future OCCASION.
While my hand is in, let me overreach lit.
tic on your courtesy to expose a garbling Of
documents which the Union has resorted to in
the series of numbers with which it-is now
spinning out the remnant Of its term of limited
existence. The garbled extracts it makes from
some testimony given at the request of commit.
tees of Congress in 1910 and in 1916, present
ing such information as my experience in print
ing enabled me to afford in regard to the prices,
the manner, and the best system of executing
the Congressional work. The questions before
the committees were, whether the election of
printers, the contract system, or the establish
ment Of national printing Office should be re-
commended; and, if the first should be adopted,
what prices should be fixed. In the papers sub
mitted by me all these topics were discussed,
and my opinions frankly given. In one of these
| say:
1T is my opinion that the prices fixed by the
joint resolution of Congress of 1919 do not af-
ford more than n fair compensation for the print
- I ,x.,,n, sa tol
to what | consider to be the letter
and spirit Of the resolution, and with the neces-
sary despatch. If the printing of Congress
should be sent to the printer 1egbly written,
with anything like regularity, and ne were to
work on it the regular working hours only,
think the prices of 1919 would give him pro-
fit of from 25 to 37t per cent, on such works
as is required for the legislation of Congress"
This is extracted from my testimony delivered
to the Committee on Printing in 1910, which is
fled in the clerks office Of the House of Rep
resentatives, and published and to be found in
the prin ed volumes of the documents. of that
day in the libraries Of Congress, in every Exc
cutve department, and wherever such docu-
ments, bound and unbound, are preserved and
vet this is the "mare's nest" which the editor of
the Union pretends to have discovered when he
insihuates | had concealed it after lad pur-
Joined it! This, says the. Union, is the "recent-
ly discovered document which so much pains
have been taken to suppress" ] shall recur to
this on some other occasion, and show up this
dramatic piece Of imposture :; now eonfine my
self to an explanation of the point which the
garbled extract is introduced to establish against
me by keeping back another portion Of the con-,
text, which makes its meaning and truth appar.
ent.
The purpose for which this garbled extracts is
curt from the context is to make the impression
that considered the prices of 1919 rs not more
than adequate for all the printing of Congress.
including the extras swell az the regular num-
bers. In the passage as given say what the
profit would be on the number Of copies ere
quired for The legislation Of Congress" and ths
shows that my testimony was then confined to
the regular numbers ordered for that use but
subsequently, in part of my evidence sup
pressed by the Union, / make this clear by say
ing: "The printing Of extra copies is great
source of profit to the printer, because it brings
into use extra presses, which he is obliged to
purchase and keep manned during the session
for the sole purpose Of printing such copies with
despatch when ordered" And in my testimony
of 1916, in which | refer to that of 1910, ano
make il part OF that then given, (making alto
gether thirty seven printed pagesD sum up the
whole thus: "All my testimony may be com
pressed in a few words, which will not write
1.-THE printers to Congress shall be required
and compelled to execute the printing in good
time, and on good paper, then on the necessPr'
amount of printing he cannot, in my opinion,
make an unreasonable profit, Ion the prices Of
1919, 20 per cent Off But if Congress shall
order an unusual and unnecessary quantity OF
printing, and most off in extra copies of docu
ments, and shall permit the printers to take their
own time to do it in, and do it on thin, fmsy,
cotton paper, then the printers will make exor-
bitant profit"
Now il, as the Union intimates, the passage il
quotes makes n case of flat perjury against me, !
think the explanation ! now give would make
the garbIing Of the Union, in Dogberry's phrase,
a case Of "as Hat burglary as was ever commit
ted" What would not man do no would
garblc the testimony Of another TO make it ap.
pear that he had sworn falsely!
The fact is, the prices Of 1919, when the docu.
ments arc printed as then said in my testi.
\