The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-15

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tAn9 prevented thereby thu depreciation iu ne
value Of BIZ paper 10 the tune Of several thous-
and dol.Afs. But not contsntsd with thst sue
cess, he now -imporunes you to Ielease him
FROM his contract Will you doits v 4
allow him thousands OF dollars more
the printing Of Congress than others o. 70
do II tor you III! For it must not BIZ forgotten
that tie bids Of Finn a. Washington were but
fraction larger than these contractors. II you
relieve Mr.. Richie, what justice do you propose
to mete out to Towers lie obtained the print
ing OF the first class by submitting lower pro-
pOsaiA than the contractors who now impOr-
tune you most immodestIy; and because he
has executed his work promptly and faithfully,
strictly according 10 the specifications, and has
made no petition for increased remuneration,
you wilt admeasure tn him no farthing Of your
generous lbcraity ont of the peoples money.
Wendell d Van Benthuysen were the printers
to the last Congress- aud the first contractors
under the system Of letting the printing To the
lowest bidders. They had no experience to
direct them in framing their bids. It was with
them an untred experiment. They executed
the work under that contrast and with as much
promptltu%de and fidelity a. Nj. Richie, at a
had all the lights which their experience furn-
ished, and undertook voluntarily the contract he
now seeks so approximately to cancel. Now,
sir, how could the sense Of ju tico Of his House
consent to vote thousands of dollars Of profit
to one contractor, "a this bill proposes, without
at leest indemnifying the full loss Of another
equally meritorions!
The agricultural part Of the Patent Office re-
port for l8l9 still fingers in the hands Of these
tnithful and prompt" contractors, when our
constituents should have received them at least
six months ago. Many OF the documents or
dsFad Rast ses.i a are now iest making their
1| iay IA Ai3 lts 1l l1aeos~
tiA4U9V9 havS d8HG more wSVk, and delivered
it as promptly, as their predecessors" Mr.
Richie has heretofore made Il moderate fortune
out Of the public printing, but now, threatened
with loss, he appeals to Congress to rcscnd the
bargain of his own making, that he might add
literally to that fortune. His age and services
are pointed to as an argument in his behalf
They may very properly stimulate becoming
respect for him, but do not furnish sound rea-
son for quartering him on the Treasury of this
Republic
! have gone more deliberately into this sub
ject than desired, but it was necessary to vim
dictate myself from the mputation Of ignorance,
which was so flippantly made through the col
umns of the Union against me.
know, sir, that shall be fercely assaulted
for tina. man Is unfortunate indeed who thrusts
himself between the lion and his prey-but
expect the independent press Of the country to
do me justice. have exposed the parties inn
pcated in this transaction boldly and fearlessly,
not with the hope of making reputation, but
for the sake OF the country and my conscience.
And, sir, whilst it is my desire to cherish the
kndest relations towards my fellow man, yet
| will permit no personal considerations to
swerve me from the performance Of my convic-
tons OF duty. ] may have miscOnceived this
whole subject; if 80, will have the magnanim-
ity when convinced Of my error, to. repair the
injury. But until more light is disseminated
upon the question, it is my duty to protest most
earnestly against the passage Of the bill now
upon the Clerks desk.
ABSTRACT Of Qfthe material parts Of lbs testimony
taken before the Select Committee TO Investigate the
public printing.
[P. 6 WENDELL says "The contracts OF Wen |
and Van Benthuysen we're sixty-sx and two
thirds per cent. less than the price Of 1919. They
lost 900. Ten or eleven per cent. would save
them from loss. Their entire material was ne W !"
(P. l. "TREHnoLM has repeatedly said that |
the object of the low bidding was TO break up the
contract system. The party would break il up,
and Mr.. Richie would get the benefit (P 81 |
"Trenholm declared the day tie bids ,ccrs opened |
that Mr.. Richie meant 10 haze the contract if he took
il for hundred thousand dollars less thar. tie rork
could be done for"
(P. 81 ''TRENHoLs informed witness that the |
pubic printing was delayed on purpose, and for |
the object TO break up the contract system, and |
thereby restore the old system. %
lP. 10.l LEM. TowERs 81 do not regard the
price of 1919 standard for calculating work
Trenholm said he would make Congress sick
enough of the contract"
MIR. AsBuRY DlcKINs, Secretary Of the Senate,
Ip. Is, II, 1871 said ''The printers original
bill was at the rate Of 50 page for every one hun
dred copies; and ten thousand copies were ordered
TO be printed under resolution Of the Senate of |
March 90, l849. Mr.. Trenholm presented the
bill. He presents all the bills. After the passage
of the resolution ordering ten thousand copies of
the opinions Of the Judges o + the Supreme Court,
Mr.. Trenholm called me, and, in the course Of I
mentioned that the r rice of printing
the work would be regulated by the price for non
work, [par, c, class 5 said that
such charge would make the work exceedingly
costly; and added, that could not give it o.t un-
less should have conferred with General Foote,
the mover of the resolution. then saw General
Foote, and mentioned 10 him the circumstances
of the case, and suggested that there should be a
limitation to the sum to be paid for the work. He
said that he would attend to it; and, in the course
Of the same day, he informed me that he had seen
Mr.. Richie, and that Mr.. Richie had at once,
and in the handsomest manner, agreed to a reduc-
ton; and, the day after, General Foote the author
OF the resolution, handed me the following letter :
WAsHINcToN, March ~, 1849.
&c Dear Sir: After the passage Of the resolution
OF the Senate, directing thousand copies of the
decisions Of the Supreme Court to be printed, | |
nscertalned that the sum would be very large if
the ere dime MD ri
it properly belongs under Mr. Belts contract,
which is executed at my office, under an agree
ment with him and determined, and so ex-
pressed myself, that could not accept more than
a reasonable sum for the work, although that is.
perhaps, the only class Of work that will yield
profit under the contract.
g now repeat in writing, and hereby desire
you to enter It AS part of the contract or to re-
tain this paper as modification of the contract,
that neither Mr.. Belt nor myself nor any one
under us, will accept more than 81 Is per copy
for the publication, no matter how large the vol
ume may be- Some have estimated the work as