The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-02-14

matter was disposed of, but the record shows
that he at one Time entertained il. This was
all wrong We submit that there is nothing In
the Constitution or laws which excerpts printers
from the benefit of the rules which protect the
inviolability OF contracts.
In the debate of Tuesday in the Senate there
was another passage which illustrates the ma
ture of the policy pursued in the matter Of the
public printing. A resolution was presented by
Mr.. RusK, contemplating the distribution OF
| four hundred copies Of the laws. On this
motion Mr.. DAVIS, of Massachusetts, made the
following remarks
"There arc two editions of the acts OF Congress
printed. wish to call the attention of the Sen
ate to that fact. One edition is printed at the
close of the session, and is very badly executed
There is another edition printed by order of the
Senate that conforms to the general issue Of the
statutes by Little & Brown. That edition has a
| good index, and it is one to which refer
with satisfaction. If we require copies for distri
| button, il would be better to state what edition
| we are TO have distributed.
| The Senator from Massachusetts reflects on
| the edition printed at the close Of the session
as very badly executed" He considers that
this edition is 50 badly executed that it cannot
| be consulted with Satisfaction" by the members
of the Seuate. We think the Senator alto
gether RIG hit in this view of the subject 1t is
equally true that the edition cannot be consulted
with satisfaction" by any one out of the Sen
ate 1t was printed by GIDEON & Co., and so
printed as just to pay for the paper and journey
mems wages-on the system Of letting to the
lowest bidder. The sum received for it just
covered the actual disbursements. 1t was
| a little disgraceful to any printer to put
| forth such work in this age of civilization, but
much more disgraceful, we submit, to any
| Congress that would order the work to be exc
cuted in such style. But we would suggest
| execution of public work in such manner that
| they should be unwilling to take an edition Of
l their 0.cn printing, and deem it necessary to
order some other edition issued by private en-
terprse, and not ''by authority"
Again, we had occasion day or two since
to consult volume Of the Presidents message
and accompanying documents, and this. too,
was printed on the system which Congress has
adopted with the view apparently of degrading
the art of printing. The volume we consulted
was printed on sort Of thin brown paper, very
well for wrapping, and similar uses, but alto
gether unfit for the preservation of any docu-
ments worthy of preservation There was no
index to the volume it was cut with little or no
margin, and what there was of the margin was
as crooked as a rams horn and there were ridges
in the paper which, to the surface, Were what the
ridges fthe Rocky mountains are to the surface
ofthe earth. A pretty volume enough this would
have been for convention ofHottentots to issue,
highly creditable, perhaps, TO tribe of Central
Africa but that civilized men, at this stage of
the worlds progress. should have put it forth as
a specimen of what the "model republic can
do in the way Of Typography, is one of those
marvels that we cannot reconcile with any no
tons of propriety and fitness.
/ What is true of the Congressional printing
is equally true of that which is executed for the
| Departments. The whole style Of printing for
the Departments is shabby and miserable
but it is the best that can be called for by the
system. Where the work goes to the lowest
bidder, the lowest bidder will give of course
the worst description of work-and at that, if
he pays his paper bills, and journeymen's wages,
he will do all that he expects, and more than
he usually accompishes. Nothing but fair
| price will command fair work; and hence it is
that we find Senators rejecting the work print
ed by their own authority, IT. the style they
themselves call for, and requiring that the vol
| umes desired for their own uses should be OBJ
| tanned from some other quarter than their own
printers.
The only possible mode of procuring decent
l work is to pay price which will enable the
| contractor to furnish good materials and pay the
! current wages to his hands. This is the pro-
per SYSTEM and whether it enures to the ben
| eft Of one person or another, is an immaterial
question The nonsense that has been uttered
| about &c combinations" to put down the con-
tract system, may pass for what it is worth. AS
matter of course, all printers, masters or jour
| neymen, are opposed to the contract system, for
| the reason that experience has proved it to be
| entirely inadequate to secure good work or the
seasonable execution of it. 1t has resulted
uniformly in bad work. delivered at unseason-
| able times. We have no doubt that both the
late contractors have furnished better work
than they could afford j.. but any one who pre-
! tends that their work has been executed as it
ought to be, must have derived his notions of
the art Of printing from what is called the
g cheap literature" of the times
We confess that we should like to see more
liberal and sensible policy pursued by Congress
in relation to the public printing! policy that
would advance the art Of typography and not
degrade it-a policy that would procure such
works as would give satisfaction" even to
Senators, and not compel them, in procuring
works for their own use, to repudiate expressly
the works of their own manufacture. And this
we wish exclusively on public grounds, and
without apenny worth of interest, one way or
| the other, in the result.
III