The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-22
PUBLIC PRINTIEG-THE PRESS.

Un our return IRON a short visit 10 the NOrti
we find Congress agitated with the question Q
the Public Printing Nearly all the newspa
pers here derive some support from Govern
mental patronage The Mteiigencer is print
ing the old debates Of Congress; the Globe tho
current debates of the House, beside the pro
ceedings of the Senate at $3.50 a column the
Republic the advertisements Of the Executive
Departments through the favor of the Presi-
dent the Telegraph, the proceedings of the
City Corporation; while the hlteihgencer and
Union are selected (thc last-named paper
through violation Of law) tospublish the
notices Of the Executive Departments.
The Southern Press and the National Era
are unproyided for Both applied, long since,
for the printing of the Executive advertise
ments, the former having larger circulation
than the Union and the latter larger one
than that Of both the Union and Intelligent
Ger together but the Administration grossly
disregarding its legal obligations, has rejected
their applications
By law, the printing Of Congress is given to
the lowest contractor who can give sufficient
security but the contract SYSTEM owing to the
hostility of the leading party presses here, has
worked badly The contractors, screwed down
to inadequate prices, have failed both AS to
punctuality and quality of performance. and
in the end come before Congress as applicants
for relief from losses sustained by ruinous
bargain.
The contractor for the printing Of the pres
ent Congress having failed to comply with his
contract the subject was referred to the Joint
Committee on Printing constituted under the
following section of an act passed August 3D.
1916:
=" And be II further enacted, That commit
tee, consisting of three members of the Senate
and three members of the House Of Repre-
sentatiyes, shall be chosen by their respective
Houses, which shall constitute Committee on
Printing, which shall have power to adopt such
measures rs may be deemed necessary to RENE
dy any neglect or delay on the part Of the con
tractor to execute the work ordered by Con-
gress.' And to make a pro rata reduction
IN the compensation allowed, or 10 refuse the
tcOrk altogether, mark that 4 should it be in
ferior to the standard" &c
The following members constitute the Com
mlttee on Printing Borland, Hamlin. and
Smith Of the Senate; German. Haven, and
Stanton, Of the House-four Democrats and
two Whlgs-tour from the Free States, two
from the Slave States-one Free Soil Demo-
crat, one State Rights Democrat two Compro-
mise Democrats, two thoroughly Hunker Wings.
As the Democratic party had decisive ma
Jorlty in both branches, the first effort was to
remedy the delay Of the public printer. bv
giving the whole Of it to the Washington Union.
The ostensIble ground for the transfer was,
the oxlgcnc,es Of the public service. The rea-
sons urged upon some of the members of the
Committee are thus stated by Mr. Borland, in
ms personal explanation of the 9Th instant:
The main, if not only, consideration sue
gcsted by Mr. Donelson himself TO me. and his
active friends. to induce me to support that
proposition, was the necessity of it to sustain
the Ch'm as party press; it being alleged
that IN no other way could the paper be sus
tanned and kept up. Sir, the appeal was dis
nncty and repeatedly, and openly, made to
me, as party man, to do this. as a marty
measure, whereby patronage would be given
10 that paper, which was n losing concern and
could not be sustaiucd, except by pro6foLIe
JOBS OF public printing Appeals were made
10 me upon that ground and upon that ground
alone not merely in connection with this print-
ing, but when Mr.. Bright's resolution was re-
ported fyom the Committee on Printing 10 give
10 Donelson & Armstrong the printing of the
seventh Census, the appeal was made to me
upon the same ground by the active friends Of
the Union, and by one of it's conductors in
person. mean Mr. Donelson | was TOLD
Ihat II was necessary, in order to sustain tn,
paper that It must have that printing. Nav
SIT | was told-and am sorry to have TO sa,
~ ou' IL ~ necessary to my full Justification
was 'oiu 10y one OF the most active friends Of
.hat presS-one who had its interests special,
IN charge IN regard to this patronage, tina
unless the printing was given to Donelson 6
hrhhstrohg' ana that too, within three week.
the Democratic party would be disorranize,
ana dlsbanded. The gentleman who told IN
30 sald he had agreed with some fifty others G
the House OF Representatives, that the propc
sltlon should he made Il test of the Democrat
party organization; and that unless it wer
conformed to, the party would be disorganizc
Mr. Borland proceeds to say, that he indig
nantly repealed all such considerations but
seems that other members appreciated thei
force, though they had not votes enough t
control the Committee Mr. Fisher of tn
Southern Press, suggested in his paper, . tina
the printing should be distributed equitabl
between the papprs i'm this city - A Ehora
proposition, but by no means acceptable I
men who wished to monopolize everything 70
their party organs The Southern Press the
urged that rs it represented a portion of tn
Democratic party larger perhaps than tina
sustaining the Union the printing should b.
divided between them that such a measure
would tend TO conciliate the State Rights Demo
Gratis, and secure votes for the Baltimore nomi
nees, &c Mr. Fisher, in his paper of the 9th
makes the following statement
awe said to him, as we had said long be
fore publicly in this paper, that we would con
slider this disposition of the printing as a ties
of the professions of those Democrats who haC
proposed a reunion of the Southern Democrat
with the other portions of the party And 81
we say now and so we will. And in Orde
not TO be misunderstood, we declare that if tn,
public printing is gwen TO the Republic anc
Union, as by the proposed arrangement or Il
the Union alone by any arrangement as 9
matter of party favor and exclusive OF the
Southern Press, we will earnestly endeavor to
prevent the reunion Of the Democratic party
We shall do this on the principle that acts