The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-06

had offered the following amendment TO Mr..
SMITns amendment to the original resolution,
which directed the Joint Committee of the two
houses on Printing, to contract with the proprie-
tors of the Washington Union, for printing the
returns of the census on reasonable terms:
Strike out from the amendment to the amend
ment all after the words " it shall be the duty Of
and insert the following
1.-THE Joint Committee on Printing to contract
with Messrs. Donelson d Armstrong for printing
and binding the census, on such terms as the COM
mttee may think reasonable and proper; the work
TO be executed under the direction Of the Secretary
of the Interior, and to be paid for from time to
time during the progress OF the work by the head
of the Census Bureau, under the direction OF the
Secretary, with power in the Secretary to abate
from the amount stipulated, if the work, when ex
ecuted, shall prove deficient or below the standard
which may be agreed upon"
Now, one might suppose that the reasonable
proposition we made the other day, for the Cen.
sus Printing to be divided among the several
newspaper establishments of the city, would
have received the prompt concurrence of the
Union. That paper is devoted, as it says, to the
re union Of the Democracy on its original prin
ciples. And we have a faint recollection that
we are not mistaken, good many edifyng arti-
cles used to appear in the Globe, in the good old
times of VAN buren, and JACKSON denouncing
monopolies, and particularly that desperate mo-
nopoly, the Bank of the United States, which
allowed her favorites among members of Con
gress and editors and bank directors, to monopo-
lie large loans Now, the census job, according
to the Developments of yesterday, may amount
to the matter of one or two millions Of dollars :;
and at the lowest rate of profit that has been
named-say ten per cent--this would give 3
nett bonus of one or two hundred thousand
dollars to the contractors. Well, this beats any
of the accommodations of the old monster--foT
none of her favors, as exposed and denounced,
ever went that far. Why then should tho Union
persist in claiming the whole of this enormous
job, to the exclusion Of all the other papers in
the city? Is it not evident the Cni0n in thus
plunging into such monstrous monopoly, will
throw scandal on its interesting effort 10 re-
unite the Democracy! Why what are the
symptoms already? Why that the Union has
already enlisted the sympathies of the Wings.
We found Mr. BADGER addressing the Sen
ate in favor of the Union. And who is Mr..
BADGER Why he is an exmember of General
Harrison's Observation-Disclosures Elk Secretary OF
the Navy-an administration that came into
power by the election of 1910, we were told, by
the aid of hard cider, coon.skins, and the most
cantankerous assault on the Democratic party
ever known. Well, has Mr.. BADGER changed
bis politcs-is he to join in the re union of the
Democracy If so, he has made no public re-
cantation of his DID, or declaration of his new
faith; on the contrary, it seemed to US from the
length, the enthusiasm, the emphasis of his
speech in favor of giving this job to the Union,
that he was animated, directed and inspired by
the old instinct of the party, which the old Globe
editors-naughty fellows, used to call the
British-bank bought-federal- party. Mr.. BADGER
could not have manifested more zeal, more en-
ergy, more solicitude in his palmiest days for
the re-charter of the United States Bank, or
high protective tariff.
But, perhaps, there is another solution for this
new-b born zeal of Mr. BADGER, for giving jobs to
Il Democratic organ. 1t will be remembered we
stated the other day that we were advised there
was secret coaitionbetween the Union and the
Republic to obtain this job. The Union spoke
of this report as a falsehood-but we called on
the Republic to answer-and it has answered
not Now it seems that Mr. BADGER proposes
that the work shall be executed under the d.
recton of the Secretary of the Interior, and that
he shall have power to abate and withhold the
pay for failures on the part of the contractor as
to the quality of the work, or the time. Well, |
if such condition were annexed to the work,
it would be i'm portant, almost indispensable, to
have partner in the job of the politics of the
Republic. For the Secretary of the Interior has
displayed such profound capacity for miaappre
hension in constituting the very plain law that
regulates the Executive printing when political
opponent is concerned, that it would be exceed
ingy inexpedient for Democratic reunion or
gan to have to 60 to him every week and be de
pendent on his Interpretation Of 80 large con-
tract, and of the mode Of executing it. Would
it not be far better to give the acute and astute
editor Of the Republic a large per centage of the
Job and its profits, to secure his invaluable ser.
vices as mediator? And if this were done, then
both of the great national parties would have
organs richly fed out of the public crib--and
prepared to furnish electioneering documents to
order, at the shortest notice and on the lowest
terms.
There are, however, some unsettled points in
this coalltion--or rather compromise-that is
the word--which yet divide the diplomats or
councils of the high contracting powers. The
Administration probably wants to reserve under
its sole control the purchase Of the paper. That
is perhaps more than half the Job And. "a the
quantity of the paper is enormous and the quail
ity thing that admits Of great executive dscre.
ton, in determining the relative value of differ.
ent samples, and the correspondence of the
quality furnished to the samples contracted for,
it is one of the latest slices of patronage thai