The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-15

contract OF this gentleman, mr. 1aIhitVu' lug
impression has gone out, and It fs whispered
around this hall, that we have elected public
printer by this committee; that we have as.
sumed to appoint printer for this house. we
have got public printing upon our desks, ready
to be handed over to the public printer, which
we withheld, because we could not get it done
according to the contract which you made win
him. If we act as honorable men, can we give
it to- man Who zoe k,oo, has failed, IN erery
essential particular, in complying ,o'M ms con
tract
1t is clear enough, from all thls that The com
mittee undertook in Effect, to abrognte the exist
ing contract and to select printers for each
House.
And now we would like to ask whether this
undertaking has been consummated! The
committee reports their offer to DoNELsoN d
ARMSTRONG, GIDEON & Co., the proprietors re-
spcctiveIy, of the Republic and Union, and the
qualified acceptance of the latter, striking out
large discount offered in Mr.. RIvEs' bid. Has
the committee acquiesced in that modification
If so, then it follows, that Of three bids before
them for this printing, they have selected the
highest, and have consented that it shall be
raised much higher, and that not the man who
made it, MIR. RrvEs, but other parties shall have
the work. Hear the explanation of Mr.. HAVEN,
one of the committee:
But to whom should they give it! They
gave it to the two whom they have selected
They could not agree upon any one else.
But here the gentleman from Pennsylvania
[Mr. Stevens, inquiries of me in reference to
Mr.. Rves's bid-whether his was the next
lowest bid answer, in reference to that, that
| cannot speak from personal examination OF
the papers, but can from conversation with
Mr. Rives upon the subject. And understood
from him, that the very next lowest bid was by
man who the committee are informed, would
not take the contract at all.
The next was by Mr.. Towers. As under
stood, Mr.. Rives told me that MIR. Towers
would not be able TO perform the work without
some aid; that he could make nothing out OF 1t
if he took it Mt has bid, but that he would be
willing TO aid him in reference to that; ana, as
understand him, his Mr. Rives bid was the
| next lowest. Now, when the committee made
up their minds that some course must be
adopted to remedy this neglect and delay, they
were DESTROYS of having it remedied at as low
a price as they could, giving anything like re-
munerative price to the party who should 40 H.
1t seems to me, that by the common law OF TINS
| House, and the common law of the country, that
Mr.. Rives is an oracle upon this subject; and it
| is we'll understood that his bid was fair one.
Now, if anything could be more superlatively
shallow than this, we would like to see it, Mr..
RIvEs is an oracle by the common law of this
House, and of the country! And yet Mr..
n ounurh fnr tha Waahnr.
ton Union and Republic to accept his bid, without
refusing to make the discount of sirty nine per
cent on the most important part Of the 'oork! DID
the Committee agree to that? But MIR. RIVE
is oracle enough to persuade the Committee
that Mr.. Towers ,ooud not be able TO perform
The uork without some aid--that he could make
nothing OUT of il, il he took Il al has b'd, out
c3y- that he ioould be Milling to aid him in REFER
ence to THAR Really, Mr.. RIvEs must be n
great oracle on printing for the Committee, to
tell them who could do the work, and who not
and above all, that he would aid man who took
it at prices he could make nothing at !! Now, is
not Mr.. HAVEN very competent and felicitous
parsonage to be placed on such a committee
to abrogate the most important contract that
Congress could make, and to form new one ;.
The whole thing now stands exposed. 1t is
thSgrossest case of jobbing that has perhaps
ever transpired in Congress. 1t is gross in the
power assumed, in the prices allowed, in the
parties preferred as the pets. And all this is
Democratic is it? To make coalition of the
6 ~ I'd ~
sustain it by coalition of the votes of the two
parties in the House, which could scarcely mus
ter faces enough to prevent its consideration the
other day by the indignant vote of two-thirds.
We are very glad to learn that in the travails
of the committee, before bringing forth such a
monster as this coalition, the Southern Press
was never mentioned as an available party. We
should think Motive should hope not. We
observe, however, that Mr.. ORR, Of South Caro-
lima, has taken the same ground with reference
to this paper, and political papers generally,
that Mr.. Brown, of Mississippi did.
They think that political papers ought to be
excluded from government printing, and Mr.
ORR says that paper which cannot sup
port itself by subscribers, ought to go down.
Then there are not fifty papers in the Union
that could stand He might as well say that a
blacksmiths who could not support himself by
making horse shoes, ought to quit business.
The newspaper publishing is business which
depends on advertisements, job-work, and every
thing else in the line for support. And here in,
Washington, where there is but little commerce
what is more proper than for The printing of gov
eminent to be given to the papers of the District
Mr. Oar votes himself to remit duties, which is
the same thing as to give money out ofthe public
purse, to make railroads. Don't he think news
papers are as useful RI railroads? And is it not
about as reasonable to give the work of govern.
ment, at fair price to newspapers, as to give
it's money as a bonus to railroads,
| 1t is now clear enough that this whole thing
is an egregious blunder, and it will have to be