The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-19
Mr.. ISRAEL f. JAMES and his assistants are
our only travelling agents for collections.
Tho Puhlle Printing Question.

Tho Public Printing Quostion.
The recent discussions and revelations con-
corning the public printing, have rendered it a
very prominent object of attention. 1t has
occasionally been discussed before, and has
always been attended with difficulty.
II private citizen anywhere wants work
done, he applies to those engaged in that sort OF
business, and expects to employ the most faith
full and responsible parties in the neishborhood'
at customary rates. Why cannot government
do so likewise!
The reason is that government is governed
by party, and is party; and hence prefers its
interest as party to its interest as govern
ment. Hence it became for many years the
custom to confer the public printing as favor
on party organs. But, although the government
is controlled by party, such party is itself
governed by predominant portion of ITSELF
And hence government is governed by part of
party. And for this purpose party organ is
for obvious reasons convenient agent. But
the tendency of all repositories of power, as
agents are, to extend and abuse it, resulted in
such abuses, that in 1876 Congress determined
to reduce the power of the organ by taking the
public printing away, and offering it for public
contract to the lowest bidder.
The policy of public contract, and of free
competition, is and was favorte. Yet it can
not be denied that, in bidding for contracts, the
most imprudent, irresponsible and incompetent
man is the one who will probably make the
lowest bid. And in government contracts this is
peculiarly the case. For there is a vulgar notion
that a government contract is somehow or
other certain fortune. This very idea is
fatal to itself. 1t multiplies competitors and
reduces prices 80 much. that, according to our
observation, one of the most disastrous opera.
tons man can make Is government contract.
We have seen too many weak men ruined by
them, and seeking abortvely here at Washing.
ton for relief
But the contract system was tried 1t has
been tried three times under the law of I846,
and has been unsuccessful in every case In the
first instance, q New York firm, Messrs. VAN
BENTHUYsEN e. Co.. we believe, were the lowest
bidders for the Congress printing. The work
was badly done, it was long delayed, and the
contractors made little or nothing The next
time the lowest bidders were parties, who, as
afterwards appeared, were nominal, the real
contractor being Mr.. RrrcHrE, editor and pro-
prietor of the Union, the Democratic organ. In
this case again the work was badly done, was
long delayed, and, as he alleged, was ruinous to
the contractor. So he applied for an extra al.
,owance Of some one hundred, or one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars.
The circumstances attending this case illus
trate in very striking manner, the disastrous
results Of the contract system. The ruin of a
public contractor, by his contract, makes case
of sympathy and relief for Congress. In this
instance, this case was c0.incident with the des
cision of the most important controversy that
has ever occurred under the federal govern
ment It was to determine whether the seve-
raj States had an equality of territorial rights.
There was majority in Congress against this
equality Of territorial rights and this majority
controlled the question for relief made by the
contractor and the Democratic organ. The result
was that the editor, who in his earlier days had
protested against the Missouri compromise line
as an aggression on the South, advocated the
Compromise of 1860, which confiscated all ter
ritorial rights Of the South, and rejoiced in her
degradation and spoliation! But the surrender
of the South by the Compromise was not suffi.
cienty AFFECT and unconditional, to propitiate
the Northern majority-so the contractor organ
obtained no relief. And he was consequently
reduced to a dependence on the favor of lead
ing banker of this city, who had grown rich OF
government contracts, and who advanced hin
some forty or fifty thousand dollars, and thi.
very banker, Mr.. CoRcoRAN, was at the YER,
time concerned in other operations with govern
ment to large amount, which came before
Congress and were warmly contested TIL,
next contract was obtained by the present con
tractor, Mr. A. BoYD HAMILTON, at prices W.
know, understood at the time to be ruinous
and his failure has been most signal.
Now, this is practical failure of the contrac
system. And this failure has been seriou,
detriment to the public interest
Whom it was ascertained that this failure hac
occurred, or was inevitable, it was understood
that the Washington Union made an effort fo
the system of party organshp, and to obtain tn,
whole printing Of Congress as the organ of tn,
majority in both bodies. We proposed public
ly, in this paper, that the printing should b
distributed equitably between the papers in thi
city. But this proposition met with little favo
in or out of Congress. The plan of organshi
seemed to be preferred. We then said public
iy, also, in this paper, that since the Union re
presented the opinions of only portion of tn
party, and the Southern Press was the onl,
other paper here that had large number o
Democrats subscribers, the only course to b,
taken was to give the printing to these two
The Democrats party had been divided on IN,
Compromises, and Reunion had been proposed
We distrusted the propriety, the expectancy