The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-27

my fB49pH TOT intfoaecsA& -
10 this subject VIA thSl-sno ! mao
no other Gorposs to subserve--i "ai'ea ~ AZ
rest y lsatf thought dangerous proceeding.
knew The committee were actlng withou' "asn's
made rppor 70 the House dId not pause 70
epQsisp wksther they had authority TO 90 all
that they proposed. looked only 70 Inc enect
when their action was certain TO produce. Mr.
Hamilton says he has made an outlay OF Soo'-
000 In preparing himself to execute me printing
OK Congress. 1t is proposed summary TO take
The contract from bim--and oy whom ana ~
wiAt manner, pray! Not by Congress-ho
by u committee of Congress, but by Three mem
bers of the House and one member oi Inc
Senate for, bear y~u IN mind, this Is not 'ie
act of full committee. And tins fragment OF
a committee are doing this without consulting
Congress, and without reporting lis proceedings
Now, let Congress sanction this act OF the com
mittee, and think you, sir, that this man VIII
not come here at the next Congress ana asK
indemnity for his losses on this outlay NO
man will question that. And what 90 you sup
pose he will prove! If he is half as smart in
making proof as others have been, he Will prove
that he was executing the work as wei as ~
had ever been done ; that ne was delivering u
as fast as it had ever been delivered; that his
contract was rudely and summary snatched
from him, his business broken up, his credit
destroyed, and himself ruined. And instead o! o,
your getting the penalty of the bonds, he Will
present claim for some 100000 or more
against you. Then, if committee is appointed,
as there will be, to investigate the subject, what
evidence will there be on the record to show
that you were justified in this proceeding
Take the contract from Mr. Hamilton, under
these circumstances, if you will; but ask you
to leave upon the record the evidence which
shall justify your action to those who are TO
come after you, and who will be charged with
an investigation of IIamlton's claims 30 not
go out of this contract and leave no trace be
hind to mark your exit. Before yoR sanction
the acts of this committee, demand report
n full report-one that will Justify you before
another Congress in Diminishing Hamilton from
his contract; for rest assured he will present
his claim IRON year to year, and send 1t down TO
his children after bin, from generation to genera
ton. Ii will be presented time and again, until,
finally, Cong ress will be brought TO pass it. It
is the result against which ! now raise my
warning voice.
Ii there is nyihing To justify this step ON 'he
part OF Congress, let tue committee report H.
Let ihe iiouse take the responsibility. Let US
know where we stand let those who are 10
come after us have something with winch 10
meet ur Hamilton, when he comes here by
himself, or through his attorney or successors,
TO make a demand for damages on account OF
he breaking up OF his contract.
We are told day after day, III the newspapers
md elsewhere that the contract system has
allied, and that Congress ought to abandon it.
am no friend of the system. ! am not It's
riend or its apologist. But it has not failed.
is success has been wonderful, considering the
mount Of opposition it hes encountered Does
t not strike US all as being rather remarkable
hat q member can take up one OF these printed
documents on his desk, direct it to some one in
'otne remote corner OF California or Oregon, put
lis frank upon it, call page, and send 1t to the
post Office of the House, and that it should then
DC taken up and carried from one point to
another, and that too, by contract, until finally
/ reaches ia far off destination and yet that this
document thus borne from one part of the con.
tinent TO another by contract, cannot be printed
here, under the eye of Congress, by contract
Your army and navy can be supplied by contract;
your troops on the distant frontier OF Texas,
California, and Oregon, can be furnished With
supplies by contract; and yet you cannot print
book by contract. If these manuscripts belonged
10 private individual, could he not get them
printed by contract land would he not do it +!
Why is it, then, that cannot do tho same
hing! ! do not profess to know, but will tell
you what think may be the cause. | do not
say why it 10 we haye failcd, but will tell you
what | think has interfered with our success.
There are party editors in the city Of Washing
as well us Democrats--and there
nay be such thing as this going on
"1f you II tickle me, I'll tickle you.p
If member will vote large supplies to a
party editor, and thus tickle him-and it applies
rot more to one party than the other-why,
hen, the editor speaks well of the member to
lis constituents, and TINS tickles hin in return
but before an excuse can be given for voting
hese supplies the contract system must be
broken up. Besides, it may be possible that
party men, after all, care more for the success
IF party editors than for the success OF a sys-
EN- like this. And they may strive to bring
.Ile system into discredit and to destroy it in
public favor, in order that party editors may
come up and be elected public printers, or have
contracts given to them out of which they may
.ealze large sums Of money. say these things
may be. do not say they are so. But these
are reflections which forge themselves on my
mind And when can find no good reason
why the contract system is failing, or is likely
TO fai---no reason why it is cried down-my
mind dwells here, and ] inquire of myself
whether it is not possible that, at the bottom OF
all the difficulty in executing this contract sys-
tenn, there does not lie some hidden and secret
causes like these? If these be the causes Of
failure let them be removed Let us ding def
ance in the teeth Of those who would use the
national treasury to purchase favor. Let mem
bers stand on their merits, and editors, like
other men, work for what they get, and the con-
tract system will triumph.
| do not say the contract system is the best !;
only say it has not had fair trial, and we
have no reason TO conclude that it has failed. If
| had my own way, or if my suggestions are
worth anything to the House. ! would say that,
above all other modes, should prefer to haye
the public printer elected, and that it should be
required of him by law that he should have no
with any party press, Wing or Dem
ocratic, during his service; but that he should
be what bis vocation indicated him to be-the
public printer--and nothing else. If / had my
own way, | should prefer to have the work exc
cuted bv public printer who should be well
paid But Of all the schemes that have seen
or heard of, this last one of the Committee on
PRINTING is to me the most Questionable