, 1855-07-20
The Public Printing.

nv - -
The Courier of last week, comes to u:
with two columns Of editorial matter on q
half sheet. One-half of one of those col
umns is communication over an anony
nous signature, making inquiries about the
printing of the laws of the first session o
our legislature, with the comments of the
editors thereon. To Marion" the anony
nous writer we would say, your inquiries
made over your own name to this Office
would have been answered with pleasure,
either through our columns or privately
We wonld here suggest that in future yor
write over the name of "Munroe Edwards,
John 4. Murrcll or some other counter
fcitcr, rather than the noble name you have
assumed, when You wish TO make inSinua'
ting inquiries for publication and not for IN
formation. The brave and manly Marion
was never ashamed of his name.
In answer TO the bnncombe attack Of
the Courier, we will simply state some oI
the facts, which, we believe, were known
to the man who penned that article at the
time he did it. We sent the laws Of the
first session of The legislature on to New
York to get them printed, in:June, 1854.
Mr. Berry, then partner in onr office, was
in the states, and prepared to superintcnd
their publication and bring them back
This was done, because at the time We
thought it best for the interests Of the peo
pie, and We conld not have printed the
laws here as soon as thcy~eopld have beer
printed in New York and returned ; and
we were required to have the Volume bounc
in calf, which the editors Of the COuriel
are well aware could not be done north o
San Francisco, and there only at an ex
orbitaut rate. But for an unforeseen anC
melancholy occurrence, We believe the sc
qucl would have proven our course to hav,
been correct. Mr. Berry died while in til,
discharge Of this duty very soon after .thei
arrival in the cast We ordered the worl
to be continued as Mr.. b. had begun it
and at the time we had good reasons to ex
pect it would thus be completed Up tC
and after the time of the adjournment o.
the last legislature VIC looked for the re
turn Of those laws. And when We put th,
laws Of the session Of '54-5 in type, we be
lievcd confidently that the laws oil the frs
session would arrive before the others wer,
out Of press In this we were disappoiu
ted. The consequence is the laws Of the
last session came out first, and the reasoI
Of this is that we, poor unfortunate sin
ner, did not fOresee that our partner woulC
die when engaged in getting the laws prin
ted, or that his friends in the states woulC
not attend to the publication and shipment
Of those laws after his death. ..I
By law of the last legislature we wer,
empowered 10 print and bind the laws o
the first session in pamphlet form undel
which they have been printed and arc now
almost ready for distribution. They mum
Der upwards of $50 pages, and there is nc
candid or impartial man who has the slight
est knowledge Of the printing business, but
will say, that with the means at our com
mand or to be obtained in any reasonable
time, VIC have not only done lreI, but crtra
ordinarily iceH. 1t was pear three year.
before the first statutes of Oregon wert
printed,--ours will be ready in just hal
that time. Our situation is now such, thai
We can guard against oil such accidents II
future, by doing all our printing in this Of
fec. The impression has gone abroad thai
these laws were sent TO the states for tht
purpose Of having the work done cheaper
than 1t could have been in our own Office
Such is not the fact-it was done for NJ
other reasons than those assigned above
The laws Of Oregon have been twice prin
ted in New York, and when delivered the,
cost the public printer more than il printed
in his own Office, With the cx option Of tht
binding, which he could not do at all.
pD- The U. S. coast survey steamer 40
fire dent las Athpx commanding arriv