Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-03
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

again urged upon Congress and the country.
The advocates of this executive monster"
evidently rely upon ne probable ignorance Of
new members of the incoming Congress Of all
accurate information upon the subject of the
printing, and somewhat boldly aflrm that its
establishment woald secure q large reduction Of
the printing expenditures, and forever abolish
the corruptions and abuses which they allege
now faint and deform the present printing
system. That these allegations are purely
assumptions, are entirely gratuitous, and with
out any probable foundation, we will prove by
simply reviving some important estimates, fur
ni'hedt to Congress notmsny years ago, in refer
ence to the cost and the profits of the printing
to show that its present cost to the country is
really the lowest at which it can be executed
and by showing that instead Of decreasing the
expenditures and removing or purging away
the abuses of the present system, if any exist,
the creation of National Office would neces-
sarily be more expensive, and must, from it's
very nature, be most corrupt and demoralizing
At the first session of the Twenty ninth
Congress strong endeavors were made by
the political opponents of the then Demo
cratic (Mr, Polk's) administration to reduce
the rates of the printing to the very lowest
standard, and, after pretty savage fight,
succeeded in fixing the rates ut 20 per cent.
less than those allowed by the law Of 1919.
All the practical information which was pos
sible to be had was ELECTED by Congress during
this session, through a committee appoint
ed for that object. Gentlemen of intelli-
gence and Of great practical ability and expe-
rience-practical and master printers-were re-
quired to make estimates of the lowest probable
rates at which the printing could be executed
Mr.. Bayly, of Virginia, the chairman of the
committee, and the friend and representative
of the interests Of the then public printers, who
were also the organ of the Administration, in
opposing all reduction Of the rates of 1919 be-
cause he was satisfied, from tie best inform
alton, that a great deinsion existed in refer
ence to the profts' of the printing, recapitu-
lates the substance of the estimates furnished
the committee. Mr.. Rives, of the Globe, de-
clared that prices 20 per cent. lower than those
of 1919 were "nOt high enough-serta,nlv not
700 high, and referred to the estimate sworn
to by Messrs. Gales l. Seaton, that there
were about q per cent. profit only, fixed by
sAAS JohAe ASoOAueiou VI 4O1o- WI 4OWeIS, III
forwards Superintendent of Printing, and Mr.
Trenholm, at that time foreman of the admin
istratiOn organ, also agreed that 1.-The regular
printing could not be executed for a less sum
than 20 per cent on the rates of 1919" Only
one party, the Messrs Gideon, affirmed the
contrary, but they, it was conclusively proven,
had neglected to include in their estimate many
important items, which necessarily enter into
its cost. s. r... -.
1t was thus shown, upon the authority of the
highest practical experience, that the lowest
rates at which the printing could be executed
was 20 per cent. less than those of the resolu-
ton of 1919; but, notwithstanding that nearly
al the principal items necessarily comprehend
ed in its cost have since increased in the extra.
ordinary ratio of 40 per cent, it is now execu-
ted for Congress, under the present system, at
rates so per cent. lower than those of 1919, 80
per cent. less than the lowest rates of the above
estimates. 1t, therefore, any value or import
ance whatever is to be attached to the calcula-
tons Of experienced practical men, is it not
apparent that, even if the printing can still be
executed at the present reduced rates without
loss to the official printer, those rates are really
the minimum ones at which it can be done with
any probability of remuneration for the outlay
of capital and the labor employed in its execu-
ton; and, of q consequence, that the present
system, thus reducing the cost of the printing
to Its minimum standard, is the most economi-
cal or least expensive that Congress can devise.
But even If it were otherwise-even if there
was still q wide margin for further reduction
of thu I'D for he Al
creation of . National Printing Office accom-
plish that object, Would the establishment of
a national office reduce the cost of paper, or in
any wise lessen its consumption? Would it re-
duce the price Of type or press materials, or in
any degree diminish their wear and tear
Would it lessen the price of machinery, of fuel,
Of ink, or in fact of any of the numerous items
necessary to its execution? On the contrary,
would it not, and must ii not from the inev-
liable tendencies of its illimitable patronage,
infinitely increase rather than decrease the ex-
penditure for its maintenance.
There is another and the most important
view of this project of National Printing
Office which transcends all mere estimations of
pecuniary cost, and involves higher and grander
political considerations affecting all sections of
the Union, but particularly. the South, which
has long had no slight cause to spprehend, in
the already overshadowing power and immense
patronage Of the Federal Government, the GER
tain agents Of oppression and of vital danger
to its institutions. The creation of a National
Office would be another grand act towards the
Capitalization of all the power of this Confed-
eracy in the General Government, and from
it's national tendencies and peculiar illimitable
facilities, necessarily another vast reservoir of
Executive corruption. Calhoun and others of
the most eminent Southern statesmen, have
time and again warned, not merely the South
but the nation, Of the growing danger to all
sections, to our institutions and our political
system from the alarming increase of Federal
power through the tremendous influence of con-
stantly increasing Executive patronage. And
not only have our own statesmen and political
writer's repeatedly warned the American peo-
pie Of the debasing effects of all centralizinp
tendencies upon our political system, but Me
A.,L H.