Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-12-25
THE PUBLIC PRINTING.

There have probably been as great frauds
certainly as great unnecessary expenditure
ment of the General Government. Until
very late period, the execution Of this Printing
has been done in the shabbiest possible man
ner such as would be wholly unacceptable to
private individual, yet the most exorbitant
prices have been paid for it. Documents have
been printed of no possible utility; while of
those possessed Of value, double or treble the
quantity needed have been issued, and these
at prices that would frighten any man or men
who were to pay the same from his or their
own pockets.
But, these are not the worst features. By
a reckless disregard of the public funds, the
same works, the same volumes, have, been
to0ice and even thrice paid for by the Govern
ment. By the law of 1854, it is declared, that
''Rhen there are different printers for the re-
spective Houses, each shall do the printing
which may hereafter be ordered by the House
electing him" With this law staring them in
the face, it is not to be supposed that printers
are to be SO verdant as to "set up" the same
matter twice.. e. each for himself By no
means. If A. is printer to the Senate, and b.
printer to the House, and both Houses order
the same work, B. says to A., '1et me use
your forms, and | will serve you similar
good turn" This is no crime, of course but
the Government has to pay thrice for setting the
type, and Of course pays double what it ought.
Another equally wise way exhibited by Con-
gress, is, in ordering public documents to be
printed before they have been written. Some
selfimportant and ofhcious member rises, in
either House, and says, 81 move that one hun
dred thousand copies of Mr.. So-and-sos Report
be printed" 1t may be a Report of Coast
Survey, Survey of some river, or of the
route Of the Pacific Railroad. 1t matters not
which. The vote is passed; but as yet Mr..
So-and-so has not written-or at least not COM
municated to Congress-the first line of his
interesting volume. Well, the Public Printers
watch the movement, and at once have love
and affection for the fortunate and distinguished
author. The parties soon come to a mutual
understanding. The work is made as large,
as ford, and as expensive, as possible; and
author and printer divide the handsome profits.
Again Congress orders work with
plates" No priceis assigned or fixed for these
illustrations. The artists now come in for a
share Of the "plunder" A regard to native
skill and "home industry" are not always
taken into account There have been instan-
ces, within few years, in which artists in
France have been employed in this labor, at
prices never before beard of, in or out of Gaul.
A single "plate" Of a COW, or a horse, has been
made to cost thousands Of dollars Very
pretty, even elegant it was-but the price -
Nobody save Uncle Samuel, could afford such
pretty pictures. After this fashion, the Re
ports Of q certain gallant Major in the service,
cost the Government larger sum than cost
the great Astor Library in New York.
The Reports Of the Pacific Railroad, which
Congress ordered without counting the ex.
pense, have reached the tenth volume and an
other is still to come. The cost of these will
fall but little short Of one hundred thousand dol
larsi The first volume Of Major Emery's
Mexican Boundary Survey, cost nearly sirty-
Jour thousand dollars! The second one will
probably not soc daylight at less sum.
The expense of the Public Printing and
Binding, since the passage Of the Act Of Au.
gust, '52-or rather that which has been done