Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-19
SPEECH OF JOSEPH SEGAR. ESQ,
OF ELIZABETH CITY,
On the Proposition 10 reduce the rates of the Public
pyjnkino
HOUSE or DELyoArEs, FEpRuARY l2, ISIS.


Printing.
HoUsE OF DELEGATES, FEBRUARY II, 1853.
ar. SEGAR said dsern i: public duty TO say
something to the House the subject before il, and
FIRST, propose, il can TO dispel come OF the gloom
which my TREND from MonongsliG, (Mr. DAvIs.) de.
clares las gathered around him this suffice. Of ne
public printing. And 1 hops to illumine his ta;h
by his own light. The gentleman holds up to the
House, with aesming triumph, q volume, ("the Con-
vention of l776' which he in!ortns us was printed
by job printer of the city at the price OF Is cents
per ,OO0 ems-ten cents less than the rates recon.
mended by the majority OF the committee. Why,
the asks, l3cannot the public printer do the public
printing at the same ratel The answer ia obvious
as already explained by the very intelligent gentle
men from Shenandoah, iMr. GATEwooD,) who is
practical printer, and whose practical and lucid eI
plantations have relieved the subject of much of iis
difficulty. First there IL, in the volume, "rue and
figure work'-the most expensive kind Of printing;
and, secondly, there was probahly-the work being
a popular one-a large edition published, which ena
bled the publisher to do the work at low rate, il be-
ing we'll known that the larger the edition printed
the greater the profit. Besides, it established
before committee in 1852 by the evidence Of ex
perts, intelligent and dsinterested practical printers
ihs. the allowed to the public printer ought to
be at least I'D per cent higher than those at which
Job work is usually done. The reasons set forth by
the committee vf 1852 conclusive, and are valid
now az then. Add, then the additional l0 per cent
to the As cents per thousand ems at which my friends
volume was printed by job printer, and We have,
for the public printer, precisely what the majority OF
the committee recommend IS cents per thousand
ems. thank my gloomy" friend for the ilusra
ton.
Ny friend from Marion, (Mr HirMosD,) with like
vaunt hourishes 10 the gaze Of the House a volume
of ths proceedings of the Board Vt Public Works,
and essays, with vehement gesticustion, 10 brighten
us from propriey," by The awful disclosure, thai
this single book cost the State the sum Of
$4,000, and upwards The gentleman is wide of the
ktyt ~
ner of the public printer, Mr.. Dunnsvsnt, twhose
truthfuness and integrity no one ever questioned
that the volume exhibited by the gentleman rs hav.
ing cost O0O and more s the volume for the year
1857, that eamate Of the cost has been even as
ye: made, and will not be, until after the 8djourB.
ment Of the Legislature, and that the cast will not
exceed $25UU, though large number of copies is 10
be furnished the Stale The volumes Of the proceed
ngs Of the Board OF Public Works-for there are
! two of them-which COS, the State Sl0,nli0, We're
those of the years lS55-56 They contain 22Ol pages
while the volume displayed by the gentleman from
Marion. contains only 74s; they have in them large
amount OF "rule aud figure work." while that held u
as an example Of costly printing has scarcely am;
and there furnished, to the State, tbs
large number of 1880 copies. 1t may be well doubt
ed whether any prudent practical printer 10 the city
would have done the work for less price. And yet
a volume is held up 10 the House costing $lU,UOO
which, in fact cannot cost more than onetourth tha
sum- when, in truth, there were teo large volume"
involving much OF the most expensive Esnd OF priu'
ing containing more than three Times as many pages
as the cited volume, aud OF which the large edition
of 1880 copies was supplied the State. The gentle
| man from Marion, nnocently, no doubt, committed
this mistake He picked up, at rando'c, q volume OF
tho proceedings of the Board OF Public Works, sup.
| posing, | presume, that the account OF $luUuo
brought up from the Auditor office, applied, indi5
orninately 10 erery volume OF those proceedings.-
I rspsat my IMPRESSION that the mistake was limo.
Gently made, but il is the ess mistake, and 1t
| is Just such mistakes as these that ara leading US
asrsy on this matter and betraying US into msche.
voua error.
Having disodged, trust, the unfavorabs impress
sons evidently made by tho speclous citations OF the
gentlemen from Marion and Monongslis, proceed to
the merits of the subject. And, fret, propose to
bring to the view of the House. clearly and distinct
the precise popin issue before It, And what 10 III
For years past, the public printing has been done
under particular system. We have had, by law, a
public printer, to whom for certain specified work,
we have allowed an annual salary Of S4sOO, and for
certain other aud extra work, the nsval compensation
of 623 cents per thousand ems that il to say the
which has prevailed for many years past for, 10 ear
or iimes az stated by my able friend from Northum
bsrland Mr. CLAYBRooK) the rates were much hlgher
than now. Under this system the public printing has
been eXcellenty done. Not complaint hGs pesn Ut
tered on that head.
But II ia proposed now, for reason or other, to
change il. And the whole subject has been referred
TO joint committee of the Senate and House oil
Delegates, for investigation. The majority OF the
committee recommend the abolition OF the salary OF
the public printer and reduction OF existing rates
to the extent Of l2l per cent, while minority OF the
committee advise reduction Of % per cent, or what
ia the same hing, propose to put Inc printing 10 the
| lowest bidder. And now The question comes up be-.
tween reduction of l2i per cent and one Of 25 per
cent or between regular, responsible, public print.
| er and jobber at the lowest bid.
Gentlernen have argued that the % per cent re-
duc,ion being the largest ought Of course, to be the
ope adoptei and it il very distinctly ntmated that
| those who sall advocate the l2i over the % per
can't reduction, are liable TO the lmpuaon of squan-
dering the peoples money TO the extent of the dif'
| ference between l2i aud u per cent.
For one cannot rect under any such lmputation.
and but for this, as think most undeserved imputs.
tion should not have ventured to trouble the House
upon the subject ALL Though have made pretty free
with the peoples money, believing, as do, that the
PEOPLES money may be freely voted away for the peo.
ps's benedt, and that, when representative Is hon
estly satisied that he may vote away The people 8
| money for the peoples own good he ought mantuly
10 do il; yet would no sooner than my friend from
Mononpalia, (Mr lBARBoUR,) or any other member OF
this body uselessly e1pend dollar OF the public mo-
new. And l hold that member Of this House may
here, to-day sustain the l2 per cent reduction, with
out subiectng himself 20 the charge of wasting the
dear peoples money. hold. indeed, that it ID gen
uine economy to adopt the 2i, in preference to the
IS per cent reduconi and think can make the pro-
And, Hrst Of all, plant mysslf on tha. surest and
safest of all foundations, that of erperence-of tried
| fact-of actual result.
Gentlemen may attempt to disguise the question
as they may but that question, after ALL Is between
the old system Of responsible public printer,
acting under the responsibilities OF public office and
commission, on the one hand, and the lowest bid
der, or special contract system on the other. The
very bass of the minority report lie, that other per-
sons under bid the present Incumbent and, being the
| lowest bidders, are entitled to the preference.
| And the Issue being between the two syst6ms |
have not moments hesitation in choosing. Tl,a old
system IT, in every respect, the better Of the two 1t
ia more reliable efficient and more economical.
Let Ia make the contrast The one bears the clear
imprimatur Of success the other, on every occasion
On which it has been tried, has proved miserable
abortiop an actual lCsJ to the public, cheat and q
swinde.
During the whole period through which We have
had public printer paid at recompensing rates, the
pubc printing has been uneIcepinnably done. For
the last nine years, We have had, as ploe printer,
gentlemen OF high character, and Of undoubted pecu
mary responsibility, and the consequences OF this high
moral and pecunisry responsibility has been, that
this branch of the public service hes been administer
ed, with the most scrupulous fidelity aud efficient
nromptpess Take up any sample OF the printing and
ssy il the style Of execution is not equal TO that ofany
In the land 1t is not only executed in the very best
style bu, it he's been most promptly done Did ever
this house wait hour nT it's reports, or bills 9TH
or doounents7 Was ever its business delayed one
hour by the tardiness Of it's public printer' And all
this efficiency and promptness have been attained
for the State shall presently show, at rate any
thing but lnordnate-at price entirely reasonable.
And now for the lowest bidder, or contract system,
which il proposed 10 substitute for the have
40 long and advantageousy employed.
IF gentlemen viii point out single instance in
which il has worked we'll, will instantly give up the
question, and support the minority report. But no
such case can be adduced.
The experiment made by Congress- and resulted
in signal failure. The Congressional printing, it was
said cost the nation too much, and those who con.
dsmned the extravaganza in this regard ssd 'le US
nut ont the printing 10 the lowest bidder and we
will save many thousands to the Treasury" Well,
the thing tried, and with what resutl The con.
tractors-the lowest bidder proposers-n order TO
indemnify themselves tor tho low rates at which they
had undertaken, did the printing paper of such
inferior quality to be neither legbe nor prsservs-
BILE. And, very. often, the public business was de.
layed by the want Of promptness in those who had
contracted to doIthe printing. General Chapman,
Of Monroe, who was member. of Congress at the
tine here confirmed the statements of the speaker
Perhaps, IL may not be amss to state how the