Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-02-19

tb6 State IL sole owner. lneSs Neu''
work to be done by the printer as an s9a'nem. '"'
his salary OF $4,SOU. There ia no di!hcui,t " e..
taining the character and amount requiten W y" o
by thu LIST, 81. 81 aud ih sections oil ms "e.,
practical printer make the calcuhtoi'' CO;
il a: the same price allowed for the exlrh "oi
cents per 900 ems aud The same per token OF pres
workout it is far more difficult TO ascertain no
else amount required to be executed uuaet ue
section. Gentlemen nust bear IN hlnu' .aa.
The adoption Of the new Constitution auo tue es'"o
shment of biennial sessions OF the Lsssio'ule, "
say nothing of the creation OF new oiices eSery
crDtcn of work embraced in this seclioi,' anu poi.
cularly the important item OF blanks, naa oeeu
increased Indeed, from q calculation "nicu move
made with no little care, 1t is parl=cty e.ea' y.
own mind that the work executed under Tue sect'ou'
a, customary prices, would amount TO more tnah Inc
salary. These blanks II estimated al Ia'. le'hune'
rating rates. arc worth from ~ cents 10 ~ per quite'
and this calculation will appear quite resopaoe se
il is considered that the composition OF SONS oi Tue
forms alone coat tho printer much as *i~ enca =,
take those for commissioners of the revenue anu
others OF :iia same character, for nstance anu -
be also considered, that the paper upon "hica .uch
jobs executed cost AZ least 800 per ream or per
quire. am thus particular upon this pon' ~ oluer
that every gentleman upon this floor may know how
much stress ought to be placed upon ths assertion.
that the service rendered by the public printer is not
equivalent TO the salary allowed him.
The 9TH, 9Th and 9Th sections Of this act aenne' III
general terms the work which the Public Prin
ter il required to execute. Among These is that pom
derous volume, the report Of the Board OF fuoi!c
Works, documents emsnating from the AdIutant'
Generals office, and all bills, reaouons or other mat
ter which the House may order to be printed. For
all work done under these three sections, the lOth acc
ton requires that ian account shall bs presented Ia
the Speaker who shall certify the ssme to the hrst
Auditor for such amount as he may think reasona
BILE compensation" &c. and the llh section provides
that "for other extra work account shall be present
cd to the Governor who shall certify the came IN like
" 40. The Oupafiun ia. what il tUlb hTe1SOHI
6ie compensation Tor, to speak more directly, what
does the public printer receive for this extra work.
The gentleman from Marion, Mr.. RAYMOND tells Us
that the act referred to does not establish any fixed
rates at which this printing shall be DONE and thinks
that the printer can very easily impose upon the
Speaker OF this House and the Governor Of the Com
monweath false statements of the work done, and
charge auy price he may choose for IL III plain Ian
guage that the public printer, through his oremsC
no. only had the power, under this secton, to make
out such talee statements, but that fraud is actu
ally committed upon this Legislature; and to illus
rae and sustain this opinion, the gentleman referred
to the manner in which certain document, ordered
to be printed by this House, tthe communication
from the Governor relative to the resignation of Gen
Boykiu,) was executed and he ia certain that the
matter contained In that communication could have
been printed on onefsurth the paper. That is very
true, sir; but the gentleman must remember that
this little document, unmporant ss it conlesssdy ia,
had to be printed in ths FORM in order that il might
be bound in the same volume with the Governor
message and accompanying documents single lsaves
are never bound, when II can be avoided. Every
printer understands the difficulty raised by the gen.
temsn from Marion. 1 do not itnpute TO tina, gentle.
msu any unworthy motive III raising this question,
10y no means. | take pleasure in acquitting him OF
any other than honorable motives, and feel assured,
that il he understood the matter az we'll ID feel
have q right to understand il, he would not have
made 80 unguarded statement. But to return. 1t
true Mr.. Speaker. the Code does not prescribe the
rates at which this "eIra work. is 10 be done,
farther than that such rates shall be reasonable
yat, at the same time imagine the gentleman from
Marion must be aware of the fact, that all the bills
of the public printer conform TO certain scale of
rates, (62i cents Per O0D for composition, aud
the SANS per token for press work. and that he ever
has exceeded that rate, we have no evidence, so fsi
rs know. II such were no, the csss h,w cOuii
any member Of this House undertake 10 say that n
reduction OF twenty-five per cent upon the present
rates would reduce them 10 the precise amount o:
forty five cetis per LOCO ems7 may add just here,
that il might he asked with as much pr0prlety, why
tbs Governor did Not make his communication long
enough to exeud over the blank pages referred 10
or. why this Legislature did no; send down eulli.
cient quantity vi matter in addition, 70 Gil them out
But enough upon THE point
The gentleman from Mouongalis exhibited book,
Patton and Heaih's Reports. ] beiieve.) which he
says WIS printed by some private establishment in
this city at much lower rate Than this House pays
the public piuter Tor the "eItra work" HIresdy re
fsrred to. Sir. hold i'll my hand tbs reports of the
committee OF the question now under consideration, IL
is printed or brewer type; the book exhibited il avn
no, mistaken, printed long primer, aud the Co.
columns are not near 80 long ID wide a. those in
this report: il therefore follows, every printer well
knows thai if the book referred to had been pIicted
on the former instead Of the latter type, and az s
same form and style as this report considerable por.
on of III. press rorE would hsvs been saved, while
il is probable the competition would have amounted
10 about the same ard this saving would have been
10 favor OF the individual for whom the book wa
printed. On iha other hand il this report had been
printed n long primer, ami IN the same styls as the
book the pres, cork would have been increased 70
corresponding extent and that would have enhanced
the cost OF tie printing against the State. Taking
this practical view OF toe subject, MIR Speaker II 3D.
therefore, plain 10 every discerning mlnd-certalnly
TO every man who understands the merits % tbs
that the real difference in tho cost between the book
referred and this report ia not so great as the gentle
man sesras TO imagine Again much larger number
Of copes Of the BOOK we're printed, for SALE than the
public printer ia required by law To furnish oil The
Journal for the use OF this House, ead, eguently
the profits of the private printer are grester than
tho,s of the public printer. This il Very important
confederation aud submit that The argument % tho
gentleman upon this point is not fair on-, however
plausible il. may appear to his own mind.
Again the game gentleman tells us that the Con-
gressiona printing is executed at much lover rae
than this House is paying for tho description
aud Style Of work. hold In my hand the report OF
the commissioner Of patents for 1856. tagricultura
and by retSrSnce 10 ina "
seen that no ess than fty oe thousand copies Of this
important document were ordered TO be struck for
tho use of members, and in addition 10 this, / is said
the public printer sells large number Of copies but
upon this point I have no personal knowledge.
have only 10 Gpply the same argument 70 this CHS
that has been applied &c the just referred 10, and
it will be seen that proves nothing against the pub
lie printer and will take OCCASION 10 say hat the
report 10 printed in inferior STYLE, a. compared
with the printed journals OF this House, and other
T.. - 81. 0ln
Ut argument adopted by the gentleman who presented
The minority report, however plausible 1t may appear
10 the unntated, is certainly Unjust 10 the public
printer, and throwl no light on the subject appre
uiate his motives and bis sterling integrity too highly
10 believe for ons moment tbst he COLD he guilty Of
he slightest OF the actc 10 the oas
or that he would knowingly give any undue coloring
70 his argument and yet, fear, his rema.ks have
tended rather to misead than to guids to proper CON-
clu.ors The only difficulty with the gentleman
is that be has no practical information upon this sub
jact Of printing
Gentlemen, on the other side, have referred to The
fact. that the public printer has contracted for the
printing of The records of fhe Court OF Appeas by
the page averaging about As CENTS per l'ooo ems
and they lump Rt the conclusion that 1t must be q
profitable lob, otherwise he would not accept IL.
have made enquiry into this matter and am prepared
10 give satisfactory explanation OF Unsatisfactory
at least to my own mind. In the first place, to exc.
cute the public printing required considerable out
IN type, presses, hUu QUIET
the second place. it requires the labor Of sufficient
number of journsymsf TO DO the work, who are paid,
by the thousand ems sogether as has been stated
hut by the week-say al2 per weak. Now sir, /
submit. that il is far better that The printer shoud
give these journeyneu constant employment, even
though he should not realize large profit. than that
they ahould be compelled to Geek employment slss.
where, after the public printing is finished Now,
sir to secure the services of these journeymen main
w. this work Is undertaken, and not because it yields
anything like fair profit. l speak advisedly upon
this point And it may he proper in this connection
to refer TO the fact that 5000 copies of Lse, aud 900
Of Grat,ans reports are printed, by CONTRACT for the
State, two volumes each, for two years, for the sum
of oOlO they 20 into the library and are tsre sold
for sa Ol thus putting into the treasury net profit
of S. OoU. Sir lnGst be ohy ous to every Rejecting
mind think, that the public printer does not nay
cannot make even small profit by this operallon
bur granting that he does make something. however
little it ia reduced to a certainty that the Stale loses
nothing by the transaction
Mr. Speaker, the question has been propoundec