The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-20


Minister Dodge.
TIN CONGRESS PRINTNG-SUPERnrEEDE
REpoFr,-We bave before US the report Of the
General Superintendent, Bowman, on the oondi-
ION Of the printing of the government at Wash
ington. From bis voluminous array Of figures
we select the following comparative statement
Of the expenses of the printing. including the
paper, illustrations, binding, &c.:-
sESArR or TIE UNITED STATES.
1skd Cds-
Tbirty-fou Congress, FIRST session (esti-
Thirty fourth Congress 249,y93 IS
Thirty fifth Congress, first session 1926! ~
ROUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
Thirty fourth Congress, arst session (estl-
Thirty fourth Congress second session 4o4ai4 IL
Thirty fifth Congress, frst session 326,662 30
Here We discover, as between the printing OK
pensts OF the FIRST session Of this present or
Thirty-ffth Congress, and the costs Of the FIRST
session Of the Thirty fourth or the last Congress,
an immense saving to the treasury, to witt
Total expense Congress printing FIRST session
last Congress festsnated) 1882 800 So
To- do first session present Congress. $40 %
Derepce saved to the treasury ..... .$4S7 $50 81
Taking it in round numbers, here we have
bill of million reduced to half million as
between the long session Of the last Congress
and the long session Of the preeent This dife-
renee is largely due to those splendid illustrated
books of the Pacific Railroad explorations, DC,
executed under Picrces administration but
there have also been some considerable reductions
during the last two years from the pruning
processes applied by the committees Of the two
houses. With all these reductions, however, the
Commissioner submits several propositions Of
reform, which would still diminish these ex-
pen-cs. For instance: the House orders the mes
sage and accompany ing documents, and the
House printer executes the order. The Senate
gives a similar order; and although they may
have The same man for printer, under the present
system, he charges the Senate, as he charged the
House, for the type setting of the whole job. The
Superintendent thinks that this system Of double
charging for the composition Of these and other
Congress jobs should be stopped; and we
think 80 too. He also proposes the cutting out
from the documents printed for general circula-
ton all that mass Of rubbish, in the way of use
less statistics and tables which makes these docu-
ments so cumbersome and expensive, and 20
repuisive TO the general reader.
We maintain, however, that the shortest and
only efficient method Of reforming these printing
abuses Is in the establishment Of a government
Office in the form Of separate bureau Of the
Department Of the Interior, under com
missioner, and oil under the supervision Of a
joint committee Of the two houses. Short
Of reform Of this sort, we may have.
now and then. some spasmodic efforts a.
economy and honesty but nothing more. The
hungry spoils beggars of the party press,
and the keen and inscriptions managers Of the
obby, will essentially continue to rule the roas!
as long as these jobs Of Congress are considered
the rightu perquisites, pickings and stealings of
the party majority OF either house. Meantime.
we hope that the Hon. George Taylor will not
let the opportunity slip away for an Official in
quiry into this late lobby compounding business
Of Wendell, Banks, Steadmsn 4 Co.