The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-04-03
Tue Printing OF CoaGxess-A Now Bill In tho
Senate.

Tne Printing OF CoaGress-A Now Bill In the
Senate.
1t will be within the recollection of all our
readers that at the beginning Of the session of
the present Con ress the HERALD directed pub
&c attention to the abominable system under
which the Congressional printing was performed
The subject engaged the attention of both
branches of Congress. The House appointed
special committee upon the subject That COM
nittee has not yet reported, but will probably
bring in bill establishing a Printing Bureau
to be attached to one of the departments. The
Senate Committee on Printing through Mr.
johnson, has reported a bill amendatory of the
act entitled can act to provide for executing
the public printing and establishing the prices
thereof" II is this Senate bill which il now
pending. The amendments to the law OF 1852
do not seem to answer even the half way pur-
pose for which they are intended. We have
already shown thnt under this law the coss Of
the printing has been quadrupled; that the job
is 80 profitable as to bring to Washington at the
opening Of every Congress horde Of broken
down politicians, small country editors and
lobby cormorants, who fight for the spoils
with the ferocty of vultures lowering over
the dead upon field of battle. Every
two years this disgraceful scene is re-
peatcd. Every two years the Hobbies Of
the capital are crowded with leeches. Every
two years the business of Congress is delayed
during two or three weeks in order to decide
which clique shall have the bit OF fat When
the job is finally awarded the expense Of getting
it is so great that the printer is obliged either
to make up his deficiencies out Of the public
treasury by any means, fair or foul, or to relin-
quish it altogether.
1t is this odious system that the people wish
to see broken down, but the bill of Senator
johnson perpetuates all its worst features and
descends to details as puerile as they are imprac-
ticable. We find the sinecure Office of Superin-
tendent of Public Printing continued. The
printers and binders to the Senate and House
arc to be elected after the old fashion, and paid
by most complicated scale-so much for COM
position, so much for presswork, folding, stitch
ing, &c. Distinctions are made between pages
CT different kinds and sizes of type, large and
small, solid and leaded "pica plain" "pica
rule" "nonpareil rule" and the most triaing
details are so far elaborated rs to be almost en-
tirely incomprehensible even to printers them
selves 1t is this splitting of hairs that gives
such an opportunity for dishonest printer to
swindlc the government. Mr.. johnson might
az well have fixed the price to be paid by
the employer to the journeyman, and ar
ranged the hours Of their labor, the joints
for their dinners and the color of their
breeches. 1t is precisely the same as if Con-
gress, in ordering the building Of frigate,
should specify the number Of nails and bolts, or
the precise quantity Of timber. no more and no
less, which should be used in constructing the
ship. The whole thing is 20 ridiculous so utter
ly absurd, that it is impossible to treat it Sc
riously. 1t is even too ridiculous to be ridi.
culed. What the people want, and what they
will have, sooner or later, is a law establishing
permanent Bureau of Printing, with a chief
and subordinates to be appointed by the Execu-
tive, and to work under the same regulations az
those which govern the other departments. By
this means alone the printing and binding jobs
will be taken out OF Congress altogether, the
work will be done properly by the government
ITSELF members Of Congress will be saved from
the biennial bullying coaxing and badgering Of
country editors, ard the treasury will gain at
leas, halfa million per annum. The Senate bill
does nc meet the question at all II perpetuates
the three separate jobs printing, paper and bind
ing--and gives the lobby the same plundcring
facilities as before. 1t should therefore be
thrown out AMI the House committee cannot do
better than to report at once bill for the Print.
ing Bureau.