Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-12-21
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
DEFERRED ARTIcLKsl --

"hSH<NoIO4N NEWS AND GOSSIP
lDEFKRRED ARTIcLKs.l
PRINTING TIE MESSAGE AND ACCOMPANYING
DocUxESrs.-A brief article in the Wa,b;nv.
ton O"'0H Of Friday, and another on SUNDAY,
In reference to the action of the Senate in or.
derins the printing Of the extra number, Of
the Message and Documents, strikes us az be.
ing erroneous - :.
FOR years 1t has been charged in both Houses
Of Congress and by the press that enormous
e1traVagance has existed in the printing and
engraving operations Of the General Govern
ment- That these are the legitimate result,
OF the printing orders of Congress, does not
admit Of . doubt Reforms have frequently
been attempted in those orders, but have never
resulted practically until recently. We re-
eently proved q saving Of nearly forty tbou.
sand dollars In two contracts for furnish;no
the Government with white paper for printing
purposes; and We learn with pleasur.. tba,
mere has been a saving in the Agricultural
rstent Ohee Report just published, over that
oi 1870, OF about $4,000 This was uripci.
Psly eHseisd BY rejseting the fancy pictures.
"nien could be OF little use, except to please
9nluren- we learn, too, that there ha. bean
great saving in the cost OF engraving and
hthograPic printing for the last session ovsr
any previous session, amounting in the agra
gate to at least fifty per cent for the sou.
amount Oi work. On the Coast Survey Report
alone, the saving has been (say) thirty tbtu.
sand dollars. '-1
Inc senate Committee On Printing Hon.
mr FHen, chairman reported, on Thursday
III favor OF printing 10000 copies Of the Mas.
sage and documents (srtra numbers, in ON. -
stead OF three volumes, (omitting certain DIV
staustics) thus making q readable book .nJ
one tnat viii be appreciated by the favored fsv
tnat get them. BY this lsudable abrid,smsnt
mere is saving to the Government of abon,
Ten thousand dollars on the ten thousand .or;o.
ordered Had the House adopted the .sn,.
course tney would have saved twenty Thousand
uOhars on the number ordered by that BODY.
|" say nothing Of the amount expendsd in
wrapping paper and mail transportation.
Ihe article in the Union, to which WA ,.t..
takes exception to the action of tbs sar.t.'
regarding it as denying information 10 ,bs
PeOP'e, Out this Is mistake. The statistics
na'e All oeen printed in the regular numbers,
"nere tney can be reached and inspected At
any ume. 1t is only proposed to omit details
"nich are scarcely ever read, and which. after
Oeing printed, find their way into grocery stores
ana huckstering establishments for vrannino
paper Ii paper Is thus to be furnished bv
tne IoVeEnment for wrapping PURPOSES. far
better that the white paper should be fnr.
hlsned at once, and thus save printing dry
pressing, binding, &c. L. will be recoIJsctad
'na' some months ago quantity of such docu.
"en'S' costing the Government many thousand
uollars, were dlsentombed from the cataeomhs
VI 'ne Iapit>I, the very existence of which had
long been forgotten. They were then too far
gone-destroyed-to admit of their distribu.
uon' while 1t was very certain that AN nm.
told quantity of the original lost had besr
used perhaps for kindlipg the fires os ,b.
ht best, these documents reach
"pAiauEey but few persons. The whole
number ordered by Congress would no, more
'uah supply single county in many of tbs
states and what right has one man to tbe,s
books over another?
Inc senate, We think, acted wisely in the
aoridgment Of this work, and all tay.no,o,,
VIII rejoice in the reform thus conmanoaa
Win the sincere hope that il will be con,;n,,o5
until no room shall exist for further ;us, CON,
plant against this department of the nuhIi.
service PuDii0
IHE CENSUS FOR IS6O.-A fav dor,
Judge Hughes, Of Indiana. int,odno.a
VI representatives, a resolution in
Tue committee on Ways and Means
report bill making an appropriation for
.SAlns tne census OF 1860. The law providing
lof taxing the census in 1850, was framed with
We" 10 permanency, and under its pro-
VISIONS the census in 1860 will be taken. nm
less Congress shall abrOgate it by some other
enactment before that time. This resolution
oi Mr.. Hughes, merely contempla,es nlac;,c
an appropriation at the command Of the Ss.-e.
tarY Of the Interior, to enable him ,o nroessd
under that law; and not, as some persons scam
10 think, to involve the enactment of a nsw
law. That the law Of 1850 is fully adeouate
70 serve the purposes for which il was framed /
l. undenlaole, insomueh as it has been nracti- |
eally tested 1t provides fully for ALI the
mlnuta OF the service, and its permansncv "a
desirable, because the expense and labor of ,
re-arrangement of the machinery would there
by be avoided, and COMPARISONS be,v.s, ~.
past and future periods will be more eas;Iv
Hu 1'0uiA'eiy eneeted, than can be the case |
II new system is instituted. Ass r,-,L
argument In favor VI its permanency, We copv
tne following remarks from the recent 80.
oil the Secretary Of the Interior:
ILe law approved May %, 1850. prov,,,,, g.,
taxing tne seventh census was draw ,.,',,. ioi
care, ana requires that IL other law hi 80. az
Ps, PiO. 10 tne nfst day OF january IsSo -
perseding II, the Secretary OF the iooC, SUI
proceed 10 take the eighth census aecoTdi iOa ,na
pt't ~, 1 he Plan OF the last census was a..
Nlsed oy census board Of eml nent ,,0s 70 20 "
The result! Of unusual preparation itwa. nnu was
10, and adopted by Cong after the most
sested no f.stSre e Ssg Sa1glS amendment, and pre-
70 It's easy execution Its schedule. ' cos'.cIS S1
ana e9mPfsernsive; by them We not op:v an Ian
lion, and the conditIon ~ ..t OF our Popula-
tures, and trade, but they also embrs,.
shelr scope the examination Of manv ,nai Wtnih mn
SOCIAL faets, Illustrative OF the ahu
PeIty, and happiness Of lhe peopIr. 81 pros
Of life, aud TIE cause Of deatG rhs xui'a fadon