New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-03

C.enn ErgrkN.nE t".llDru hSes HiS'
sss rsconmsroed the em3,oyDen. Of certsin en-
s1av.rs and photographers sccount OF their usosa
fcsl kill or their ability 70 execute the WON, aod
tSst the Committee relied upon his Judgment IN those
matters. -
The Chairman OF the Engraving COMMITTEE IN the
Tbirty.fouJth Congress says taa, VI. seaman ="
recommended for employment p s.. Duyal Co,
,robn Cassip Ven logon & Snyder and Sinclair q 20.
81 PbiladeJphis: A. Hoen & Co. Of Baltimore and
S.,onv Msior and Knapp Of Eew-York. 10 the e1
animation yoar Committee found that s those parties
had been employed IN engraving aud Ethogrspblng FOR
the GoveraIent nj, AMI that all Of them hat paid com
missions TO agents in manner connected with the
baspess, and they cay that the payments tnus Hsde
had sss connection With the contracts ior tae
work Some Of these parties state that they found
that TIER old agents could be Of no seTvcs TO them,
ard ths they got the impression here in Washington
that tbe interests would b. promoted b5 the employ
nent Of other parties, and that upon the employment
Of the persons indicated they got work.
Your committee find that ttere wss & very general
belief in the trade that it was necessary for them %
pay for their contracts in sone Eay ard that the pay
meLt was general az the belief Payment va.
made in different ways in some lDtaDces In Tue way
Of losns; in other cases sper csntsge was PAD 10
agents for attending 10 the receipt ana oehVery OF the
work al Washington; the necessity ior Whea services
existtd more in Imagination thsp ID reaIty, as lne
plates were always sent direct TO the Superintendent,
and by blm were delivered to the printer who ar
ranged or collected them with the sheets. In other
cases the per centage was paid direct 70 the S1pen
teLdent.
THE PER CENTAGE AND THE PROFITS.
The eppravers ana Etbogrsphers testify with one or
two exceptions bs. they could afford TO pay the per
centage an1 that they made provision IN their bi1s
for the allowance which they were compelled to make
10 the ageIls This fact s established by comparison
of the prce paid der the late Superintendent aud
those paid by Mr. Bowman, the present SaPerinten
dent. There nearly fifty per cent difference in favor
Of the pTesent prices. This is the testimony OF MIR.
Towers chief clerk in the office. Mr.. Graham test.
fee thst he would have dOre some Of the Work az
tweDtyfve per cent, or one fourth OF the price PAD
under Mir. Seaman and reduction nearly as great as
tlis has actually been made in the oost Of toe work
Done on the Coast Survey Report Of 1857. The charts
done under con ract vita Mr.. Seaman that report
for 1856 cost sl57 50 eacb while the same kind Of
charts somewhat larger 10 their average size, for the
report Of 1851 contracted for and have been done
under Mr. Bowman for $40 81 each.
One or two lthO2raphers say that the prices were
about the same that they received from publishers;
but appears that these parties did not object to loan
they have rot requested him 10 return BY reference
to the testimony Of Messrs. Roberts & Eichen, it will
be that they agreed to divide the net prohts on
the work to be done the Mechanical Report OF the
Patent Office. The contract was given ct go per
page, Of which sum they Estimated $li per page az
The net profits Dat this sun Roberts sgreed to pay
Eichel twenty-five per cent for securing toe work.
The per centage paid TO agents was from hive 10
twenty per cent upon contracts. 10 some instances
the money w6s loaned TO Mr.. Seaman and no security
vouchers we're taken for it. In the case OF Sarony
Mojor q Knapp, bis name did not appear on the
books. Tie loans had been charged 10 oJe Of tue
partners for A. g. S." but Mr.. Major says that he
added the full name Of A. g. Seaman after he had
been subpenaed. To question put on the subject,
the witness answered that the entry was thas made ID
avoid exposing Mr.. Seaman, yet he Gays tnat was
fair and business-lke transaction. Tne last sum IN
the loan from that house was received by Mr. Sea
man in the Summer Of 1851. The party who made
loan was subpenaed to testify before your Committee
Upon the receipt Of tie subpoena he called upon Mr.
Seaman for the amount of the loan and arrange
m. nj was made by which the cum was returned in
certified check. The party in this particular instance
testified that be had lot called upon Seaman before
that time for the money ard that he had called alter
he had been subpenaed in order that he might be able
to testify that MIR. Seaman did not owe hi anything
In another il stance, the last sum 10 Oan o: 3JJO
was made four years since and no demand has been
made upon Mr.. Seaman for it, or any portion OF IT.
and il remains unpaid. Your Committee found, IN
another case that loan of 81 800 had been made TO
Mr.. Seaman; thai note taken for it hsd been re-
uewed from time to time that the amount was finally
paid by the firm ard charged to the account of print
ing expenses and that the persons making the loan
did not when they made it, expect il to be repsid.
The came house paid additional sumt VI. Sea nan
Of $780, which your Committee lind was in consders-
ton of contracts given IT.
Your Committee find that the various sums o
money paid to the agents employed under different
pIetenscs were paid under the impresson tn 1t their
business interests would be benefited thereby, and
that IT was Necessary that those payments should be
made in order TO secure Government contracts They
further find from lie testimony that engravers and
photographers who had previously bad work from TIE
Government, did not succeed in getting II under Mr.
Sesmans superntendency untilthey employed partcu-
lar agents. The particular agents were after ward em-
ployed by all the successful houses
ore Of the most successful houses-Sarony, Major
n KISpp-was induced TO make, aud did make, a
business arrangement with MIR. Wendell, and they
opeped branch Of their NeEYoIk house in this city,
in which Mr.. Wendell was interested. IL is in EVIL
depce that the establishment Of this branch made
msteria difference in the quantity of work given TO
houses outside of this city, but the parties say that 1t
was not successful, and, therefore, it was closed
the recent large orders nearly or entirely CON-
pleted.
The eviderce shows, also, that there
tract made for the payment OF ~ per cent 10 MI Sea-
man; but your Committee have been unable to ascer
tain whether the amount WAS ever actusLy paid over
according TO the agreement.
me PAPER CONTRACTs-HOw UNCLE SAM Is
"DoNE BROWN" IN THEM.
Your Committee further fnd that the paper received
from contractors wss inferior TO the sample, IN some
cases varying three cents the pound and that
little of sucn inferior paper returned 10y The
Superintendent. II appears from the testimony that
very considerable quantity of paper which had At
different times been rejected by the clerk having
charge Of the paper department WAS aftergari To-
ceived. 10 one particular instance, when large
quantity Of paper mad accumulated in the hands Of the
contractor the contractor came 10 Washington and
succeeded in getting his psper received
Ii appears that this wss done by agreement 10
pay commission for the receipt OF his psper NJ.
Megagee, the contractor in this case, compelled
Of tie manufacturers 10 mske deduction OF about
twenty.four cents per Ieam on the paper supplied,
which deduction amounted TO 8! POI. In the account
rendered to the manufacturer tie deduction charged
as the amount paid on paper which was rejected, but
which paper, upon ssld payment having been mads,
wac received by TIE Government. TAis payment 10
clearly established by the testimony OF MIR. Rice, who
psid the same and by the original accounts rendered
Me,,rs: Rice, Kendall Go. By the house of MegGr-
nr.sN Hl,aNs h, ~. tlaa