The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-06-11
Another Gross ralsshooa Headed.
We find the following article in last
,.s,,,s T.awranca Rsn,,D;;,a,, -

Another Gross Falsehood Headed
We find the following article in last
weeks Lawrence Republican
A Gross SwIsDLE. laws Of the !
last Legislature were all in force the first |
Of June. The Legislature put of the |
time to that period so as to give the most
ample time to have the laws printed and |
in the hands of the people. Now, how
stands the case? Simply here. G. W. |
Brown has got the laws printed, and is
selling them out at the exorbitant price |
of SIS per volume. No man-be he a |
member of the Legislature or public Of |
fcer, entitled to the possession-can get
a copy of the laws without submitting to
the extortion of So for volume. which
cannot actually have cost more than 81.
And this was the scheme of Brown last
winter, when he resisted the publishing
Of the laws in the newspapers of the Ter
ritory. 1t was his plan to fleece the peo-
pie and the business men of Kansas. Mr..
Graham, member of the Legislature from
Doniphan county, called upon Brown for
copy of the laws. He was told, II can
sell you copy for S., but there are more
to be had for the members or other Off
GERS" "Well," says Mr.. Graham, haven't
you any but those ?" ooh, yes; 200 vols.
for Walsh" "Well." says Mr.. g., "will
you let me have copy if Walsh says SO Pr
"Yes" Of goes Nj. Graham to see the
Secretary, gets an order on Brown for a
book and back he puts. But Brown still
refused, and Mr. Graham had to go with
out his volume, or pay Brown his fabu.
lous price. Such unparalleled meanness
are the people compelled to submit to,
because principleless Spectator wants to
make money out Of them.
When the Legislature was in session
last winter, application was made to us,
by members, to know how early the laws
could be printed, with the view of max
ing that the period when those laws should
take effect. We stated that if they did
not occupy more than four or five hun
dred pages, they could be completed by
the first of June. Instead of making but
five hundred pages, they will probably
equal eight hundred pages; hence, great
er time will be required for their compile
ton.
The body of the work, notwithstanding
the short time allowed for their printing,
was completed about the Goth of May
Had the copy for the index been placed
in the hands of the printer at once, it is
probable the sheets would have been ready
for binding by the first OF June; but it
requires considerable time, after the body
of book is printed. to read every part of
it with care and prepare an index which
shall serve as guide to any part of the
volume. Up to the present time the copy
for the index is not in the hands of the
printer, and it is probable several days
will yet intervene before it will be ready
The price fixed for the volume was FIVE
dollars, whether in advanced sheets or for
the whole when bound up. In most cases
portion of the work has been forwarded
at the expense of the publisher, by mail;
and in all cases, to collect the few copies
sold, it has been necessary to overhaul
large bundles of sheets, and such will be
the case until the whole volume is ready
for collection by the binder, when twenty
books can be gathered up with more ease
than one book is at the present time
|
The price, So, for law book of 700 to
800 pages, is the price generally charged
for law books. In this case, an edition of
but one hundred copies has been printed
Unless we mistake, members of the legal
profession would be glad to get copies of
the laws by paying ten dollars for them
before they are again collected, or re-
printed. Certain i. is: Whatever goods
we manufacture, we shall set our price
upon them, and it will be optional with
the public whether they buy of us, or OF
another, or 60 without. Instead of any
person being able to furnish the book for
dollar, the item of binding alone will
cost that amount, to say nothing of all the
other labor ana expense upon it.
We opposed printing the laws in all the
newspapers of Kansas, because of the ex-
pense it would be to the Territory. We
showed by figures what the cost would
be, and this deferred the Legislature, IN
doubtedly, from mourning the expense
At the same time, we have published q
large number OF those laws in the HERALr
OF FREEDOM for the benefit of our readers
Have those papers, which were so anxious
that the laws should be published in the
several newspapers of Kansas for the ben
eft Of the "dear people" published the
same in their papers? What other news
paper save those which were opposed tc
the printing Of the laws in the newspaper:
at the expense of the Territory, is there
which has given any considerable number
Of those laws a place in their columns
1t seems, then, that instead of doing the
PEOPLE favor, by publishing those laws
they ,cished to get an appropriation from tn
Treasury to sustain same fifteen or twe,ts
lettering presses
1t is true, Mr.. Graham did call for I
copy of the laws, and we refused to Civ,
him copy for less than S.. He wished
|
copy for nothing. We are not doin.
business that way. We have contrac
with Secretary WALSH for fifteen hundred
copies, and to him, and him only, or hi
successor in Office, should he chance Il
have one, shall we deliver the laws. W,
would not accept his order because tn,
volume was not complete, and if it hac
been, we should have only accepted it il
quantity and not for single copy. W,
have rights as well as the public, and W,
expect to maintain them.