The gazette and Democrat. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1860, 1860-04-05
REPORT on TIE PUBLIC PRINTING
Who Got the Money, and who Spent 1t.
CURIOUS REVELATIONS.

!
IN the House Of ofRepresrntalives, Of whioh
Mr.. Haskin, Of New York, is Chairman,
have nearly completed their investigation
into the manner in which the public
printing has hitherto been conducted,
and from the testimony before them we
gather the following facts:
Cornelius Wendell testiGes that he was
printer de facto Of the last Congress; that
J ames B. Steadman was elected Printer
of tie House, but never performed the
duties Of ihe office. Wendell doing the
work, aud getting sixty-four cents oul of
each dollar received by Seadman, who
consequently pockercd SO cents on dol
lar Of the money paid by Congress. with
out troubling himself to do more than to
receive the pay. This was the arrange.
mrnt at first, but aferward il was set a.
side, and Sieadman "being very anxious
for money" Wendell bought him out en-.
tirely, i've months after his election, and
paid him the round sum Of $34, 900 a, a
bonus. About year later, testiRes Mr.
Wendell. "rather than have a row in the
House about the matter, | paid MIN ST.
800. 1t was ablack mail operation with
him; he threatened to resign and make a
muss generally"
Mr.. A. d. Banks Of Virginia, Mr..
Washing ton Mclean, Judge Walker, and
Two or three others, held minor interests
in the profits Of the Office TO which Mr..
Steadman had been elected, Mr.. Banks 10
the amount Of one. half. Mr.. McI.esn one.
third, and Judge Walker quarter inter.
isl. Nj. S.eadman at the Time of his e..
lection to tho House had no facilities
"none wbatever".--lor doing the work
which the public printer would be com.
polled 10 do,
The amount paid for printing post. Office
blanks averages about $40. 900 a year.
The profit on this lie $4,000. This fat
lob Mr. Wendell says is since 1852 in The
disposal Of The Superintendent of public
printing, and he has given it ito tho prin-
Ter most generally connected with tie Or
gan OF the Presidenl'--ihat is 10 the
printer Of tho Union newspaper, or as il
is now calei the ConstauG N. Major
Harris of Missouri was printer OF this
"organ." aud Mr.. Wendell bought him
out, as he did also steadman, for $50,
900.
The Chairman OF the committee having
. asked Mr.. Wendell as to his motives in
becoming owner oI the "organ," the fol
lowing testimony was clicitcd
Answer. The editor Of the organ il
generally supposed to command the pat,
ronage OF the President. There is good
deal of this work at the disposal Of the
President-say an aggregate Of SlO0, ,00(
: per yeai, more or less
, Question. At the disposal af the Pres
idcnl? A. Yes, SIR That patronage
tho organ has commanded for years it be
ing impossible 10 keep paper up here
without government support.
Q @. Is the 800, 900 worth oi patronage
{ you speak Of at the disposal Of the Presi
dent personally? A, The law provides
that il shall be under the control of tn,
heads Of the departments bat il the Pres
idrn. signifies TO his Cabinet that h,
r would be pleased to see A. b, or G gs
it, as matter Of coure they will obey
his wishes. 1t has been matter OF Gus
tom for the President to dispose Of II. -
Mr.. Buchanan has doLc il, and his prodo
D ccssor Mr.. Pierce, did it, never hac
+ any Intercourse with the Cabinet in tn,
matter; my intercourse has been direc
with Mr.. Buchanan, aud was 30 with Mr.
PicIce.
Q, You say the aggregate amount pal,
= for the executive printing per year il
| Sl0o, 900? A. From SS5, 900 10 $llO,
900.
@. Do The profits on that plmtn,
average fifty cents on the dollarY A.
e portion oI It averages much more; bui th
! average on the whole Of it is about thirty
n Eve cents en- the dollar,
g. Was there ever any understandin,
with you while you had that printing tha
o a portion of the profits should b. used to
J. wards sustaining the organP A. Yes
3 sir, it was gwen for the purpose Of sns
tanning the organ,
q, Was there ever any understandin
Il between you and the President as TO whu
3 portion of the profits should 60 toward
n sustaining tho Government organ? A
No. Sir; | cannot say there was a direc
: understanding; understood it, and
suppose he did
; q. Was there no distinct fund 6xe
4 upon out Of tho profits? A. No. sil
/. the understanding wao Iha, The paper wa
to 90 on
= 9 Aud that that patrcn mage shoul
: support il? A. YES. sir: ! never ha
i anything to say about editing It,
/, From a written statement submitted [
the Committee by Mr., Wendell, il appear
=, that lhs aggregate amount paid for prin
ing, binding, DO, by Congress. in tn
l. last six years, was So 462, 655 le. or
!. yearly Avoi"ge Of nearly S7O0,0O0l ]
e addition to this, tie printing done for Il,
n Executive Del artmcnls OF the Govern
4, menl, during the same years, amounte
TO S374,772 98O. The profit on lhls wor
u ranges from SO 10 70 per cent, averagin
II 81 per cent at least; that is 10 say. III
work done for those six years has cost tn
, Government just 81 ,9l8,7l2 ~ moro tha
y it should have done. a..
Mr.. James English, Mr.. Wonden's fore
'' man for six years pOSt. states, under oa'h
" With such an establishment as Mr.. Wen
al die, l oound take the printing and do
Tor City cents Of the dollar, aud max
4, money; 10 an evidence Of that fact, NJ
= Larcombe aud myself have offered 10 d
i II for Mr.. Wendell. in case he got tn