The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-12-27
Chr 9aily guitrual.
EVANSVILLE, IND.
spAY MORNING. -. pECEMBER q
state Reforma-The Printing.

state RefOrms-The Printing.
In the midst Of the excitement arising
. from our National troubles, it must not be
forgotten that we have important State in
terests demanding attention, and that on
the 10Th of January our Gen eral Assembly |
will meet at the Capital with an immense |
amount of important business before it. Re- |
Iublicans, particularly, must bear in mind |
that for the next two years the administra-
ton of State affairs will be in their hands;
that they have made the most solemn
pledges of economy and reform in State
matters and that on the manner in which
they live up to the promises they have
made the people, will depend their success
in future contests for the retention of their
present ascendancy.
1t is time, therefore, that the press and peo-
pie should begin in earnest the discussion Of
needed reforms and desirable measures that
the General Assembly ought to consider and
pass on during its coming session. While
National affairs, as now situated, will not
admit of neglect or indifference, it is neces-
sary that attention should be given to the
legislation of the State, which so much af-
fects every taxpayer in his everyday life.
We propose at present to consider the
subject of the State Printing! department
of the public expenditure through which,
heretofore, the public has been more deeply
wronged according to its amount than in
any other Of the regular service done for the
State.
The law which now regulates the Office
of State Printer and the work done by him
is a relic of the time in the history OF the
State when tle art had not attained its
present perfection; when there were no
steam power presses in the State when the
work was done by hand on old fashioned
hand presses" and when the comparative
ly meagre amount of printing to be done,
and the small competition, caused much
larger prices than now prevail. The law
is to be found in the Revised Statutes of
l843 (chap- G, art g, and was saved by the
Repeating Act passed under the new Con-
stitution, from being made imperative. In
other words, after the new Constitution was
adopted, and a general set of new laws
were passed under it, that old-fogy law was
suffered for some reason to remain in force
instead of being superseded by one more in
accordance with the spirit of the age.
The abuses under that law within the
past six years have been shameful and it is
no exaggeration to say that the taxpayers
ne Ind bor 100 cd Of ~
least $4,000 year on an average during
this time Think of it-oyer $4,000
paid out Of the hard earnings of the citizens
of the State in six years for nothing and
all this in only one branch of the public ex-
penditure. These abuses have long been
apparent to our Legislators who have given
the subject any attention, but under Dem
Ocratic management the printing and bind
ing have been useful in keeping up party or
gans, therefore politicians have managed to
prevent the repeal of the law and the en-
actment of new one more in consonance
with the spirit of the age and more in ac-
cordanee with the peoples interests.
So fragrant had been and were the abuses
under the law alluded to, that at the Specia
Session of the General Assembly, in Eovem
Der, 1853, a committee was appointed in the
House, to investigate the accounts of the
public printer and matters connected will
the printing. That committee consisted o
FIVE membcrs---four of whom were printers
In politics two were Republicans, one ar
American, one a Lecompton and one an an
ti-Lecompton Democrat. This committe,
were empowered TO send for persons and pa
pers They made pretty thorough examine
ton, and made report accompanied by thu
testimony taken by them, which showed tina
the most shameful impostions had been prac
ticed on the State. The report was signe'
by every member of the committee. The.
accompanied their report with some sug
gestions for change in the law and practice
under it.
The House took the subject under con
sideration and Mt the Regular Session in Jan
uary, 1859, appointed a committee of hv'
members, all printers, to draft a new law EN-
bracing the amendments suggested and sue
others rs we're deemed necessary. The com
mittee went to work and drafted new an
very good bill calculated to reform the dc
fects of the old law. The bill went throug
the usual course and passed both houses
but in the hurry attending the close of this
exciting session, by means Of some hocu
pocus best known to the Democratic mana
gers at the Capital, failed to receive the NJ
proyal of the Governor The extortionat
prices and abuses under the old law there
fore remained to burden taxpayers unit
swept away by some Legislature and Elk
ecutive determined on reform.
Meanwhile, the Senate had been looking