Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1860-04-20
interesting and Important Disclosures
OLD EER. BUCHANAN AND HIS AID
TENESTRATH0N USMASAEa9!

Committee on Public Expenditures tJ9f"t o.
HasEcin, Chairma's,) TO Investigate CoTTUP,
fions in regard 10 the Disbursements ot the
Public Printing Find.
Forney's Washington correspondent, "Ccea-
sional,' furnishes his paper, "The Press" with
the following, which, owing to the Important
character of the matter, we give il detail
Let the People read it, and judge cf tue cor
ruption .f old Mr.. Bncbanan's Administration
If such shameful waste of the Peoples money
is wiuked at and encouraged in the business Of
Public Printing, what is the state of afairs 10
other, more important, departments OF the Gov
erumeut? This, however, can never be learned
unless we have change Of Administration, or
through Investigating Committees.
Tie Way in which the Public Printing IS
FGrmed Out
Cornelius Wendell sworn-rixamlned by the
Chairman:
Question We're you the printer de fTcto of
the last Congress? Answer. | vas.
Q. Who was elected printer of that House?
A. J. B. Steadman.
@. You are the printer Of the Honse until
you are supersededl A That IS the custom
IholA over until another printer is elected.
@ he was elected printer of the Thirty -6t;h
Congress? A. Yes, Sir.
@. Did he ever perform the duties of that
Office! a. No, sir.
Q. When did you commence performing he
duties of printer to the Housea A. lmmediatc-
ly on his election.
Q Win you be kind enough to state, 10 as
concise inanDer as possible, the terms upon
which you became The printer de tacto, as be-
tween you aud Mr.. Stcadmau, the printer elect
of the Thrty-ffth Congress? A. ! stipulated
with him to 90 the work for sixty four cents 10
the dollar.
Q. Sixty, four cents on the dolIara A. Yes,
sir.
Q. That is, where you received one dollar for
certain printing, you got sixty,four cents out of
it fol doing the work! A. Yes, sir.
Q. by Mr. Foake. He got thirty-six cents
out Of the dollar and you tie balanced A. Yes,
sir. Afterwards that arrangement was set aside
and gave bin a stipulated sum aud took tho
chances. He was very anxious for money ard
bought him out entirely.
O., by the Chairman. Your first agreement
with him was to do the wolk for sixty-four cents
On the dollar paid him by the House9 A. Yes,
sir.
@. And subsequently, be kind enough to stste
about what rime, you bought him out entirely
for a stipulated sum. A. He was elected in De-
cember, and in May following, think, gave
him stipulated SUM.
@. How much was that? A. Thirty-four
thousand dollars.
@ That was the whole bonus ycu paid him
for selling out to you tho right Of PriDter to
the House? A. No, sir; subsequently, TO that
about year. rather than have rev in tbe
House bout the matter, PAID bin $3.50
1t was black mail operation with him; he
threatened to resign, and make muss gene
rally.
Q. Were any other parties interested with
him in the profits of the printing on his cleo
tion. A. Yes, sir; Mr.. A. ID. Banks, Mr.
Washington Mclean, Judge Walker, aud some
two or three others, who held minor interests.
The Profits Of the Public Printing, and who
Cts Them.
@. We're you the printer of the 34'h Con-
gress1 A. | was elected printer Of the 34th
Congress.
@. Can you state from recollection the amount
of money paid during the 34th Congress for
the printing done for the House Of Represen'
tatiEes? a. ] think it was about S230,O00;
l am not positive; it was some considerable suu
over two hundred thousand dollars.
@. Can you state from recollection the profit!
A. Well, could no. come very near it frou
the fact was doing the Senate AID executive
work, binding and all together, and kept Nc
distinct account Of tie profit. | should imagine
the profit ran near forty-fye cents.
o. EoJkV-fVe cents IN tha doIicF7 Yes
sir.
@. Can you state the aggregate amount paid
for the printing of the House during the 35th
Congress? A. Ii was trfe over $200, 900; |
think about S212.000, if my memory serves me.
haye all these figures to a cent.
O. Can you tell what was the net profit Oh
the work done for the 35th Congress2 A. |
think it ran in the neighborhoed of forty cents;
some of the work is not SO heavy some other,
because il is not the same style. The price de-
pends upon the style. Therefore We may do
oue hundred Thousand dollars worth of par
ticular kind of work and make forty cents prof,
on the dollar, AMI We may do another kind and
make sixty or seventy cents profit on the dollar.
The prices are fixed By law, and the established
scale is varying.
@. are you doing the printing for the present
houoo u representatives! a. DleSsTs' Eu-
glish Il Larccmbe are doing the work at my
Office.
Q. Who is doing the printing for the senatef
A. Mr. Rlves.
@ Who is the printer of the Senate! A. G..
W. Bosnian.
Q. DO 3ou koew he profits received by Mr.
Bovman pp0a .ae printing doae for the Seuale2
Doyon aaeg tea profits Of the Senate p,intef2