New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-27
HIGHLY INTERESTING FROM WASHINGTON
REPORT ON THE PUBLIC PRINTING.
Who Col the Money, and who Spent H.
CURIOUS REVELATIONS.


of Representatives, of which Mr. Haas OF New York
Is Chairman have nearly completed tn cir Investigate
into the manner in which the public printing has hith-
ERIC been conducted, and from the tea mony before
them we gather the following facts:
Cornelius Wendell testifes that be waN the printer
de acto of the last Congress- that James b. Steadmsn
was elected Printer Of the House, but performed
the duties OF the Office. Wendell doing the work, aud
getting sixty cents out of each dollar rec siSed by
Steadman, who consequently pocketed Sc cents on q
dollar of the money paid by Congress- whouttroubling
himself to do more than receive the pay This was
the arrangement at frs butafterward was set Sde
and Stesdman being very anxious for money"
Wendell bought him out entirely, five months after his
election, and paid him the round sum Of go 900 as
bonus. About year later, testfes MIR. Wendell,
rather than bave row in the House about the mat.
" ter, paid him 81, 800. 1t was black mail opera
" ton with him. he threatened to resign and make
" muss generally"
Mr.. A. ID. Banks of Virginia, Mr.. Washington
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 to the amount
of one-balf, Mr. Mclean one-tbird and Judge Walker
quarter interest. Mr.. Steadman at the time of his
election TO the House had no facilities" none what
ever'-for DONG the WOTk WHICH the puouC pIhbor
would be compelled to do.
The amount paid for printing Post-OfRce blanks
averages about $40 900 year. The profit on this is
$50, Co., This fat job Mr. Wendell says is since 1852
in the disposal of the Superintendent Of public print
Ing and be has given it to the printer most generally
connected with the organ of the President that
is to the printer Of The Union newspaper or as it
now called The Constitution. Major Harris of Mis-
souri was printer of this organ" and Mr. Wendell
bought him out as he did also Steadman for $50 600.
The Chairman of the Committee having asked Mr..
Wendell asto his motives in becoming owner OF the
organ 2" The following testimony was elicited
Answer The editor of the organ is generally sup
There good deal of this work a. the disposal OF the
Presidept-say an aggregate Of slooooo per year.
more or less.
Question. At the disposal of the President A;
Yes Sir That patronage the organ has commanded
for years. being impossible TO keep paper up here
without Government support.
Q. Is this 800 900 worth of patronage you speak
of at the dsposal Of the President personally A.
The law provides that shall be under the control OF
the Heads of the Departments but If the President
signifies to his Cabinet that he would pleased TO see
A, b, or get it, az matter Of course they VIII obey
bis wishes 1t has been matter Of custom for the
President to dispose of IT, Mr. Buchanan has done it,
and bis predecessor Mr. Pierce, did it. never mad
any intercourse with the Cabinet in the matter; my
intercourse has been direct with Dir. Buchanan, and
was with Mr. Pierce.
o. You cav the aggregate amount paid for the exc
cutive printing per year is 100000 A. From $S5-
600 to $4,000 Think that will average sl0o, O0O
Q. Do the profits on that printing average hy cents
on the dollar A. A portion OF 1t averages mucn
more; but the average on the whole OF II Is aoout
thirty-ive cents on the dollar. =, .,
q. Was there ever any understanding with you
while you had that printing that portion OF the prSns
should be used toward sustaining the organ "A. ies
q f.r tha
o. Was there ever any understanding between you
and the President to what portion OF the prou's
should 90 toward sustaining the Government organ
A. No, Sir; 1 cannot say there was direct under
standing; understood it, and suppose he dld. -,
Q. There was no distinct sum fixed upon out OF the
profits A. No, Sir; the understanding was that the
paper should go on. go
Q. And that that patronage should support til a.
Yes, Sir never had anything to say about editing It.
From written statement submitted to the Commit
tee by Mr. Wendell, it appears that the aggregate
amount paid for printing binding, &C., by Congress- IN
the last six years was 50 462 SO IL, yearly av-
ersge of nearly 100000! In addition to this, the
printing done for the Executive Departments OF the
Government Aiuring the six years. amounted to
1914 ~ $50. The profit on this work ranges from 50
to 20 per cent? averaging 80 per cent at least; that
to say the work done for those six years has cost the
Government just sl,9lS,7l3 20 more than it should
have done.
Mr. james English, Mr.. Wendes foreman for six
years past, states, under oath: With such an estab-
lisbment Mr.. Wendells, could take the printing
and do it for fifty cents the dollar and make money;
as an evidence Of that fact Mr. Larccmbe and myself
have offered TO do il for Mr. WENDELL in case he got
the whole Of ii, for forty cents the dollar and at
thst rate we would have been able to make few
dollars
Mr.. Larcombe, also practical printer states: {"
should be very glad to have the opportunity TO do the
Government work at so per cent"
q" On the prices now paid y
"Yes, Sir"
"Could you not do il at 40 per cent the price
paid ?"
Mr.. English and myself offered to do it for Wen
dell for that"
Mr. George w. Bowman, late Superintendent Of the
Public Printing, thus explains TO the Committee one
source Of these immense profits:
When was appointed Superintendent Of the Public
Printing discovered that about $4,000 year were
paid for what is called I" donble compositions" that is
TO say, Printer was elected for the Senate and a
Printer for the House, and by power OF attorney
their rights transferred to Dir. Wendell, and he
became the printer in fact, for both Houses OF Con-
eress; foriDstance the message and documents would
be ordered by the Senate, and certificate would be
given by the Superintendent of Public Printing 10 Mr.
Steadman, as Printer Of the House, for the compost
on and printing Of the message and documents; thus
pay would be drawn for the work on account Of
the House Printer and then bill would be pre-
sented by Wendell in the name Of Mr.. Harris the
Senate Printer, for the composition and printing Of
| and thus the same work would be twice
charged aud paid for. This was done on
| every occasion whore the same documents were or
dered by both Houses, and the composition executed
but once; we traced SOS, 600 which we found was
drawn every year for double composition, without
going into the smaller items of printing which would
have the amount up to at least 900 year that
reformed by act at the close Of the last session
of Congress- / discovered further, on looking into
what called the regular annual documents Of Con-
eress Of which the number regularly supplied to the
House is think, l,52O, and the Senate, 40, and
which documents are bound In caf-the most exten.
sve bnding-and furnished to every member Of the