New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-31
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.


nal of St. Louis 10 Jefferson City.
Mr.. FENTON Rep, n. " reported bill provid-
ing that all invalid pensions shall commence from
the date of disability the object being TO place all
army and navy pensioners on an equality, and remove
from Congress the numerous applications continually
made for back pay. He said this measure would require
about a million and half of dollars for srTearages.
Several efforts were made TO defeat the Dill, whlcn
finally passed--98 against 30
On motion of Mr. GROW rep. Pa, the House
insisted on lie disagreement to the Senate amendment
to the Homestead bill, and asked for COMMITTEE
Conference.
MIR. HASKIN a. L. Dem, n. Y. called up the
specal order being the resolutions reported by HIM
from the Committee Public Expenditures, providing
that hereafter no person shall be elected Printer either
10 the Senate or House, who Is not practical printer,
and of fair reputation for skill and ability that the
Printer elected TO either branch shall give bonds as
security for S25 COO that the present price snail Dc
reduced 40 per centum, and that the resolution shall
take effect from its passage.
Mr.. HASKIN as Chairman of the Committee on
Public Expenditures said that full and thorough IN
vestigaon had been given to the important SUBJECT OF
the public printing by the Select Committee OF the
Senate presided over by Mr.. King, and by the Com
mittee OF this House of which he Chairman. The
evidence adduoed before the Committee, which had
already been published had attracted the attention ana
had called for comments from the public press through
out the whole country. Much OF the LABOR winch
would otherwise have devOlyed upon HIM, on eX-
posing tie gross abuses which existed unaer
the present system of having the public printing
performed, hd0 been saved 10
given 10 this subject by the press Notwithstanding
This II would be necessary for him, to proper under
standing the part Of members who had not READ the
evidence briefly to recapltulate such portions OF IL as
had most importance, in view Of the propositions now
submitted TO the House for it's consider atlon The
present system Of public printing was initiated IN
1919 as appeared from report made TO the Senate Dy
Senator Wilson. AT the time this report was iad
before the Senate three propositions were sub
nitted in reference to the proper mode of having
the public printing executed. One OF these
recommended the establishment OF Govern
ment printng-ofice but though TINS plan
met with favor there not sufficient time then to
rerfect it, II was then the system which existed, and
which prevailed since then, with the internssiOn OF
eight years-from 1874 TO 1892 MISUNDERSTANDING
which the contract system prevailed. III was Dut
right to say that the evidence adduced before the Com
mIttee AS well as before the Committee Of the Senate,
proved cOncusvely that the contract system tined dur
ing those years had proved q complete failure Inc
first contractors under that system were Nendeh
Van Benthuysen who undertook the printing al sucn
low rates that the profits not sufficient, and the
work was done in such unfinished ana mart
sic manner, that many Of the documents published at
that time viii have 10 Oe reprinted Inc next con-
TRACTOR WIS Richie who assigned the work 10 another,
and who came to Congress and claimed damages,
which were awarded him 10 the amount OF s1OVco.
The next contractor, Boyd Hamilton, broke down III
the middle Of his contract. The whole oil TINS was
changed after 1882, when the present System Was
inaneurated Now the evidence taken before the
Committee, conclusively proved that the rates hxed
by the law Of 1852 for composition and especially for
presswork, were enormously high. The evidence
proved that the present rates are at least my
Der cent in excess of what the work could be-
executed at. Some Of the wiinesses practical print
ers favor the establishment of Government Printing
Office and their belief that under system OF
that kird there would be from 500 900 to $4,000
per annnn saved 10 the country. Six or seven wit
nesses ont of the ten examined before the Committee
testified 10 this factthat by the Government doing is
own work there would be fifty per cent from the pres
IL IL .nufrU hlI he
House night properly understand the extraordinary
increase in e cost of the public printing OF late Year,
he had obtained from the Controller Of the Treasury
statement showing that the annual cost OF the public
printing had greatly Increased upon former years.
The evidence further I~oyed most conclusive
w that The greatest abuses vxisting under the
present system of doing the public printing ex-
ised in the printing % g., e vdence rom thiS conpm
yeIy proved that the Pre- dent Of the United States
bimsef-not only the present President bui also his