Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-09-22

to s Washington UaO per cent Appleton ssesia-
Of STATE snd three cent 70 paper puoh'd IN 'ne n'e
AMI Mason said ne :is were So Is the Senate and
10 The eeaIty for the senator LAY his before tain,
"Mr wilson reiterated the statement, and said that MI hce
hius n had iaid So and moreover That hs grnaHgs V"'
Mr. Cameron said that the matte notorious mat every
body sxesP, perhaps the senator from Vsnis must sn2 p
dent bat they had quarrel and he went about baobhns al
Mr. aason-Dd Mr. Rice tell The Senator ,o'
Mr. CameronThe 10 ct this Information 70 appoint
committee Of Investigation or sue me for SANDER and that yi
scAes brig Billy ee and The President Thy know
all about H. and ihink colleague knows something about
Neither billy RICK nor the President has been brought
before a committee, nor has any SANDER suit been
brought against Cameron it has not been distinctly
ascertaued how the profits Of the job divided be-
Rice and the Secretary Of State but the main fact
Of the contract with Rice and the Presidents completely
in the affair made apparent by the reports at the
last session Of Congress- OF the committees OF nyes
cation into Executive abuses The general fact Is there
by clearly established that profits far exceed
ing the value of any public service rendered. were made
BY political pets aud tools of the Administration, with
its knowledge and connvance be expended and acu-
ally expended, in carrying fsvorite measures through
Congress-n corrupting the balot-b0x, and carrying
popuar elections 70 suit the President Before how
ever proceeding to these interesting developments, let
US take advantage OF the Presidents opinions OF
such dongs they convict him Of In his ceebra-
ted Du QssRs letter. written on the 22d OF November
1855 he thus expressed himself;
81 shall the privilege Of advane years 10 referring to
another growing dangerous age although
fathers Ike Ourselves divided into political parties
had conflicts with each other,
hsgr until period os Employment 81 money % carry
cecions SHOULD ths UNIV s voter sha tns
Injected the fountain free Government will en be poisoned At
Inn Deorsiic repubs An arrea cannot long survive unes
by public virtue When this corrupted, and the
pie become vena there canke at the Of heee OF hber
ii. which must II 70 Either and die.'
Will it be believed that but few weeks before this
letter written, large out OF the profits OF the
public printing used with the authors implied
sent for the purpose of controlling the Congressional
elections in Pennsylvania and New York. and that under
his express direction the Systematically
used 70 subsdize the pressg What the rate OF profit
was may be judged by the fact that appears by the
report Of the committee of the House Of Representa-
lives on Public Expenditures, Report No 249, March
20 1860 the cost Of the Public Printing for the thirty
third Congress 81, 7S0259 7qfor the thirtyfourth
Congress- 81 los 1872 and for the thirtyffh Congress-
S57i, .6S 49, making an aggregate OF SS,462,555 ~
exclusive OF the printing for the Executive Departments
From the evidence adduced before them, say the com
mittee they clearly Of opinion that the prices now
pad on the pressWOrk should be reduced in the aggre
gate at least sirty.fVs per cent" What margin Of
profits is thus shown, TO be applied to the purposes Of
corruptOnl Cornelius Wendell, editor and proprietor
of the Washington organ Of the President seems to
have been his favorte instrument in these PRACTICES
The Union was the Presidents Washington organ.
"Ths PenRsyluGnian,n edited by Rice, his home
organ, and "Tas Argus" edited by Seaverns and
then by Baker, who married the Presidents niece, and
Who figures hereafter, was Of the kidney. The
Executive Printing of which the Post Office Blanks
profitable part is under the control Of the Admin
itraton. Question by the committee to Wendell -
From 1856 who exercised control over the giving out Of
the Post-Qhce Blanks printing! Answer The Presi-
dent and the Postmaster General through the Postmas
ter General; in December succeeding Mr.. Buchsnan's
coming into power, he gave it 70 Mr. Rice, for time
Question. Did you sub-coutract it from Mr. Rice ?"
Answer Yes, sir, that was the understanding, that
should continue 10 do the ork as heretofore, and hare
he control of t. Rice receiving / think forty-three
cents ~ the dollar" -"Queston. Was there any under
standing when this work given to Rice, that any
newspaper TO be supported out of if' Answer
Il was understood that it was for the support of the
PeaHSylvaHjdH: such the understanding" "Ques-
ton The understanding between whom" ANSWER.
The understanding between the President and the Post
master General" Question by Mr.. Hndman. How
did you know that" Answer From conversations
held with them. | insisted upon having more of the
profits Of the printing to support The URiOn as was
one Of those rather improbable pecuniary organs aud
Mr. Rice was very clamorous to have share for The
Pennsylvania, and finally settled forty.three
cents in the dollar. had made a contract with Mr..
Crowell who did the work for me for forty
five or fifty cents in the dollar. He did it portion Of
the time for oryfve cents, and portion OF the time
for fifty cents had also the Executive Printing, but
the profits that not great and the expenses
of The Union being very large, insisted that should
have all the profits Of the Post Office Blank Printing
could not keen H. however" In another part Of his
animation this witness saws: "When transferred the
organ 10 Bowman, it was called The Union, and he
named Il THE Constitution II stipulated that
should pay the proceeds Of the printing OF the Post
Office Blanks 100000 per anuum, until the ensuing
sion of Congress- when twas supposed he would be elect
ed Senate Printer. Ny stipulation was TO continue with
Bowman so long as the Executive work or work claim
t,. ha. If and pnmiufr
the Executive Departments which then given me,
should be LET in nv hands, Again he SAYS THE prof
It's of that printing Post Office Blanket LEFT at the
disposal OF the President and pdr his direction Rce's
per c'uage reduced and Mr. Seaverus OF The Phil
alslDiid Argis, had for session, portion. "Ques-
lion What portion ~ Answer. | think paid him
between five and six thousand dollars Think Of that
The work done by Crowell for fOryye cents in the dol
lar on which, Of course, he made profit, aud fyfye
cents in the dollar OF public money gotten for no service
whatever and ,quandered in political corrupiO0
This man Wendell speaks Of another sop he got from
the President for services presently eXpanedThe Exc
cutve Binding. This patronage in the hands Of the
Executive Departments, all the work concentrated
In the hands Of seryiceabe subaternsmen who had
practical knowledge of the business they pretended
perform and thus kept practical men from employ
ment that properly belonged to them. The act Of Con-
gress (June l2h 1851 provided a remedy for this
corrupt monopoly, that all the ruling and binding for
the several Executive Departments should be executed
ed by the Heads Of Departments. Wendell neither
practical competent honest. In fact, practically
be knew nothing Of the business. But he did the
less suit the President The business kept in his
hands after the passage of the law, in defiance of its
terms although practical workmen offered perform it
At thirty three per cent less than Wendell receiving
for it. and of them Petybone, proved 10 be capable
and trustworthy offered TO pay into the Treasury Of the
United States for its use, $4,000 provided the Depart
Of the Interior would give the applicant the bind
ing Of that Department alone, from September lst
1882 TO the 18th OF March, 1861. This offer refus-
sl with the express Of the President ap
pears by document signed by himself The witness
applied for this work to Secretaries Thompson, Cobb
Yancey Floyd and Postmaster Brown in turn all with,
out effect. To Thompson he said, al am practical
boobinder, have establishments and have been in The
civ twenty years" and the law required that prac
teal men should have the work. and that Mr. Wendell
was not a book-bindcr.n Thompson replied "that
they had made decision aud all the work had gone 10
Wendell" That Mr.. Wendell had made the applica-
ton as a bookbinder, and upon that application they
had given him the work" He then said suppose man
carrying tannery for twenty years, would be
not be a tanner?n 81 replied no; he would not
rily but tannery and bookbindng different; you
might carry tannery for twenty years. and then not
be able TO tan a skin Of leather yourself then drew
parallel in this way suppose you appointed
clerk and gave him desk, and you then found that he
could not write but employed proxy to write for him.
would you continTe him in places He said mo,
but he thing decided and that Das tie end Of IT,"
Then witness went to Postmaster General Brown, who
met him with the fvorte illustration Of the tanner
which must have been concerted between them Then
the President before whom he set all the facts OF the
case and repeated bis Offer who told him "The Cabinet
had bad this matter under consideration and he did not
wish to interfere Witness asked il he could have the
opinion Of the Attorney General upon the LawY The
President-"Address me communication in writing,
giving your views, and ciH refer IL to The Attorney
--.afNG.