The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-03-28
THE PUBLIC PRINTING FUND-THE INvES
IGATION-CURIOUS DEVELOPMENTS.


Public Printing is farmed out, what are the profits
and vino gets them:
Cornelius Wendell, swOrn-Examined by the
Chairman.
Question. Were you the printer de facto of the
last Congress?
Answer. | was.
Q. Who was elected printer of that House?
a. James B. Steadman
Q. You are the printer of the House until you
are superseded?
A. That is the custom. hold over until another
Q. He was elected printer of the Thirty Fifth
Congress?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did he ever perform the duties of that office?
Q. When did you commence performing the du-
ties of printer to the House?
A Immediately on his election.
q. Will you be kind enough to state, in con-
else manner as possible, the terms upon which
you became the printer de facto, as between you
and Mr.. Steadman, the printer elect of the Thirty
fifth Congress?
A. stipulated with him to do the work for sixty
four cents in the dollar.
Q. Sixty-four cents on the dollar?
A. Yes, sir.
2. That is, where you received one dollar for
certain printing you got sixty-four cents out of it
for doing the work?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. by Mr.. Fouke. He got thirty.six cents out of
the dollar and you the baance2
A. Yes, sir. Afterwards that arrangement was
set aside and gave him a stipulated sum and took
the chances He was very anxious for money and
bought him out entirely.
O., by the Chairman. Your first agreement with
him was to do the work for sixty-four cents on the
dollar paid him bv the House?
A. Yes, sir,
Q. And subsequently; be kind enough to state
about what time you bought him out entirely for
a stipulated sum.
A: He was elected in December, and in May fol-
LOWING | / efin FaJ,
z. How much was that?
A. Thirty-tour thousand dollars.
z. That was the whole bonus YOU paid him for
selling out to you the right of printer to the HouseP
A. No, sir; subsequently to that about a year,
rather than have row in the House about the
matter paid him 81, 800. 1t was a back-maI
operation with him; he threatened to resign, and
make muss generally.
Q. Were any other parties interested with him
in the profits of the printing on his election?
A. Yes, sir; Mr.. A. d. Banks, Mr. Washington
Mclean, Judge Walker, and some two three
Others who held minor interests.
Q. Were you the printer of the 34th Congress
A. | was elected printer of the 34th Congress
z. Can you state from recollection the amount
OF money paid during the 34th Congress for the
printing done for the House of Representatives
A. think it was about 1920, 900; | am not posi-
tive; it was some considerable sum over two hun
dred thousand dollars.
Q. Can you state from recollection the profit ?
A. Well, could not come very it from the
Executive
work, binding and all together, and kept no dis
tinct account of the profit. | should imagine the
profit ran near forty-fve cents.
Q. Forty-fve cents on the dollar?
A. Yes, sir
Q. Can you state the aggregate amount paid for
the printing of the House during the 35th Con-
gress?
A. 1t was a triae over 5000 900; l think about
S2l2, 900, if my memory serves me. l have all
these figures to a cent.
Z. Can you tell what was the net profit on the
work done for the 35th COngress2
"a | think it ran in the neighborhood of forty
cents; some of the work is not so heavy as other,
because it is not the same stve. The price depends
upon the STYLE Therefore we may do one hum
dred thousand dollars worth of particular kind of
work and make forty cents profit on the dollar, and
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
z. Are you doing the printing for the present
House of Representatives?
A. Messrs English & Larcombe are doing the
work at my office.
@. Who is doing the printing for the Senate?
Q. Who is the printer of the Senate?
A. George w. Bowman.
Q. Do you know the profits received by Mr.
Bowman upon the printing done for the Senate :?
Do you know the profits of the Senate printer?
A. | understand Mr.. Rives gives him thirty three
and third per cent
O. He gives that amount to Mr.. Bowman?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Do you know the aggregate cost of the Senate
printing during the 34th Congress?
A 1t was about Sl00, 900; think one hundred
and four or one hundred and five thousand dollars;
1t was trif1e over one hundred thousand
Q. by Mr.. Somes. l want to know what the net
profits now are.
A. l am informed that Mr.. Rives testified before
a committee of the Senate that he gave Bowman
amount, but that he could not make it, and that
his object in doing that to break Wendell
down. So 1 have been told by the reporter of the
Senate committee. In speaking of profits gentle
men must bear in mind that it ought to be calcula-
ted upon the aggregate amount of work DONE
For instance, give me the Senate, House, and exc
cutve printing and binding, and, with the facili-
ties have for doing the work, should say the
profits would range about fifty cents on the dollar
all arOund-less interest in investment, perhaps.
z. Do you recollect the aggregate amount paid
for printing post-ofce blanks during the 35th Con-
gress.
A. | think it averaged about $40, 900 per year.
Y. Do you know the profit on that to the person
who was paid by the Government for doing the
work?
A. One half, sir.
Q. Do you know what their several interests
were?
A. | understand that Mr. Banks interest was
one-half, Mr.. McLean's one-third, and Judge
Walker, think, informed me that he had quar-
ter interest.
Q. Had Mr.. Steadman, at the time of his cleo
tion, any facilities here in Washington for the work
which the public printer would be compelled to do?
"A. None whatever.
Mr.. Clopton. l would like to ask Mr.. Wendell
what per cent. would be a reasonable profit on the
cost of the House printing. | take it what you
have said about the House printing is applicable to
the Senate printing?
A. Yes, sir Take the average all through
Senate, House and Executiye-and the work costs
not over fifty cents on the dollar. As an evidence
of that, did the work, think, for two years for
fifty cents on the dollar, and made money by it,
took it, | think, from the estate of General Arm
strong, who died while he was printer. That was
the House printing alone. had facilities then, for
was doing the Senate printing manager for
Tucker, and took the work from the Armstrong
estate and from Judge Nicholson, who succeeded
General Armstrong.
O. Has the President been in the habit of dis
pensing this Post Office printing?
A. 1t was done by contract until 1856. | think
then the contract expired, and it reverted to the
printer of Congress. Judge Nicholson then
him.
@. That was in 1861
A. | think it was in 1856.
Q. From 1856 who exercised the control over the
giving out of the Post Office blank printing
A. The President and Postmaster General,
through the Postmaster General. In December
succeeding Mr.. Buchanan's coming into power, he
gave it to Mr.. Rice for time.
q. Did you sub contract it for Mr.. Rice?
A. Yes, sir; that was the understanding that |
shoald continue to do the work as heretofore, and
have the control of it, Rice receiving, think, for
ty-three cents in the dollar
O. Was there any understanding when this work
given to Rice that any newspaper was to be
supported out of it?
A. 1t understood that it was for the support
of the PennsylUanian; such the understanding.
Q. The understanding between whom
A. The understanding between the President and
the Postmaster General.
Q. by Mr.. Hindman. How did you know that?
A. From conversations held with them. / in
sisted upon having more of the profits of the print
ing to support The Union, as it was one of those
rather Improbable pecuniary organs, and Mr.. Rice
very clamorOus to have share for the PennsrI-
Udnidn, and finally settled forty-three cents
the dollar. | then made a contract with Mr..
CrOwe who did the work for me for forty-five
cents or fifty cents on the dollar. He did it por
tion of the time for forty-fve cents, and portion
of the time for fifty cents. | had also the Execu-
tive binding, which Rice thought ought to satisfy
me, but the profits that not SO 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 keep il however
@. How much of losing concern is this Govern
ment organ per annum, in your judgment?
A. If my memory serves me, it cost me, when it
was under my management, $4,000 over and above
its receipts
Q. by Mr.. Palmer. Did it cost you that amount
per annum?
A. Yes, sir; l think it cost me about that last
year. Bowman told me that he thought it would
cost him about Sl2, 900 with his management. He
being close manager, he cut down where was
disposed TO be liberal. paid pretty well for the
services of those employed about the paper dld
not quarrel with the editors about the amount
they should receive but paid them liberal salary.
The editors were generally designated by the Pre-
sident
o, The editors of The Union were designated bv