Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-06-28

. Eorse] q - ODDS 81
~! e. :si . Fl =; s,s2 . *s e s.s
the absolute imposeibility that there
could aver have been any other endorse-
ment By the President upon the memo
rial, seSs thai vhieh nov appears.
Sxcoxp.-zhe R6lie Printing.
The principal subject Of inquiry be-
fole the com9ttea Wa IN regard to the
public printing. It has furnished occa-
sion tor many calumnies against the
President and his Administration, and
has been the main point Of attack By
those Who are eager to CRAFTY personal
revenge, or to satiate political xDimosity.
A careful scrutiny cftbe evidence would
furnish complete vindicstion Of the
President from every assault; but the
brief compass Of this report will suffer
only general summary. @+ fa@
The public printing Of this Govern
Inent has been treated by the law, and
in pvsc,ice,as belonging 70 three classes:
Senate printing, House printing and
Executive printing, or that which is done
under the immediate order and for the
use of the several Departments.
On the Goth Of August, 1852, m act
Of Congress was passed to provide for
executing the pubic printing, and estab-
fishing the prices thereof. That act was
designed to establish, in some degree,
permanent and regular system for exc
cutting the public printing. and to regu-
late its prices. The act provided for
the appointment Of Superintendent or
Public Printing, and prescribed his du-
ties; the time and manner 10 which the
work should be done how the accounts
should DC kept; and the prices were
fixed. It also directed that public
printer should be elect d by each house
Of Congress, to serve during the con-
greesionsl term.
The executive printing was required
to be done at Washington by the public
printer Of the Senate or House, with one
exception. The 18th section provided
that nothing therein contained should
prevent the heads Of departments from
employing printers o"t cf the city Of
Warrington to execute ssch printing. for
any Of tie departments as may be re.
qxired far use out Of Washington
when it could be executed rs cheap At
the specified rates, increased by the cost
of transportation. Post Office blanks,
to be used by the Post Office ont OF
Washington, constituted the chief kind
of executive printing coming within this
exception.
Public printing being large item Of
public expenditure, and often productive
Of large profits, it has, from the earliest
period, being regarded A. N important
item Of party patronage. Every party
has elected its public printer exclusively
upon party grounds, and among the
members of each successfnl, party, pub
lie printing has been the subject Of keen
contest aud strife. Whatever party
happened to be 10 power in either house,
the public printing has been disposed Of
in the way deemed most advantageous to
party purposes. No successful party has
at any time failed to exercise this power
Or question the right sof in successful
adversary TODD the same. This uniform
rule Of the Senate and Of the house has
also prevailed in respect to printing Of
the several departments.
The public printer being elected by
each house, and responsible to it, neither
the President nor any bead Of the de-
partment could exercise any control
over the public printing, save only in
the excepted case mentioned 10 the 18th
section Of the printing act. But no one
doubted the political propriety and alb
solute right Of any head Of Department
to dispose Of that printing in such man.
uer IS might best serve the purpose and
interest of the party having the admin
istration. This boon has always been
craved by the editors or publishers Of
leading party newspapers. and on them
it has been generally bestowed. The
local position Of the leading party news
paper At Washington, sometimes regard
ed - the organ Of the Administration
for the time being, often secured 70 that
paper the advantage Of congressional
Or executive patronage, and occasionally
Of both. But it has been the expert
ence Of oil political parties in this coun-
try that this advantage Of newspaper in
the District has been the snhject Of
complaint by publishers abroad. who
deemed their party merits or party ne
ceasities to be equal or superior to those
within the District; and hence Of late
years, IN al parties, the profits Of the
public printing have been eagerIy..and
successfully competed for BY persons
from abroad. The election Of printer to
the House At the present session is an
example.
This was the state Of the Law and the
practice IN respect to the public print
ing at the commencement Of the present
Administration For several months
after Mr.. Buchanan entered upon bis
Administration 90 change ~ made il
regard to the executive printing, and Il
continued to- be done By the Ssnate
Printer Of the s4th Congress until the
expiration Of biz term aud until sfier the
meeting Of Congress. The benefit OF
that pristing soos become . snhject of
competitios.s Il 90 pissed By the law
1t hsabsolute disposal Of the heads Of
the Depsrtmeatki 10 respect 70 the print
ing rot required for use in Washipgtoo.
It apnears from: he evidence that the
the fact wa known to Mr. Wendell and