Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-03-30
Deaos-5,Is Pgbiic Printing PIunder.

,s,aaiprdope. especially Blank BOOks LedGers, Jsura
> saiesh Books. Receiver Boe--, 80. -, -== |
Dewoer1fIc Pablic PrintinE Plunder.
T. v,ill bo rcoolleeted that President Buchan-
an wrote letter to Pittsburgh celebration |
.,noe his occupancy Of the White House, de-
,,loriug in the most lashrymOsO terms the pOlit-
i,sl corruption Of the United States, and draw
inc such d Ark picture Of the past, present, and
M .ure, that the London Times copied the jere-
maid a. conclusive evidence Of the rapid decay
Of public virtue in the Republic, and indicating
the speedy end Of the experiment Of self-govern-
msnt on this continent Il is now shown be-
yond peradventure, that the warning Of the
venerable sage of Whoatland was Regular
stop thief cry on the part Of the guilty, and
that the desperate opposition made by the
Democrats in the House TO the election OF
Republican Speaker was similar dodge to
prevent detection and exposure. A report OF
the Committee on Public Expenditures, just
made in the House Of representatives, by Mr.
Hsskin, lifts the curtain and shows that MIR.
Buchanan not only drew his picture from life
but sat flT the portrait
For instance: Cornelius Wendell testified
before the Committee, that he was the printer
dc faeto of the last Congress, that James B.
Steedman was elected Printer of the House.
but never performed the duties of the office,
Wendell doing the work. and getting Ga cents
out Of each dollar received by Steedman, who
consequently pocketed SO cents on dollar Of
the money paid by Congress, without troubling
himself to do more than to receive the pay.
This was the arrangement at first, but after
ward it was set aside, and Steedmsn 'berng
very anxious flr money" Wendell bought him
out enursly, Eve months after his election, and
paid him the round sum of $4,000 as a bonus.
About year later, testifes Mr.. Wendell, "rath-
er than have row in the House about the
matter, I paid him 81 500. Itwas a black mail
operation with hm; he threatened to resign
and make muss generally"
Nj A. D. Banks Of Virginia, Mr.. Washing
ton Mclean, Judge Walker, and two or three
others, held minor interests in the profits of the
Office to which Mr. Steedman had been elected,
Mr. Banks to the amount of one>half, Mr.. Nc.
Lean one third, and Jrdge Walker quarter
interest. Mr.. steedman at the time of his
election 10 the House had no facilities-"nOne
whate7er''-iOr doing the work which the pub
lie printer would be compelled to do.
at the same time, it appears that the aFgre-
gate amount paid for printing, binding, DC, by
Congress, in the last six years, was $780,
655 l2, or yearly average of nearly 100000!
In addition to this, the printing done for the
Executive Dspaftments Of the government,
during the same six years, amounted to So, ,747,-
722 80. The profit on this wosk ranges from
SO to 20 per cent, averaging, as Mr.. Wendel's
foreman swOre, so per cent. at leasti that is to
say, the work done for those six years has cost
the government just sI,sls, $3.50 more than
it should have done. A part of it was Pock-
eted by the high contracting parties, and the
residue spent in sustaining democratic news
papers. and in getting pets of M. Buchanan
elected to Congress.
Among the items Of she account are $4,000
per annum paid for printing POstOfice blanks,
of which one half went to the printer and the
other half to the support of the government
organ, called the Union, or more lately the
Consultation. The Chairman of the Commits
tee having asked Mr.. Wendell as to his motives
in becoming owner of this "Organ," the follow
ing testimony was elected
"a. The editor Of the organ is generally
supposed to command the patronage of the
President. There is good deal of this work
at the disposal of the President-say an ag
gregate Of 100000 per year, more or less.
20. At the disposal of the President! A.
Yes, Sir. That patronage the organ has com
manded for years. It is impossible to keep
paper up here without government support
80. Is this 500, 600 worth of patronage you
apeak of at the disposal of the President per
sonally! A. The law provides that it shall be
under the control ofthe Heads ofDepartments;
but if the President signifies to his cabinet
that be would be pleased to see A, B, or c get
it, as q matter of course they will obey his
wishes. It has been a matter of custom for
the President to dispose of it. Mr.. Buchanan
has done it, and his Predecessor, Mr.. Pierce,
did it. I never had any intercourse with the
cabinet in the matter; my intercourse has been
direct with Mr.. Buchanan, and was 80 with Mr..
Pierce.
20. You say the aggregate amount paid for
the executive printing per year is O,OOO!
A. From Ss5,000 to $4,000. / think that
il vill average 100000.
20 Do the profits on that printing average
fifty cents on the dollar? A. A portion of it
averages much more; but the average on the
whole of it is about thirty-fve cents on the
dollar
20. Was there ever anv understanding with
you while you had that printing that portion
Of the profits should be used toward sustaining
the organi A. Yes, sir; It was given for the
purpose of sr staining the organ"
The editors of this organ, says the Post, were
generally well paid,-a great deal more than
their IabOrs deserved,-and they were, more
over, assisted by members of the cabinet. Judge
Black was frequent contributor, and we pre-
sumo those lofty Panegyrics of Mr.. Buchanan
and his official assistants, which formed the
staple of editorial remaik, came direct from
headquarters. As to the vulgar vituperation
of political opponents, for which it was no less
famous, we hope it is to be sscribed TO the sub.
OTdinstes, though they were "always designsted
by the President"
But the G institution was not the only organ
kept in being BY Presidential bounty. A vehe-
ment partizan press in Philadelphia. known as
the Pennsylvania, and another Philadelphia
pspeF, called the Evening Argus, were shRrers
of his munihcence. To the former about eleven
thousand per snnum we're paid by Mr.. Wendell,
and some undeclared amount to the latter. At
the same time Mr.. Wendell sent several thou
sand dollars into Pennsylvania to help Mr. j..
Clancy Jones, candidate for Congress, in his
scheme for defesting the wishes Of the People,
and other amounts into Lpndy's district, where
another friend Of the President was struggling
a0,inof advo-ca -,It;o,I AL,