New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-10
NEW BILL FOR PRINTING--A BAD BILL.

Correspondence of The n. 7. Tribune
WASHINGTON, March 8, 1860.
The Committee on Printing have prepared bill
to reform the present scandalous system of doing
the printing of Congress. 1t proposes to establish
Government Printing and Binding Office, under
the charge of Superintendent and approprates
100000 for the purpose. The details are, per-
haps, as well guarded as the system proposed sd-
mits of, but we do not believe in the system. Our
Government ought to act as little by departmental
agencies as possible. We have need to reduce and
not increase Executive patronage. We do not
want to add particle to the influence OF this
branch of the Government 1t s, moreover, an
unsound and pernicous idea that Congress should
surrender any of its functions to the Executive.
If it has printing TO do why not do it for ITSELF in
stead of handing the control OF the matter over to
the PRESIDENT Yet the bill in question does 30
hand it over. Tt allows the President to appoint
the Superintendent, and the superintendent APP
points his subordinates The working machinery
of the establishment is thus placed beyond the
reach OF Congress, whose servant II Is, ana undef
whose exclusive control it should be.
But the main objection lies against the SYSTEM by
whomsOeyer operated. The bill substantially ere
ntes new department of the Government, and one
of subordinate and irresponsible character. 1t
opens fresh field for favoritsm for patronage f)r
corruption, for extravaganza. Ii creates bureau
for the disbursement of hundreds Il thousands OF
dollars per annum covering the purchase OF sup
plies of printing and binding materials and the
pay of small army of wOrkmen. OF course it
must become, like our navy yards, and arsenals,
and armOries, partisan branch OF the Government.
Its stipendares will necessarily always be political
loafers. We have enough of this sort OF business
all over the country, and we want no more OF IT,
Wherever there is Government dofoperatlVes,
there is q crowd of Government tools and support
ers They are wretched, parasitical class, that
quire reduction instead of multiplication.
In addition to this objection to the system, there
ia the special objection that no plan for doing the
printing would probably be more expensive than
the proposed one. This consideration, though OF a
secondary character, s nevertheless important lt
should have its weight in examining methods OF re-
form. III we can have a system based on sound
principles and at the same time show it to be the
most economical system, then the merits of that
system would seem TO be such to leave no ground
for resistance to it. Now, there is a way OF doing
the public printing that is natural, unlncumbered
with machinery of any kind, stripped of all often
siye characteristics. This way is to let 1t out to
the lowest bidder, on the principle OF all contract
service. We can build ships by contract, we can
carry our mails BY contract and it is proposed
to make our pOstmasters by contract. Why cannot
Congress do its printing by contract But
there is lion in the way-a lion in the
streets. What is it Why, somebody once I'M
dertook the job and broke down, because he did
the work too cheap, and Congress then had to go
TO work and elect Printer. Then Congress was
fool enough to make up deficiencies for somebody's
losses. But whose fault is this? Is it in the con-
tract SYSTEM Not at all. If Congress had offered
its work openly to whatever responsible contractor
would do it cheapest, and required good and saf-
fciet bonds for the prompt performance OF the con-
tract, and held out distinctly that it would hearken
TO no heart-rending appeals from political scala.
ways for losses sustained under it, it would have
had no difficulty in the past, it will have no diff
iculty in the future, if il transacts its business with
a modcum of common sense The contract sys-
TEN is good system and safe system for all gen.
eral purposes, and it is in operation all the time
and everywhere for the business of printing And
there is no reason on earth why it should not be
adopted for Congressional printing Let the bust
ness once be put on this basis, with the understand
ing that the system is TO be adhered to, and We
shall soon hear no more objection to it than we do
to carrying the mails by contract. LISP.