The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1863-03-27


afterwards discussed 10 the House. and the
amendment adopted By IT, The section ma
king said appropriation was afterwards fully
discussed in the Committee on Finance 10
the Senate. and was recommended By Il to
the Senate, and passed by that body. Thus
IL WAS shown that the whole subject, which
is the foundation of the present charge, was
deliberately acted upon after full discussion
and explanation by three committees Of
Congress and by both houses, and my &C
ton solemnly indorsed and approved.
The third charge Is that paid e43. .7ai
81 to temporary clerks for the year 1861,
Notwithstanding during eight months of that
the very small sum OF 392, ,86S 90 was paid
out for salaries for the same year.
The gist of this charge is, that the print
ing of the specifications ought to have ef-
fected diminuiion in the number of tenn
porary clerks. / have shown to the COM
mittee that no saving could have been ef-
fected by this; tie copy required for the
printer requiring the same expense as the
engrossment of the parchment, which was
dispensed with. A copy for the printers was
Indispensable, as no ordinary compositor
could set up types from specifications, almost
invariably rendered unintelligible by amend
ments and iuterlineations, confusing the
papers to such q degree that only an expe-
rienced person can make correct copy
The number of temporary clerks for the
year 1861 is shown to be fraction less than
the average for the preceding five years.
The number Of temporary clerks, as COM
pared with those appointed with salaries, ex-
hibits, in fact, point in which a very con-
siderable reduction of expense has been
made, many of these clerks performing the
duties which formerly belonged to perna-
nent clerks, or second assistant examiners
with higher salaries. Even if there is a
large number Of temporary clerks employed,
there are now thirty -one vacancies In the
perm anent desks.
In the fourth place it is charged that
have illegally reduced the salaries OF prln-
cipal and assistant examiners aud others as
fixed bv law, while the salaries of the Com
missioner chief clerk, and examiners IN
chief, were left unchanged.
In reply to this charge have to say that
At the time of the greatest depression OF the
, business of the Office. while anxiously con-
sidering to what extent the expenses OF the
Office might be reduced. and being exceed
ingly reluctant, after having already dis
. missed many valuable gentlemen from the
office from considerations of economy, to
inr air the efficiency of the Office by still
further reduction of its force, l consulted
| the Secretary of the Interior, who advised
! me. and finally directed me to dismiss the
/ principal examiners, whose salary was S2.-
500 per snnum, and appoint them assistant
examiners. with directions to perform the
duties Of their original positions-it having
been the frequent practice OF the office foI
an assistant examiner to perform the duties
of principal; and to make corresponding re-
movals from a higher to lower grade
4 throughout the office, wherever such . re-
al could be made. l made the dismis-
/, sails and new appointments according to this
suggestion and direction. | am satisfied
that | acted lawfully. l know that acted
for the interest of the Office, and for the
| interests of the gentlemen Of the office. who
preferred to receive the reduced cornpenss-
T, ton under the new appointments to incur
would have been the other alternative.
am happy to say that. with one or two ex
ceptions, my action was approved by all Ia
the Office affected by it. The salaries Of the
| Commissioner, chief clerk. and examiners
10 chief were not changed because they Were
fixed by law, and there vas no grade with
|
reduced and still legally perform the duties
appertainipg to their offices.
Incident to this charge is the allegation
that asked for and obtained an appropria
ton with view Of paying the examiners
and others the sums illegally withheld from
their salaries, which sums / still refuse to
pay. There is no provision in the law ma
. king the appropriation of $50, S55 49 au-
oc cntn
currently with asking for this appropriation.
l asked for the passage of law giving me
such authority, and bill to this effect has
| passed the House and is now before the SEN
ate. l have repeatedly and earnestly, du-
ring the present session, urged upon senators
the propriety of passing this bill; and until
| i, shall have passed and become a law,
have no authority to pay to any person the
salary Of an office from which he was law.
fully dismissed.
In the ffiA place, attention is called to
contingent expenses of the Patent Office,
and $50, 500 So is regarded as such q sum
AS to be worthy of investigation.
| cheerfully submit the same to the clos
est scrutiny. This sum OF S59, ,502 36 is
made up of an almost endless variety OF
expenditures. The principal item, however,
/ ia this case is ST, ,S54 81 for printing. and
ia an item not heretofore known in similar
lists. With the amount Of that item deduc-
/ ted, the contingent expenses would have
been but $4I,647 80. the same class oil
expenses for 1866 amounted to $50. 296 OIL,
without any extra charge for printing. II
ia but fair 10 claim that In the contingent ex-
kpenaes proper for 1861 there vas q reduc-
/ tion cf $4,000 from those Of the previous
year.
It's charged sirthly. that the expenses
Of the Office were increased by making fif-
teen or more classes in the Office instead oI
eleven, the former number.
| Ihave no. given the precise Language. but
the effect which was intended to be given
/ in the reference in the pamphlet to the in
crease of the number Of classes. And
refer to what is said on the subject Is an
instance of the palpable ignorance or gross
peryersiou exhibited in relation to the affairs
of the Office The only "classes" known