Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-01-26
The Public Printing.

a candidate for State Printer. On the day tha
either his election nomination to come of
he made the following arguments in favor OIL
electing Public Printer instead Of letting the
State-work out by contract We reproduce then
for the benefit of his political friends in the Leg
islature. aud as excellent reasons for following
the system which he strenuously insisted was tn.
best for the public interests. We extract from
the Indianapolis Daily Journal of January 22d
1861.
Referring to the law which had been passed al
the previous session of the Legislature, the Jour
nal says:
Work now done honestly, according to the law
costs the State Just about what the same work
would cost any individual If il
is let out by contract the contractor is restrained
by no oath, and if he bids lower than fair living
price he must make up the difference by dishOn-
est managtme for tciH ,cOTk for The
State at a loss As question of economy
therefore, the policy of passing the work ont Of
the hands of sworn officer, hedged about by
careful laws, and compelled to work at fair
prices into the hands of contractor who puts
himself, 10y low bids. in the dilemma of working
for nothing or stealing his profits is doubtful
one.
HcIe Is llO security ulSHOneSIN like Il
fair compensation. 1t removes the inducement
to steal. The most sagac;ous business men
testify that good salaries are cheaper than poor
ones. When the work Is done for
the State as cheaply as it is done for private
parties. the limit of safety and economy has been
reached. A step below il puts the workman OH
the level, not of faithful servant of the State.
but watchful. prylng, dishonest slave, ready to
seize any opportunity to help himself at the
to- Tha
cheap work is a fair price. an honest workman,
and careful provisions against pecuation. If the
present prices are found to be higher than the
work could be fairly done for let them be re-
duced. Cut off abuses, and the Office is safer
at least by the obligation of an oath and the
| power to choose an honest officer-than the con
tract system; for in the latter the State cannot
choose and can impose no oath. and if she trusts
to low bills for cheap work, she will find there is
no economy in paying prices that compel men to
steal or work for nothing.
Thus argued the editor of the Journal two
years ago, in favor of the continuance of the
Office of State Printer If his reasons we're en-
titled to consideration then. they should have
additional force now. Work could be done
much cheaper two years ago than it can be
done at the present time. If Republican
Legislature thought it right to elect Mr. SUI
GROVE Public Printer ia 1861, under the COM
pensation fixed by the Inv of 1859, the Re-
publican members of this Legislature certainly
cannot object to the election Of a State Printer
IN 1863 under the same law and at the same
rates OF compensation.
A few words in regard to the testimony of
Mr.. ELDER and the "quasi quires." Mr. Z.
may have been under the impression that he
had seen copies OF the State Sentinel which was
printed on State paper We can produce press
men in this city who are willing to swear that
they have seer jobs from the Journal office
which were printed on State paper. We have
heard such statements frequently We do not
say that such was the case, but such is the
belief of honest and capable workmen.
Now, what the facts in reference to the
State Sentinel being printed on State paper? At
one time. when we we're State Printer, we could
not procure newspaper for several numbers of the
Daily Sentinel. There was none to be had in the
city, and the mill with whom we had contracted
for paper had failed to deliver its usual quantity
There was lot Of paper made for the State
which rejected on account of its inferior
quality. II was not paid for by, nor did it belong
to, the State. I hat paper we procured because
we could get other, but not at the cost of. the
State. We used it in the publication of two or
three numbers of the Daily Sentinel. and Mr..
ELDER, as did others. may have fairly supposed
that he had seen the Estate Sentinel printed ON
i State paper" If these facts could have been
presented TO the investigation committee, would
not different face have been put upon the
affair?
A word as to "quasi quires." 1t is the custom
or rule all over the country for printers to take
the quasi or outside quires of each bundle of pa.
per, when furnished by publishers for books, as
part of their compensation or perquisites. This
Mr.. SULeRovE and every good printer well under.
stands. Ii is not only general rule, but a rule
which our predecessors in Office had followed
And we presume that Mr.. SuLGRovE, or those in
his Office who managed the public printing for him
adopted the general custom or rule of printing
in that regard. 1t is necessary to have this waste
to make good the paper used for proofs, for sheet:
spoiled in registering and imperfect impressions
No printer can turn out perfect printed shee
for every blank sheet furnished him. There i:
necessarily waste. Nh SuLsRovE understand:
these matters. and it is ungenerous, unmanly ant
unprofessional to take advantage of an ex partt
investigation in which these facts and the rule:
of the craft were not explained.
Mr.. SULeRovE says the public printing ma:
cost only S24,0 ,00O the amount of the appro
priation, during his term of Office. This hi
knows is not so. Some Of the public printing
was paid for out of the appropriation for egis
ative expenses. considerable amount hal
been paid for out of the military fund, OF charged
to that account. And we understand that th'
Printer intends to apply for additional appro
priations for work done which the regular ap
propriations will not cover. When Mr.. Sui
+ GROVE affects superior integrity to his prede
cessors in Office, and claims that the printing
has not cost the State as much during his ad
ministration as that of those who held the po
} sition before him. he at least ought TO b
! honest enough to state that it was entirely
/ owing to the restrictions of the law ans
his fnesse in having portion OF his wori
charged up to other accounts. In addition
during the time we held the Office, all the bini
ing, which amounts TO large sum, was charges
up to public printing, although the Printer re
ceived no profits therefrom, and he had no inter
est in or control of that work. The last Legis
lature made a separate appropriation tor th
binding, which makes the public printing accoun
apparently that much the less. We only men
ton these facts to show the unfairness Of tn
: Journal in its criticisms upon our management
Tbo Jo.~o odifor