, 1866-12-28
TEE ETaTE PLANTING

4HsfeS t0aL VIC sa1N Oe4cN2 Lnetr nights IN
the premlses us we'll as those Of the railways,
| and inzist On ju.tiee and equity for both
| sides.
TEE STATE E.nlNTsac.
At tue last session of the Legislature there
was passed an act entitled IAN act to re-
dnce the several acls In relation 10 printing
and binding, into one act, and to amend the
| snne." which Is admirably devised to de.
feat its own expressed object, and also to de-
feat the purprsc and aim OF the provision o.
the State Constitution on the subject, The
Constitution provides that:
"'1te t;encsa! Assembly shah provide, by Law,
hat the mel and stationery Furnished for tie use
distributing shc laws aEd joufnsis, and ii o;hsr @
printing ordered b. the General Assembly, ehall
be let. BY contract, 70 the ioscst responsible bid
hly. Of other olleer Of the State, shall be Inter
csted. either dit, city or indirectly Ia any zach
Contract; frorfded, that tho General Assembly
may fx Da1imum price,"
The reason why this clause was inserted in
the Constitution was that experience had
| shown the possibility Of a comblnat tion of
parties at the State Capital to extort ex-
travagant prices; and to prevent this 1t was
provided that the printing and binding Of
the State should be thrown open to compe.
/
bly,, while seemingly providing for competi-
fion, really excludes and prevents 1t. The
| tirst and second sectluns provide for letting
| the printing and binding By contract; and
| provide ior tho advertising Of the time,
| place md terms of that contract In some
weekly papers printed In Chicago and Spring.
field. The weekly papers have circula-
sion principally among agricultnrists and
persons living At remote points, having but
limited mail facilities, and certainly the Inst
people who would be likely to bid for the
printing and binding of the State.
The State printing Is OF two distinct kinds.
First, there Is the printing Of the le.isJs:iyc
bills and resolutions, aud occasionally of re-
ports OF committees, required from day to
day during the eesaiou Of the Legislature.
This work requires promptness, oflcn has to
be done over night for the next days session;
it Is more expensive to the printer, auI
ought to be paid Tor at prices greater than
tue ordinary printing Of the State. The 9th
CT class consists Of the Governors biennial
message, the reports Of the Auditor, Treas
urcr, Superintendent Of Public Instruction,
Of the Trustees aud Supcrintcndcuts of the
several State Institutions, the laws and
Journals Of the General Assembly, and
These, constituting the great bulk Of the
public printing are printed in large numbers,
and bound Into volumes, and arc not required
BY law TO be furnished for four months after
the close of each General Assembly. While
i Is ef course more convenient 10 have the
printing Of the oi1ls and resolutions dusiug
tue session Of the Legislature, done ut
Springfield, the otler printing might be as
well done at Alton, Chicago, Peoria, Quincy,
IloomIrston, Decatur, or elsewhcre, and
ought 10 be donc there II the work could be
| done for less money. But the Inv, as it now
stands, prohibits this. Instead of letting the
work in scfstsate contracts, the law permits
hut one contract, thereby prohibiting cam.
petition ior any part OF IL. Section four re-
| ausfcs thai oil the printing ahali be done by
the same contractor. and Aa about 1--we per
| cent Of the whole must necessarily be done
atsprine field, all competition BY parties out
side Of that city Ii as practically prohibited
as II The law In 50 many words declared that
no bids wonld be received from any per-
sous not dclng business In Springfield
The result Of this Virtual monopoly ta to be
seen In some OF the prices allowed by the
law. The State now pays, and the price is
liked by law, for press work, seventy Cents
per token Of eight pages. The work Is, or
should be done !n sheets Of sixtcen pages,
for which the Public Printer is entitled to
receive s1.40 per token, while tho same work
can be duue IN any city where steam Is EN-
ploycd for printing ut serenty cents per To-
ken, or exactly onc-haT the price allowed
by law Considering tho 1argc number VI
aocunents tp 1'c printed. this ALLOWANCE oI
ono hundred per ccnt in addition TO the price
Charged tor such work elsewhere, VIC can
"nIs say that The Legislature has ncted lib
orally 10 the Public Printer, first In cxclu,
ding competition, ncx; iu adjusting t11c sss,lr
uI prices.
The State purchases its own paper, and
furnishes It 10 the r;iMteE. There Is waste
III paper whic!, no skill can prerrat- It
safics in extent acc.r..tng to the care Akr1l
hy. and The competency ofthc Woriu1cn. An
allowance OF two per cent ous ut to cover any
WastaEc TINT is lot the result of reckless,
>scss. II shuul.i be remembered that this
printing is not dune with the haste Of a
! daily newspaper 1t Is not required to he
i'ut TO press a, n particular hoar, and BE- all
worked off within limited lime It Is worl
ior rainy days.-to be laid aside when any
other work oiills, and is rcsn,ued
when nothing else is to be doac. CnLc,
these circumstances The wastaee Of papc,
ut:slit to be very susall on the State work
yet The law allows the liberal anouat Ut tIy.
yer cent, or, In other words, The State filr
n'shes the public printer one hundred
;eame OF paper, aud requires hin, to return
en'y pinety-i're. When this hundred rra,u:
- multiplied by the number actually ft,;
"ssheo BY I'll. State, the allowance T.,
"astaEc will 60 far toward supplying TIT
wants OF daily paper of small circulation
in an interior town.
That portion Of tho law relating TO III,
binding for the State is equally ua;eclloua
bic. II Is, however, In kccpin, with TIL
general dr1n of tie law, Which is to exciu1I:
and rroniiss Composition. The prices al
owed for binding arr from Gftv to seventy
dre per cent higher tl.an the work eau b;
Lone for In any large city.
The law is tramci uron the psctcxt Of car
'y'ng Into effect the provision OF tue Cousti
tn1iop that was aimed at a11 combinations t.
Eeccc the public upon printing, binding aut
other work. It was designed to encourage
competition; but the Law as It nov stand.
aas the very contrary effect. II prohibits
competition, aud in prohibiting that subject.
the State TO the payment OF no iucousiieea
bic bounty to the lucky individuals who may
from time 10 time, get the contracts.
Let the Legislature amend the Law SO Is to
lrt separate contracts--o1,e for the printing
needed By the Legislature during Its session,
euch as bills. resolutions, lists for yeas and
nay S, &C., and another for the other printing
Tor the Ssatc, including thelax and Journals
ot the Legislature and reports of the State
.,tieers- Thea ifths bulky work can be donc
c''tnleT In Springfield than elsewhere, let the
printers ut xhat placc do 1t at the market
prices. And let the y ndv estising for contract.
DC doue in daily newspapers instead O
:reckly. The number Of farmers who woult
"e likely to bid for the State printius aud
a!hdlnS Is 50 small thst 1t Is theer foolishncs.
70 publish the advertisements in 4 weekly
newspaper, unless It were the intention o
tue fran,crs Of the Law 10 hide the Job aEs5
from every man ~ho would be likely 10 bill
ioE It.
THE NIAGARA SIltr CANAL
At the Morris Convention held on Wed
ncsday last, the Committee on Resolutions
Of hfch General Birncy was chairu,an, re
ported series, including the following IT.
iatlnC 10 the bin before Congress conccrnln.
the S!a9aya Fa11s Canal
: That tie Niagara Ship Canal Bill pasxcd b,
The Hcute OF RcpTte. utxtlvct, creates H,unopol1
| IN ole Of The nat1o1al h.ch*a1N OF co-nsneTceFF