The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-02
THE vraarnIA CONVECTION

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ORDERED By COTGREss TO
FRAME A STATE CONSTITUTION
Sixty.fourth Day.
SATURDAY, February %, 1868.
The Convention met Of the usual hour.
Prayer by Rev. Dr.. Mitchell, of North
Carolina.
PRINTING.
! Mr., ALLAN offered q report authorizing
the payment Of an account for printing
etter-headings and envelopes, which
printipg had not been ordered by the Con-
yention. The report was laid on the table.
PRINTING AND REPORTING.
Mr.. BowDEN, from the special committee
appointed to examine into the subject Of
the charges made for reporting the debates
of the Convention, submitted the follow
ing report:
"The undersigned, committee ap-
pointed by your body to investigate and
report all matters pertinent to the report
ing and printing, SO far as it had any con-
nection Herewith, of the proceedings and
debates of your body, would respectfully
report that, after full investigation of
ali the facts in the case, as far as they
could get hold of them, that the said re-
porting has cost, up to the 10th of Febru-
airy, 1868, s4,S95.68, besides the cost OF
printing. In drawing and charging the
said amount by Mr.. SAMUEL, the stenogra-
pher, your committee would report that
he has not gone beyond his contract, as he
seemed to have understood it, except in
drawing pay for notes not at the time pre-
pared for the printer. This he appears to
have done; but your committee would
state that he had at the time considera-
BILE sum still due him for other notes in
similar condition, which he considered suf-
icient to indemnify the Convention for
any accident that might occur to him
that is, if the Convention had been COM
PEELED to employ any enc else to prepare
those notes for the printer. And while
your committee are of the opinion that
such course on his part was improper, yet
in view of the above facts, they attach no
criminalty to him.
"Your committee further find that,
owing to the very loose character OF the
contract made with Mr.. SAMUEL by the
Committee on Finance and Contingent E4-
penses, he has charged and been paid
large amount-perhaps one-third OF the
whole drawn-for reports of committees
printed, and other prepared matter fur
nished him by the officers Of the Conven-
ton, for which nothing should have been
paid. Mr.. SAMUEL, understanding that he
was to receive pay for these things, your
committee attach no blame to him on that
point. But they do attach great blame to
the Chairman Of the Committee on Print
ing, Mr.. EDGAR ALLAN. 1t appears that
Mr.. ALLAN would present Mr.. SAMUEL's
accounts to his committee, assure them
that they were correct and had been ex-
amined by him, and that upon these as
surances of Mr.. ALLAN the committee
would allow these claims without any in
vestigation by them.
alt also appears that Mr.. ALLAN has
been in the employ of Mr.. SAMUEL in pre-
pairing these reports, and that he received
therefor, but what amount
your committee did not ascertain. In this
matter your committee, declining to say
anything as to the propriety or impro-
priety on the part of Mr.. ALLAN for so
acting, would state that it appears that
Mr.. SAMUEL had made several efforts to
procure competent assistance before he
employed Mr.. ALLAN, and failed to do so
and are, therefore, with the lights before
them, unwilling to cast any blame upon
him (Mr. S. for his action in the pre-
misses.
"Your committee would further report
that in the matter of the printing done for
the Convention they are fully satisfied that
the charges have been proper, and the
same other printers would have charged;
but they feel bound to report, mas
much as the proceedings and debates con-
stitute a considerable portion Of said
printing, that there is something in the
action of Mr.. ALLAN, chairman of the
Committee on Printing, that they do not
They will therefore report
the following facts without any other COM
ments:
cit appears from the evidence of three
of the members Of your body that Mr.. AL
Lam has on several occasions stated that
he had so managed the printing as to make
it pay the printers some six or seven hum
dred dollars more than it would have
otherwise done; and that he further said
that if one side of the House had been
sharp they would have detected it. These
witnesses were unable to say in what this
management consisted, but understood
that he was making more for the printers
than the Convention intended to allow.
Whether this had any connection with the
reporting and printing of the proceedings
and debates, your committee would re-
spectfully leave you to judge.
"Your committee would further report
that the reports have been made with the
usual accuracy, except in few instances,
when, owing to the peculiar character Of
the speeches, the reporter was compelled
to clothe them in his own language, get
ting the idea of the speeches as near as
possible.
"Owing to the quantity of the evidence,
your committee have not deemed it neces-
sary to lay the testimony before your body,
but are prepared to furnish SO much as re-
fleets upon any member when called for.
They are Of the opinion that the above
report contains all the material facts.
"H. NJ. BowDEN, Chairman;
"EDwARD NELSON,
"EUsTACE GIBSON"
Some discussion ensued, and several
motions to recommit were made.
Mr.. ALLAN denounced the report as un-
Just, inasmuch as he had been charged be-
fore the Convention of ll.doing without
the SLIGHTEST knowledge on his part that