New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-11


charged for this bond paper certain price ~ was iour
The right 10 the authority supply tins bond paperi
They claimed It, and think propery ta suece ttS
OF the hid but they TO be furnished at the lowest
market price These parties s c I1ey
Patents at specific price Perhaps IN what am gong
to say shall nov NV PeHnsyiyanS does not
agree with me win say So In the first instance they
saw GEN Stout ordered three hundred thousand sheets OF
That appears by letter. still further believe that at
che time he madeths order there was understanding,
il not direct certainly very much implied, that they
could furnish 100000 more My authority Tor his STATE
ne Secretary OF te Inferior for authority to furnish TO
this person 10000 sheets OF bond paper, which authority
the Secretary OF the Interior gave. But, at the same
that lie asked for this authority he submitted TO inc
Secretary OF the Interior memorandum in when ne
goes on to state what would be probable need OF the
Patent Office for certain time and in that memorandum
100000 sheets OF bond paper named Then 1or the
purpose OF leading the Secretary Of the Interior 10 a
tciI,ate further demand on him for additional order
for bond paper he goes on to show tat IN ms Judget
10000 sheets of that paper would be required per month
Again. Messrs Dempsey OTOole, upon receiving TINS
first order from the acting Commissioner OF Patents
under the authority OF the Secretary OF the Interior LOT
these 100000 sheets OF bond paper went into the narke
and made ARRANGEMENTS not for 100000 sheets OF DQu
paper but for 600O0 And still further, AFTER the eApia.
ton OF about two months when the 100000 sheets VI
bond paper had been delivered the acting commissioner
Of Patents notifies the Secretary OF the Interior t'
Messrs. Dempsey & OToole had in their possession,
ready for delivery to the in his latter
of bond paper But at that time ne states ~ @ W IN
that the needs of the Office were not SO lmedate as 70
the delivery OF that paper, ana
decline to receive IL except upon Ine au t ~ dp
Secretary of the Interior Inc secretary u I'M E i
never gave that order. and the bond paper sun remains
i'm tho possession Of Messrs Dempsey OIooe. . 49,,
There is another circumstance connected WIN tHs
transaction wie, IN ny sbond never be peritted by
the Government II is this at the time TINS order was
Acting Commissioner Stout MT to take the money Of
the Government and advance the entire sum required Tor
other words when this order given for the
100000 sheets at eight cents sheet he anth9r6eI an a
AZ
SAOO0 receiving as he says, satisfactory security When
In fact as can be proved by the gentlemen thenselvesor
il not by them any In the trade That tho entire
amount OF this paper could have been purchased ia open
market for 5000 or one quarter the sum actually pd
Now Ipropose TO giye-for want TO 90 perfect justice
to al the pares-their own cxpa naton OF the matter
They say that under this system OF awarding IL
was necessary for Them in order TO hold themselves IN
condition able deliver certain articles at prices below
cost to bid for large number OF articles at an cHa
eight cents per sheet for TINS bond paper Whe ID IaUt
that i'm making this charge they simply followed the
practice eff the Departmental years gone by. tmrd
reason was that business men, having received ths
order from the Commissioner with the price named, IL
was not for them TO reduce it, Now the Committee an
swer these men I'm tins way: We say you derive the
right to furnish this article Of stationery under the gen.
eral clause which authorizes you TO furnish al utceS
outside Of your bd. We say that when you were 10 ue
liver these articles yOu furnish II at the lowest
market price, aud lnasmuch as you khO"lhey ulu
charge FOR these goods great deal more than the lowest
market price. have right to review these bis ana
But / want the House to understand, as intimated
before what the Committee have done. Inc money IS
gone and what VIC presume to do IS this to
that no more paper be taken ut this eXrayagant price
In consentng this refusal work 10 injustice to the
parties because is in perfect proof that II they throw
into the Potomac every sheet of bond paper they now
have on hand which they claim that We should take
they will sul have in their possession " Tor every one
they have paid for it, Then there another tllng tha
struck us as somewhat Singular ana that Is we dond
for great quantity of articles the existence OF which
we cannot hnd the Office Some Of those articles OF
articles which remain Now, II found only single
article that possessed this peculiar character We certain
1E,,gf atntUh N ~ q "A
Der OF such articles, and eXtraVagant quantities Oh theh
at most extrayagnt prices we came to the conclusion
that there something wrong something
! MIR McKiE"I would ask tho gentleman whether in all
these contracts in the Patent Office well as In all the
other subordinate departments OF the Interior Depart
mem the Secretary OF the Interior is not really the super
ysng officer the contracting party1 Is 1t not his place
| to approve aud really make the contracts .,
s correct upOn the principle, qui JGCH per alum dct
per Sc" We find here. for Instance charged to the DC,
partment books. at about $40 piece caveat
bOOk-tO the inquiry OF gentlemen around nels
a deni-bOok, medium book, printed IN The form IN
which caveats are entered at the Patent once ~ lsa
book of printed FORMS Now cay That II the Govern
meut really received those books, inasmuch as
they are articles OF no value 10 anybody outside OF he
Office ought to discover the existence OF least
the 4s yet after the most thorough eXenna-
ton that We have been abe 10 make we can hn 10
single caved book in the Office except one, ~hlch
bears the imprint Of another firm m
Now, LET go "A step further. The Committee are I'M
der the impression that these books for which the Gov
ernuent is charged $40 apiece, cost from $40 To SO But
| viii not take the estimate OF the Committee; do not
the House to abide by our judgments bat while am
speaking outside of the record my private knowl
edge may be allowed to say that Messrs Dempsey q
Ooole when called upon TO explain how that this
charge had been made. and books answering 10 the
description could be found, did present 10 me yesterday
hills from a certain prntngCice III the City of New
York purpOrting 10 be charges for these very
books and IN those bills the charges for these books arc
sls ~ Now Messrs Dempsey & O'Tooe say TO us: 1--WE
prove to You that delivered these books first by Onr
own sworn statement aud bills and second by The sworn
statement OF your messenger III the books nave Dcen
puoined and taken from your Office We are not respon-
Well then, thore is another thing. The who had
charge ~ The Office and WHO 10 receive these goods
had occasion TO take summer vacation and there was
placed in charge OF tie Office new man. ana That pan
was instructed TO and did as he swears keep an exact
had charge OF the office and when the bills came In for
that month found that IN the very month when this
new party had charge Of the room goods ten times
think as large as those receplcd Tor by ths MESSENGER
had been charged Now, Messrs Dempsey OroOle tell
that these orders were received from tho messenger
who had usually taken charge OF these books. But We
say TO them II these orders were received in advance
aud clam that these good were delivered under these
date when our very messenger swears that he dd not
that these goods delivered to this aud to that
man and TO the other man; certainly very irregular
proceeding. And when they called upon To bring
forward before our Committee the men who received
righteousness. with strange forgetfuness Of the TO
whom these goods were delivered; they cannot give us
satisfactory Information upon that point. | have en-
deavOred to give fair candid and clear explanation Of
this matter understand it. will not occupy Of
the time OF the House. because that my ocate
Dlr Ela) is anxious yield OF ms time to others
The sPEAKER-The gentleman from New Hampshire
Slr. Ela has thirteen minutes remaining OF his hour.
Mr.. ElA-I yield five minutes TO the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Air. Jenckes).
Mr. JENCKES-I will first inquire Of the gentleman
from New Hampshire (Mr Ela) whether this resolution
extends any further than to cancel the purchase OF bond
paper and the purchase OF printed heads for patentsl
Mr. ELA-lt goes to the extent Of the bond paper In
their possession and TO deduct from the charges tho
uRpaid bills the amount Of those charges above fair
market price.
Mr.. JENCKESI wish TO state for the information Of
the House that this subject has been investigated by the
Committee Rerenchnent under the resolution OF
Senate and that Committee has TO the conclusion TO
recommend that this contract be Cancelled and bill has
passed the Senate and is now awaiting the action OF the
House for that prposethe entire contract for furnish
ing stationery To the Interior Department for the current