Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-03-30
THE GOVERNMENT PRUNrER-
investigation Of the Charges Against
Him.
The Testimony To-day.


The Investigation by the Senate Committee
printer, commenced this morning, at the Com
mittee's room in the CAPITOL
The charges are quite numerous, and may be
briefly stated, as incapacity OF performing the
duties Of the Government Printing Office gene
rally; mismanagement and ignorance on the
part of himself and his subordinates; that one
large volume, known Commercial Rela-
tions, had to be reprinted on account of the
type having been distributed before the requisite
number Of copies was printed; OF blunders in the
Finance Report, !" Especial Sources of Intern
al Revenue" )" Paris Exposition" and other re
ports, costing the Government a large amour
of money; that numbers of persons are paid for
labor who have nothing to do; that the Job
ONCE Is badly managed, involving loss of 81 900
per month In the employment OF hands alone;
that the 'chief OF the specification room" was
discharged from the office for incompetence un-
der previous administrations; that Mr.. Clapp
has employed a carpenter and machinist, total
ly incompetent; that he has discharged Union
soldiers and kept men at work who never fired
gun for their country, and in some cases rebels
unit for the position; that Mr.. Clapp purchased
stereotyping Office without any authority OF
law, and employed a man to run it who is re-
celving a salary in the Globe office; that he has
employe ed person as copy reviser when the duty
1eiongs TO the foreman, at salary OF 81 800 per
annum, &c.
These charges were preferred by G. W. Scri-
yer, L. nj. Moore, CIV. TOlfOrd, and Il. Graves
late employees at the Government Printing Of
fice, discharged by Mr.. Clapp.
Mr. Clapp stated to the committee this morn
would request that but one witness be present
at time while the examination was in progress
senator Anthony presided.
Mr.. John LarcOmbe was the first witness ex-
amined, and stated that there had been no ma
terial purchased to his knowledge, which was
unnecessary in the Office; the assistant foreman
nad never called his attention to the fact that
there was material purchased unnecessary for
the wants OF the office. The price of nOnpareil
was ~ cents per pound. and not S1.25. The or
ders for purchasing material came through the
foreman OF each branch to the Superintendent
OF the office, and by requisition, whether large
or small. With reference to charge 4, he weuld
refer to his statement on page % of the charges
published; that the present preparer OF copy,
Mr. Madison Davis, is fully competent to dis
charge his duties; that the charge that the chief
clerk was drawing 81 800 per annum, and doing
quite varied, looking after the business Of the
ofhce generally, and that he Is entirely compe-
tent for his duties. His acquaintance with Mr.
Moore was slight, and he did not know him
well enough to say whether he would not be-
heve him on his oath. In reply to the question
OF the necessity of a copy preparer, he had no
office.
Mr.. G. Wendell testified that he had been
contractor of government printing for two
years, and fourteen years as sub-contractor
and his experience led him to the belief that a
practical printer was necessary as a foreman.
4 MS as necessary in any well regulated Otice
where book work is executed especially. A fair
uay Work for ten hours labor should be about
SIX thousand ems, and a pro rata number for
less time than that. When men work by the dav
they should work by the standard used to cal
cuiate days work large amount Of the COPY
In the government office is badly prepared and
requires much labor to revise. 1t would be un-
Just to denounce printers for not performing ten
hours work in eight hours. A printer could
on fat work that he can on Lean work
lie had known men who work on rule and figure
Work 10 make as high as forty dollars per day,
put taking the run, fat and lean, six thousand
ems was an average days work. He had known
MI Clapp many years, probably twenty-five or
thrty years, and from his knowledge of his
capabilities, which were fair, he thought him
capable to discharge the duties of government
printer, but he does not conduct his Office as he
would himself. He thought he had put men i'm
places that were incompetent, and discharged
very competent men on political grounds as he
understood He thought the office could be CON
Quoted more economically than it was. Men
suspected of not being in sympathy with the
dominant party, but good printers, had been
discharged, and incompetent Republicans
the government had sustained loss.
His theory is that fair days labor should be
1900 ems OF the leanest kind of matter. While
he was Superintendent of Printing he did not
hnd it necessary to employ preparer of copy
This work properly belonged to the foreman.
and was always performed by him. He con-
siucTtu OIuce entlrely SupernuOuS. The
Union price per thousand is sixty cents, and he
would not employ printer who could not earn
four dollars per day. He would take q far run
OF the copy and would require the 1000 ems a
DAYS work. lie did not regard 1t oppressive to
require OF a man the amount OF labor he was
paid to perform.
Mr.. John ID. Defrees testified that he was ac-
quainted with the present foreman of the Gov
ernment Printing Office, and from his know.
ledge Of his capability he did not think him
qualified to perform the duties of the office.
no inn NJ
office he did not expect men to do as much in
eight hours as they did in ten hours. He never
employed a copy reviser; the foreman always
did this duty: He knew nothing about Mr..
EthePs capabilities as printer OF foreman, but
printer.
Daniel W. Flynn testified that he had been
employed in the printing Office since November,
1854. Had worked at the case and as reviser of
copy. So far as he knew Messrs. Ethel and Otis
his opinion is that they are not competent
printers, and from his knowledge Of the tour
proof readers employed there he would not en-
pley them at any price. He could not state
who were in fault in the blunder OF having to
reset the large amount of type on the "COm
mercial Relations" and other books, but he was
well aware that blunders had been Ecsde there
costing q large amount Of labor to rectify.
The amount of cost he would not like to say.
In regard to unnecessary material purchased,
which was not needed. This was worth about
fifty cents per pound; this might not be wanted
for ten years, and 1t might be required very
soon. The loss sustained to the government by
the type was probably one hundred and twenty
dollars. MI: Otis was responsible for this
blunder. A fair days work for ten hours was
i've thousand seven hundred ems. There Is not
q half dozen men in the office who can set six
ems per day Of lean matter. The
average compositors through the country can
set about eight hundred ems Of general work
per hour. This held good on newspaper work
Adjourned till Tomorrow At ten O'Clock,