The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-08-24
THE PRINTING wRANGLE.
The Governor and the Pilot each
Tells his Story, and Neither
Tells it Right.

the cause OF MS quarrel Win Inc 1llOI
Ring. In this statement, which we copy
from the report of the News, it will be
seen that the Governor alleges that his
removal of Kimball, Raymond d Co.,
was in consequence of their having plum
dered the Treasury serious charge
and repetition of the old folly of lock-
ing the door after the departure of the
stolen steed. He slept while the depre-
dation was going and never thought of
sounding the alarm until the deed was
done.
But it must be remembered that if this
great crime charged by the Governor
against his late fuglemen, was committed,
there are other parties not free from CEN
sure. The pretended accounts were sub
jected 20 the revision both of Secretary
of State Lynch and Auditor Musgrove.
They purported to have been made on &C
count of printing documents emanating
from the Office of the Auditor, who issued
che warrants after the Secretary of State
had approved the accounts. If, therefore,
the Pilot men are censurable for commit
ting fraud on the Treasury as charged
/ by the Governor, how are Lynch and
Musgrove to escape censure either for
neglect of duty, or conniving at the decep-
ton?
| But to the Governors statement:
The matter of the removal of the public
| printers, Kimball, RaymOn q Co.. has caus-
ed some agitation. will tell you why re-
moved them.
! kimball is practical printer and nothing
| more, and would as soon print for Demo-
crat as for Republican. 1t is his profession
and he works where he gets the most money.
! Mr.. Raymond, | don't know much about,
but do know that as to his Republicanism.
when the last canvass was In progress, and
was your standard-bearcr,h he was no where
to be seen. and as far as we knew never ex
erted himself much 10 help our party. But
we were then at sea, on the heaVing pillows
of the briny ocean and we needed a Pilot,
and so we had one But now we are Oh
! terra firma and we wanted a Leader and have
| got it. | turned ont the public printers be-
cause of their over charges. The prices for
their work had been fixed at very high
rate when State paper was at a heavy dis
count; and when this scrip advanced in
| value such rates became abOminably high.
| The printing of the Auditors report which
| was ordered by the Legislature and hardly
one of the member of which thought would
! cost over $500, cost $27,700-it was rule and
! figure work and was charged as per contract
| at double rates. But discovered that not
only was the rule and figure work charged
| double rates, but the paper and binding also.
which made difference of nearly $l2 600 in
! the ex pense; added to this was their charge
/ of $27 500 for re-printing the very same
matter in the Legislative Journal with the
double charge again for paper and binding.
| would rot stand by and see the State thus
plundered and | removed these men from
| Office. i appointed them and had right
to remove them. and when found others
| to do the State work at proper rates | APP
pointed them.
WHAT THE PILOT SAYS.
The Governor is reported by the News as
i saving in his speech at Vicksburg. that he
| their over-chargeS." "1e would not see the
State plundered.' He appointed them and
he had the right to remove them, land when
he found others to do the State work at prop
er rates, lie appointed them" Now we take
| it upon ourselves to most EN- phatically deny
that there has been any over charge in the
| State printing. On the CONTRARY, we affirm
that it was paid for in exact accordance with
the law, which, in its provision for rule and
| figure work, is almost an exact copy of the
! Code of 1857. We give below the laws bear
ing on the subject at both periods. In the
| Code of 1857, Chapter 6. Section z, Article
u.
work there shall be allowed double compea-
| sation per page, and for either rule Or figure
work an addition of fifty per cent. per page,
| and in like proportion for parts of a page OF
either on the above rates OF compensation"
In the laws of 1870, Chapter 2S7, Section s,
we find this: "For all rule and figure work
contained in any description of work per-
formed by the State Printers, double the
| foregoing prices shall be allowed; and for
either rule or figure work fifty per cent. shall
| hn ahI N fhn in0 rufnS no
State Printers shall state such charges in
separate items in the account rendered there
| for
! Now neither of these statements do
Justice to the truth of the matter at issue.
BY the connivance of certain parties
interested in the Ring, an act or resolution
was passed by the Legislature authorizing
five thousand copies of the list of delin-
quent lands to be printed in pamphlet form
by the State Printers. The rascality of the
transaction consisted in the fact that this
expense to the taxpayers was incurred
without even a plausible pretext-the
lands having already been advertised
! Whoever originated the scheme was
sharper, and had an eve to business, and
he evidently knelc achat ,cas doing IN the Au-
ditor's office.
Under this order the pamphlet was
printed. 1t consisted of six hundred
pages The charge of the printers Tin
round numbers) was s27 900, which is
about three times the average annual cost
of public printing, all told, before the
war. But the Printers, let us say in JUS
tice to them, were simply executing an
order of the Legislature. And their
charges, high and outrageous as they were,
were made under the sanction of the act
fixing prices, ,chich Cor. Alcorn necessd-
ria approved else 1t aUo,tld not hare become
lao.
The fraud upon the State for which the
Pilot is culpable was the insertion of the
same matter contained in the pamphlet,
in the Journals at an additional cost of
S13, 900. This matter did not properly
belong to the Journals. Its insertion in
them could not have cost the Printers
81, 900; it was entirely unauthorized-was
without particle of benefit to the public
and was nothing less than downright
robbery.
This transaction alone has cost the peo-
pie 81, 900. And yet Musgrove in his
report estimated the entire expense on ac-
count of printing for the present year at
$50, 900. So much for the reliability of
his estimates.
By this plain statement of facts, which