Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-07-15
Public Printing,

w Wy 'hS iOii'"i"S iTOul the OFT
Townsend Message, the publisher of which
paper has lately purchased in New
York printing establishment which is
said to have cost him $4,000, in expecta-
ton Of commanding the public printing,
not only as the Legitimate reward for party
services, but by superior facilities for do.
ing the work in creditablc manner:
As considerable interest has been evinced to
know who has received the public printing, we
suboin the following letter which speaks for
itself. 1t is matter ofsurprse how Mr.. Sec
rotary Clements, who comes out here with q
commission from Republican administration,
can give the public printing to one of the most
obnoxious Copperheads in this territory:
OLYMPIA, July 0, 1871.
julius DICKENS
McElroy and myself have received the
appointment of public printers, and Mac has
money to pay the hands whenever they want
it. The work will begin or the LIST of October.
Will you ask Mr.. Sutton it he has any new
material he would like to sell for cash, such as
presses, small plea, imposing stones, leads,
bill and book sticks, ETC., and if he has, get
him to send to me by the next mail descrip-
ton of the articles with the price of each. n \ n
FRED PRosCH.
The publication of confidential letter
of personal character is breach of con
fdencc which admits of no justification
but the facts which are hereby disclosed
having become public, are proper subject
for comment. This disposal ef the public
printing is fair sample Of the policy
which has prevailed with the Federal off.
cials in this Territory since the Republi.
can party came into power The public
printing is the most considerable job at
the disposal of the Territorial Government.
Under Democratic rule the Public Printer
was selected by the Representatives Of the
people in Legislative Assembly, and some
newspaper publisher selected that its
profits might inure to the public in sus.
tanning the public press. TIE policy Of
the Republican officials has been the re.
verse of this. The appointment was taken
from the Legislature and vested is an i'm
ported Secretary. All the profits arising
from the public printing are uniformly
gobbled up by politicians who do nothing
for the support Of the newspaper press,
and the party editors and publishers tame.
ly submit to this gross outrage upon their
rights with scarcely protest There are
now six or eight Republican party news.
papers in this Territory who are doing
party service for inadequate remuneration,
while the public printing, the profits Of
which would materially aid in the estab.
lishmcnt and support of at least one re.
spectacle paper at the capital, is given to
wealthy man not connected with the
public press, and he takes in a young
printer merely to do the work, securing to
himself the lions share of the profits. So
long as the conductors Of the party press
consent to make themselves mere hewers
of wood and drawers of water to the schem
ing politicians, they deserve nothing but
contumely and contempt in return they
are the authors Of their own degradation
and disgrace to vocation which ought
to command the recognition and respect Of
at least its own party.