Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-11-01

WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 1, 1871.
THE PUBLIC PRINTING AGAIN.

vile, in yesterdays issue, that the Public
Printers, in demanding an investigation,
have gotten more than they bargained for.
The facts elected by the examination seem
to embarrass the committee as well ~ the
parties, and they "rise to explain" In
the committees dispatch they complain
that our publication of portions of the tes-
timony was partial" and "garbled,"
and that I" it's publication was unauhhor-
lied by the committee and " in violation
of the rule that no part of the testimony
should be published until sne committee
made its report If there was any such
rule we were ianosant of it. We have
been reliably ir|ormed that persons in no
way connesGed with the investigation were
permstted to hear portion of the evidence
az given by some Of the witnesses, which
impressed us with the belief that it was a
public investigation of public matter and
that as journalists we had a right to
publish and comment upon what was said.
But why such rule in this case? The
committee is charged with the investiga-
ton of an accusation publicly made in re-
lation to public matter. Why should Sc
crecy be enjoined on any one until after the
committees report should be made? This
is question they will not answer.
But the committee in their dispatch
complain that our publications have been
partial and ''garbled," and calculated to
do Messrs. Jones, Purvis & Co. injustice.
If by this the committee intend to charge
by the terms PARTIAL and 'garbled" that
we have not published all the evidence
given by the parties referred to, we admit |
the fact. We did not purport to publish all |
the evidence of Messrs. Griffith, Jones & |
Purvis. But we have been advised by par |
ties in whom we rely that the evidence |
published by us is substantially correct, as
deposed to by the parties as far as it goes,
and if the evidence is ever published as
given it will bear us out. We intended to |
do, and as we believe did no injustice to
any one, and if the committee or any one /
else shall pretend to question the truth of
this declaration, we appeal to the original
evidence in the hands of the committee
and challenge its publication.
Instead of doing the parties Injustice we
did not publish the most damaging part
of the testimony. Mr.. Ira p. Jones, one of
the firm of Jones, Puryis Co., was as
much at fault in his mathematics as he
was deficient in his memory, as the follow
ing will show:
@. What is a token? A. The Code defines |
what token is.
Q. What does the Code define it 70 be? A. |
Ten quires.
.. Q. How many quires are in ream A. |
Twenty.
9 There are then two statutory tokens in
Of F1Qr
Q. In this account you have charged for 40 |
resrns OF paper and 2l3 tokens. Now if there
ara but two tokens TO ream how did you get
2l3 tokens out 40 reams of paper? A, can't
explain it.
Q. In this other account you charge for 521I
rearns of paper and ], 1856 tokens. How do you
get ], 1856 tokens from 52ll reams of paper A.
That is account for work done by Roberts &
Puryis and will leave them to explain ii.
Q. Well, here is still another account in which
you charge fer six quires of paper and eight to.
kens Of press work Now; if it take: ten quires
to make one token, how did you get eight tokens
out Of sir quiresS A. am not q practical
printer and can not explain it.
q. Here is another account in which you
eenarge Tor seven quires OF paper and twenty
kens out OF seven quires Of paper? A. can
not explain it.
Thus the examination progressed, draw
ing out many answers, the publication of
which would be damaging but not unjust
to the parties accused.
However embarrassing this investigation
may be to the parties and the committee,
the records of the Comptroller's office can
neither be overlooked or ignored. These
alone sustain every charge heretofore pre-
ferred against the Public Printers. Among
Others, we may illustrate by their account
for publishing $500 copies of the Public
and Private laws Of the last Assembly.
The paper contained in these volumes cost
Is cents per h., and weighs about Il lbs.
in no event did it cost the Public Printers
more than 50 cents; yet they have charged
for the paper which went into 4,50O copies
of these laws S4,497.93, within fraction
Of cent Of 81 per volume. Business men
will see at glance, and without the evil
dence of experts, that the account is exces-
sive and fraudulent. The book referred
to can be found scattered all over the State
In the hands of the Justices of the Peace
and Clerks, and we invite the people who
pay the taxes TO examine and Judge fer
themselves. In this single item the Pub
lie Printers have drawn from the Treasury
more than $1,000 which they were not en-
titled to.
We could extend our remarks to an al
most Indefinite extent. But this IA ne
mucl as our c1,aaa x.,;lI ......-.A