New-York tribune., 1872-02-02
BUYING JOB PRINTING.

BUYING JOB PRINTING.
Enough has been brought out by the investl-
cation of the Assembly Committee on frlht-
ing TO prove that the condition OF the Pubic
Printing business is exceedingly corrupt lno
State DAYS annually several hundred thousand
dollars for printing, binding, hthography' &C.
Some of this work is done by contract az
"I.egisative printing" or for the use Oh inc
Legislature; this contract has been re-
newed by the insertion Of three-iiho
paragraph in the Supply bill, Without III
yiting competition. But large poi-
ton of the work is done for different de-
partments of the State, semi-endowed InstlCu
tions, etc, and paid for by the State. lh's
il "extra work, and is the most prohtaDle'
because the prices are not fixed by any per
manent contract So, when nine thousand
comics of q report are ordered, OF which one
third are for tho use of the Legislature and the
rest for the bureau, department, 0lllcer, Or
society issuing the document, three Thousand
are executed at contract prices, and SIX thou-
sand on "private terms" This explanation
sbows how necessary it is that the printers
should have some trusty person III
nosition 10 SEQ that the magic words
:" for the use of" (anybOdy but the Leg1Sla-
ture) are inserted in any resolution calilng ior
public printing. The evidence of Mr. Cassidy
of The Araw shows that the extra printing
was the most desired portion OF the WhOle
public work, and that it was divided around
Albany. He says that he made only fifteen OF
twenty per cent on his contract work, but,
even at that rate, he was anxious TO nave inc
contract renewed, and it was renewed
in defiance of law and, possibly, with
out the knowledge of many who voted
for the bill III which the little clause
was deftly concealed. Mr.. Cassidy Is quite
sure, however, he paid nothing for that job.
II is noticeable, however, that his partners
were stationed, one in the Assembly and one
in the Senate, as reporters.
Mir. Terwilligers doings, naturally enough,
are brought into strong light In the teStl-
mony of Mr.. John ID. Parsons The sworn
affidavit Of Mr.. Parsons was to have sllenced
the press and critics when the charges against
Mr. Terwilliger were made public; but 1T dld
not, and the amplifcatiOn of the document,
under tho cross-examinatiOn of the afilant,
confirms most Of the original charge. Parsons
swears that he paid Terwilliger per centage
on the work brought or sent by HIM to tne
Parsons g. Weed printing-house. Ihis,
he says was for proOf-reading. was III
not high price7 "Mr. Terwilliger must
Judge of that for himself" says Mr.. Far
sons Yet the witness never offered per-
centage to any man he is equally sure thaC
Teryilliger never asked for 1T; but he got
it and it amounted TO four or five thousand
dollars during the session; aud he never
worked at prOof-reading for Parsons long
alter an adjournment. So. though there was
no formal agreement, it was understood"
that Parsons g. Co. were to pay commission
TO Terwiliger, Clerk of the Senate, on all the
work he brought there. If he brought no
work, there would be no proof to read; and
no proof reading, no twenty per cent on the
work. The fact is, the proOf-reading" was
the sballowest possible trick to convey Ter
willigcr's percentage from Parsons g. Co.'s
cash-box into the hands of the Clerk of the
Senate. 1t was a hollow pretense, and 1T does
not appear that Tcrwilliger ever read any
proof for the printers kept prOOf-rcadcr of
their own on that work. and Mr.. Parsons
confesses that he considered the twenty per
cent one of Terwillger's perquisites."
The case might rest here, 80 far as the per-
centage is concerned. 1t is proved that Clerk
Terwilliger did receive, as charged, acOmmis-
sion on the work done by Parsons & Co., and
that the basis of calculation was not the labor
performed bv him for the firm, but that per-
formed by tho firm for the State. Tho charge
that he raised" the printing bills is not,
however substantiated as yet. We are going
further into this business, evidently, for though
the Committees have not finished Mr..
Terwilliger, they have stumbled upon a variety
of interesting persons, among whom is one Mr..
Phelps, to whom Mr. Parsons swcaTs he paid
$4,000 for getting bills through the Legisla-
ture Who is Phelp3P And how did he use
the money in the Legislature Are thero any
moro of his kin now interested in printing and
other Jobs before the Legislature These are
important questions and We expect to find
answers to them. Meantime, we ask what can
be the sense of decency which sustains the
Clerk of the Senate in his place, when it is
proved by his own witness that he took q
commission on the public printing which he
manipulated.
The organization of the Board of Audit, yes
terday, will be welcomed as another step to-
ward complete reform of the City and County