New-York tribune., 1872-02-12
THE PRINTING FRAUDS
TERwILLIGRR's TESTIMONY.


Terwiger says: ." never certified to any bill that
did not believe was in all things correct there
never was any bill increased, to my knowledge, by
any person, as to make it represent larger
amount than was actually due for work actually
dOnep 1t will be instructive to examine this state
ment by the light Of documentary evidence. ltisnow
tOlerably well known that The 1rgUs Company held
in 1869 and hold the contract for legislative print
ing 1t is admitted too that they find the arrange
ment a profitable In 1869 The Argus Company
and Weed Parsons & Co. were doing this printing
on shares the former not having sufficient machinery.
&c. 70 do the whole work All the printing included
in the two bills certified by Terwge and Underhil,
by which the 80 600 appropriation in the Supply bllof
1869 was absorbed was legislative printing, executed
for the Use of the Legislature and should have come
in whole or in part under the general contract to eX
ecute printing for the of the Legislature iof
S5SOOO year. Ii any two officers OF the state were
bound to see that that contract was complied WIN
thew were Terwilligcr and Underhlll. They should
not have permitted bills to be brought in against the
State for work executed under the contract IL can
be shown that if Terwigcr and Underhill had done
their duty and held The Argus Company and Weed.
Parsons 81 Co. to the contract the state, instead OF
paving $4,000 would have had it's work done for less
than $500. But in that case the clerks would ha'e
lost their commissions.
For an illustration Of the frauds which Weed. Par
sons g. Co. aud these clerks practiced against the
State the second item in the bill which was Jwico
raised by Mr. Parsons Will be taken. Ii Is for prnt
ing testimony for the Select Committee OF the SEN
ate appointed April TO- 1863, generally known nj that
time as the Bribery Committee" This Commit
tee held its last meeting Feb 2 1862 and submitted
its report on the 10Th of March of the same year.
The testimony fills 81 pages of the ordinary octave
size and style of legislative documents. The PRINT
! ing was ordered on Thursday, the llth OF March.
1862 Whatever printing may have been!done orjeopies
furnished before this date must fan under the general
contract without pennys extra charge 10 the State
The resolution reported by Mr. Mattoon, from the
Committee on Public Printing and is IN the ordinary
language of resolutions ordering printing for the Legs
| ature:
Rs,es That there printed forthwith or the Of The senate
90 copies Of AID report Of h. SCI Committee Of tho
senate appointed Ia 1890 TO llytsIgae sISsl a,ehy " b. ]
and unawful means
The resolution first reported. read 1000 copies, bnt
that number struck out and 1000 inserted IN iiS
place The Senate resolution in regard 20 the printing of
| the Controllers report is precisely similar:
esolrsJ Tha. printed The Annual Report ot the Gu
,ror 800 copies ios the Of tue Senate snl o o e 'ono
It happens that the Controllers report for ls7Ois a
document of pages only page less than the Bri-
berry Committees report. Let see the difference in
its cost to State. 1t must be remembered that the
Legislative printers obliged to furnish certain num-
Der OF copies every document ordered printed for the
usa i
entitled TO charge for extra copies. The following is
copy OF the bill for the Controllers report as rendered
by The Aryus Company:
Assembly Document No 3-Annral Report OF the Con-
troer Assembly resolution, Jan. = 1870 d'eS0itlon ex-
actlv corresponds with Senate resolution quoted aboveD
900 COPIES l56 pages, 19h signatures at 81 75. $50 G2
10 2e-iO reams extra fine paper, at $..---.. ~ 80
1900 q, eco copies for Assembly,, cts "a 20
Total.......................... OF
Now compare this with the 6rSt bill made by Mr..
| Parsons for the Bribery report:
Clerk of the Senate, to Weed, Parsons 4 Co, Dr.
April q, I8c9To printing testimony. &C., FOR 80
lect Committee OF the Senate, appointed AIrl 10 coo
sNOV
Compare the bill for the Controllers report WIN ar'
| Parsonss second bill:
| Clerk OF the Senate, TO Weed, Parsons & Co, Dr.
April 27 1s69-To printing testimony, Sc., for the
| select Committee Of the Senate, appointed April
10. 1865.
Compare it with Mr ParsOnss third b whicn vas eer
titled TO by Mr.. Terwger paid by The Treasurer and
ss7l 20 of the money given Mr. Terwilgcr grGtfy
| Clerk Of the Senate, to Weed Parsons & Co, Or.
| April u, 1669-TO printing testimony &C.. Tor Sc
! iect Committee OF the senate, appointed April
TO- 1865. -SasOD
| The latter bills contain statements " tho
number Of copies printed 4 in short items ~hat-
ever yet.Mr Terwliger that the last BILL which
he certes is charge against the State ano IN
every respect shOnd be. MI Parsons talks OF tne
paper the Controllers report as We have seen' was
printed on extra fine paper. The Controllers report con
|
type least two sizes smaller than the bribery les
timony. The latter. indeed is what the printers call
"fat" consisting Of short questions and answers from
beginning to end. Precisely the eame number OF copies
were printed Of each. Only Of the charges
which fixed up to take in the special appropriation
ots9OOO the Supply bill has been here examined, bu
they are all OF the kidney one Il charge OF $50
for pamphlet Of 81 pages another, sO6O for pamphle
L of go pages (boh pamphlets being testimony in con
tested election cases, and alike as two peas
third for 3s7 pages; fourth $3.50 for 12i pages
fifth g. IT'S for 276 pages and the SIXTH $3.50 for 13t
pages In further illustration Of the outrag swind
ling practced with the aid OF the clerks one or two
more specimens annexed Of the charges made under
the contract.
March q, 1s6s-senate Document No. Report of the
tBoard OF state Commissioners of Public Charities;
1000 copies 1886 pages AZ signatures, at sl.. 62 90
y SO 2Oreams of extra fine paper, at A...... 362 so
Binding 800 In cloth, at 10 cents.......... 200 10
g. Total ,O35 %
The above for volume Of 1856 pages, full of tables on
extra fine paper with 500 bound IN CLOTH Yet The Argus
Company were so well satisfied with their contract with
the that they took extraordinary pains to renew IT,
| State Document No. Annual Report OF the State
| Treasurer, Assembly resolution, April l, 1870:
1000 copies "a pages, signatures, at 5o.... M 90
s46 reams extra fine paper, at si........... 80 20
| Total. .......-......'..'..sSo' ~
None OF bills certified by Terwilger and Underhl
contain any details Of number OF copies number of
sc. OF only Of them have been able To md any
authorization to them out OF the contract and in
that case is solution passed by the Assembly,
| which the following is an exact copyi
Rrd directed have the evidence ,Ahn ey th
Special appointed to investigate tie afa the
psnes Of the cities ofNv York. Buffalo and Albany printed immediately
| For printing that document the bill was tl,I76 6s
The above Is but a small part OF the evidence which
may be adduced to show the wretched state Of things
which has existed in relation TO the public printing but