South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1873-12-05


perienced printers and book binders resid.
ing in different portions of the State, all of
whom were in political sympathy with Mr..
WALKER. None of them were permitted
to know what were the charges made by the
different Public Printers, and, therefore, they
could not know what bearing their testimo-
ny would have upon the accounts undergo
ing Investigation. That such a committee,
aud such witnesses, without any reason or
motive, should have conspired together to
do an act of injustice to q public officer, is
hardly credible.
The first example that give of improp-
er charges on the part of Mr.. WALKER, is
his account for printing pamphlet of 100
pages, entitled, claws relating to the duties
of county officers" 1000 copies Here are
MIR. WALKERS charges:
394, 900 ems, at 65 cents, $3.50 10
Reading and supervision, Is 80
Making up forms 60 90
% tokens at 65 cents, 81 %
1000 covers, - 90
Binding, $50 90
Total, SG4i Is
The correct account, as ascertained by TIE
Investigating Committee, from the testimo-
ny before it, is as follows
253, 1856 ems, Sle4 80
% tokens, 30 %
1000 covers, Il 90
Binding 60 90
Total, $3.50 70
For this comparatively small article, he
charged, aud received, S6i1 ID when he
was only entitled to $3.50 rs, making an
excessive charge of $500 40. The Com.
mittee did not allow the two items for "read-
ing and supervision and making up forms :"
for the reason that they were not authoriz
ed by law; aud neither of Mr.. WALKER 5
predecessors had made any such charges, and
they were not therefore, sanctioned by Gus.
tom.
A little examination will show that these
two items were merely an ingenious device
under which he charged one dollar per thous
and ems for composition, when the law on
ly allowed six'y-ive cents Thus $40, 900
ems, at 60 cents, gives $3.50 10 then add
his charges for "reading and supervision, ,"
SIS SO,and for "making up forms" $50 90,
and we have a total of 1891 10; now, 394,-
600 ems, at one dollar per thousand, lust
makes 1891 90. Charges fer "reading aud
supervision" and "makiog up FORMS" ore
found 10 several of his accounts, but in none
approved by me. That the committee did
no injustice 10 reducing the Dumber Of to.
kens in bis account from 125 TO GO, can cas-
lily be demonstrated. 1t was printed part
ly eight pages TO the form, and partly six
teen pages to the form, aud there we're ten
forms in all as there were 1000 copies.
tho whole number of Impressions couse-
~
(tbe number of impressions in a token, )
gives 42 as the true number of tokens. Bu,
for the sake of uniformity and to avoid any
possible injustice, the rule was adopted by
the committee of counting eight pages TO
the form, and thus the number of tokens
(63) was arrived at. The composition was
reduced from 1914 900 ems to 253, 1856, in
accordance with the testimony; and whetb-
er 1t Is correct or not depends upon the &C.
curacy OF the witnesses who measured IT,
Any printer can readily judge how near the
truth 1t ~, when told it is medium octave
pamphlet, l20 pages, long primer, with
marginal notes, similar to those Of the Code.
So far as the item Of binding (stitchiDg and
folding il concerned, that the charge Of
sl5O OO Is improper aud unjust, can readi-
/ y OS ouO"u' ueTC are ten signatures IN
each copy Of this pamphlet, and consequent
ly 10000 signatures in the 900 copies
that we're printed at 8 cents per hundred
signatures Ohe maximum price allowed by
law for stitching and folding, the whole cost
would be SIS 90, instead Of $3.50 90, the
amount charged by Mr.. WALKER-just
one-tentb Of bis charge.
But probably the proper way to estimate
this work under the new law, would be to
count eight pages as a signature. Apply
ing this rule to the pamphlet in question,
there would be $4,000 signatures in all,
which at the maximum price Of fifteen cents
per hundred would give So, SO as the whole
cost. But in his recent proposals, Bir.
WALKER offered to do this work ct thirteen
cents per hundred signatures The 10, 600
| signatures, at this rate, would amount to
SO 80. But this is not all other bidders
offered to do this work at nine cents per
hundred signatures at this rate this pam
pblet would cost only s13 80. What then
must be the conclusion 10 regard 10 bic
charge Of $3.50 90 for work which he had
himself offered to do for $40 So and other
persons have offered TO do for sl3 so?