The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-19
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,..sutea Records Va. Other F""A'S
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,p.sutea Records w. OtheT F~
- Printing.
Messrs. Editors.-A commuh'caSson 90
,,eared 10 Tuesdays Da*pdtca Wn'In We" .r'
uus to mr. mind, of the Inconsistency IN
s ,n n,aNner in which the records are allowed
" hn nr;nted-without competition. II,
s,usyer does not 60 far enough ana po,he
n,,t the annarcnt causes Of objection 10 wv;
AIM now before the House. When oiiele"
IN the Senate thought it so just procSeu.-
;ne that there could be no Objection wna'.
ever 10 the bill-it was nothing put rIs.t w
those who proposed to execute the pt'n..u iS
ana IN the State OF Virginia wnicn' ta'u
thn ,,,nnev However, as the Objection nas
.con,e and from an interested quarter, let US
ovamine the matter and ventiiate 1t. nave
token the time and pains TO work up TINS
matter, and am determined il this measure Is
defeated It shall not be because the
legislature is not informed; and in pur.
suing this matter, shall state nothing but
facts, or what am led to believe are iacts,
and If they should prove not to be, they can
be corrected By those from whom the ot)ec.
/, zion comes. My motto shall be -" Magma esi
g psrifds ct precoh6ar' and "ceTte sans
.peur." ono,,,,o he-
The custom prevails vi aiio"'De',
lieye, q uniform price for tne "oih, n.
AZ ia given to whom the clerks choose. Ii
this he 80. what profits must be made on the
xrork that is executed out of the city Of
Richmond by the parties doing the WORK,
and who have no competition for It.
Since this question has been presented
have examined the Code and find that there
As provision for printing the records OF as
trict courts, and in that provision proFiso
that "the cost shall not exceed one dollar
and fifteen cents per page of fifteen hundred
ems" This proYiso, have been Informed,
is the basis upon which the charges for the
regular records have been made. Now, II
this be so, and have no doubt that it is, it
is tantamount to prescribing the price, anu
have no doubt that if the field was opened
to competition, as is the case Win other pup
lie work, it would be done materially cheaper
in all three places. But as long rs the par
ties doing this work can get SLID they
would be sinpletonS TO charge less.
The opposition 10 change IN the law can
only come from the clerks, as they alone
are interested beyond the printers doing the
Mork.
WHY should they make any opposition !?
The price paid for printing record is nm
poytdnt TO the clerks? Why? Because they
Charge as fees one half the cost Of printing
The record. How so? Do they furnish a
COPY in manuscript: No-the copy used is
that sent up from the court below. Do they
have much trouble with the work? BY no
1ears-the copy is almost invariably writ.
ten In plain and uniform manner, and the
most Indifferent workman can readily work
from it. What, then, is the reason for these
apparently enormous charges? The law says
they shall take care that the work is properly
done, and shall make OUT an index or table OF
contents. Are these duties Onerous! l
should think not. The index il usually made
by the printer, and the clerk never or rarely
sees the work until completed and sent to
:him-certainly this is the Richmond Gus
tom. Then, what trouble do they have With
the work. None, save to docket the cause
and send the record TO the printer, and when
finished distribute rs prescribed by law.
If all the foregoing is true, what objection
deemed plausible to the committee could
there have been urged to the contract sys-
tenn The stanton clerk, in letter read
before the committee, says that it would put
the price up, and be the means of forming a
combination for that purpose. How con-
rsiderate, and how re,y reasonable! Well,
- that might be believed by simpletons, but
hardly by thinking men. ...s..r.
What says the chairman of the Printing
Committee, practical printer, to such an
absurdity! Will he allow such an assertion
to pass without contradiction:
Who ever heard of letting work to the
lowest responsible bidder being the means
of putting ii up in price! II this were so
could they not now combine, and say we
will not work for less than such price? If
com bination cannot be formed as the mat
ter now stands, it certainly could not if bid
for. If man cannot get portion of par
ticular work because of .faU0ritiSm, when
left discretionary with the parties controlling
it, he would hardly enter into combination
to voluntarily cut his throat.
This clerk says such combination exists
in Richmond. He should inform himself
better. The journeymen have society and
regulate their charges, but it has no connec-
ton with the master printers.
Look at the bids for public work under
the Superintendent of Public Printing last
year. In every instance they were put IN
without any concert Of action by the EN-
plOyers, and the prices were rs varlenC as
there were bids. s.-E ys.sse
Why this condescension by the committee
on behalf of the clerks of the Supreme
Court? In 1866, when the public printing
law was changed TO the contract system, il
was opposed by nearly, if not quite, all the
officers at the seat of goyernment-I NEAR
the clerks OF both Houses and the basement
officers. Why? Because they anticipated
trouble, under the new system, with thei,
work: beyond that they had no interest
They looked SOLELY to the interests of tho
Commonwealth in the dispatch of public
business. S..
How strange. that with this yirtuous op
position Staunton should be the principa
means Of consummating the change-one Of
her representatives having the honor Of be.
- ing practically a disciple of Faust, and could
thereby speak rs an expert, that the contract
system tSas the best. l say how strange, as
so,c the principal outspoken objection comes
from that quarter. Are the three clerks OF
this court, who control work to the amount
of at least one-thtrda as much rs all other pub
lie work, with these apparent causes OF op-
position, to be allowed to continue 10 con-
troll, under their present mode, this work,
and other officers Of the Govern
ment who have printing passing through
their hands, to be subServient to the
contract system? Why, if so, this
strange condeScenSion! Why the distinc-
ton? Is it because there is more confidence
in the clerks Of this court than any other or
all other officers charged with the DISPOSE
1ion of other public work? The Auditor,
who pays the bills for printing given out by
these clerks, and, amounting to thousands,
cannot have single job done without con-
tract, and all printers are allowed to com.
pete for it. -~
Perhaps some may say If parties will go to
Jaw they must pay for it. Perhaps so. But
De II remembered, that One-half If not more