The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-12-29


lnrgin which By proper legislation very
large aama may Be saved.
aa PUBLIC PRINTING.
The public printing, BY the grossnesI
Of ~ excesses, amounts b public rob
berry. We submit thni such l. ths
practical result, Whatsyormay be the mo
tive, on which the extraordinary system
"a tolerated. Let examples be cited iu
evidence.
For The Eve years next preceding the
first Of January, 1861, the average cost
ofprniing for the State did not exceed
5000 per anuum.
For the Eve years commencing with
the facal year 1870, IL average cost Of
the printing for the State has exceeded
e73 900 eaeb year, being an average
excess each year onahe former Of $685.
600.
This enornOusincrease in the cost Of
public printing cannot he attributed 10
inor0nasd expenss- ss peffosluiEgs the
public work, nor to the large increase in
the number OF our citizens, for the like
conditions exist in Mississippi and Geor-
gia and yet the recent report Of the
Comptroller-General Of Georgia shows
that the average cost OF the public print
ing in that State for the years 1872 and
1873 did not exceed $4,000 Mark the
contrast according 10 the above average.
The cost 0f the public printing for i'm
poverished Mississippi for those two years
was over eight times greater than the cost
Of the same work done in the same year
for the State Of Georgia
The journals Of the two houses Of our
Legislature contain a vast amount Of
matter utterly worthless 10 the public,
and their enormous bulk, with supple
ments added, might we'll cause the in
quiry, why were they gotten up in that
bulky form IL not 10 swell the profits Of
the public printer We cite for the con
trasl two examples. and one may verify
the figures in our State Library. In the
year 1856 the journals Of the two houses
contained together 1863 pages. In the
year 1873 the journals contain together
G.393 pages-that Is more than FIVE times
the number Of pages contained in those
two journals for the year 1856. Those
journals contain in full every little report
that certain bill do pass, and thus they
are swelled with a mass Of useless matter.
Doubtless the enormous difference in the
cost for public printing in Mississippi
and Georgia arises from the fact that our
journals are thus boated with useless
matter. and also that official reports are
printed aud charged for more than once,
and in part because Of exhorbitant rates
allowed 10 our State Printer
The remedy for these gross abuses and
waste Of expenditure is plain. Let the
journals be greatly reduced in bulk so as
90 contain no matter not useful to the
public in legislative journal. Require
the official reports to he so reduced in
bulk as 10 contain only essential matters,
and those to be stated in briefest intelli
gible terms Diminish both numbers
aud quantities Let no documents be
printed aud paid for more than once, and
reduce 30 moderate rates the prices for
public printing. Apply like rules Of
economy and Justice TO the people TO the
public printing Of counties, cities and
towns.
DISTRICT PRINTING BILL.
In this connection it is proper to call
special attention to the District Printing
Bill, which was publicly advocated upon
the plea most extraordinary in a free
government, that il is both Just and
proper to tax The general public to sus-
tain party newspapers. In case of public
sales, and in many others, the chief value
Of newspaper publication consists in
the fact that II gives notice to the people
Of the particular county il which the
sale. etc, ia to be made. 1t seems a
mere mOckery. under pretense OF
fairness, TO advertise the property OF
the citizen for sale under execution or for
taxes in a distant part of the judicial
district, ard at point remote from the
county in which the sale is to be made
The same is true of many other notice,
required to be published. In very many
cases Of publication required to be made
under the law, the seeming notice can b'
of no possible use, and yet the poor citi
zen is taxed with the costs of such useles
publication.
RxPENsEs ON ACCOUNT or THE JU
DGCIARY.
The number Of circuit judges an
chancellors is far greater than the need
Of the public service require.
Before the present constitution wen
into effect, thore were but ten circ ui
Judges in the State, who not only di
charged all the duties imposed on th
thirteen circuit Judges now provided fol
but also performed nearly all the dutiC
now imposed on twenty chancellor; an
there was no complaint that their nrnb,
was insufficient. BY the present systeI
(and we believe IN that respect il is
good one), most Of the business formerl
done by the probate judges is now tram
acted by the chancery clerks. III
chancellOrs are almost exclusively OccI
pied in what is strictly chancery or equii
business. which, as before stated, WI
formerly within the Jurisdiction Of II
circuit judges. The litigation in n
circGit and chancery courts is now Il
less in amount and value than il WI
when we hal only ten circuit Judges.
The constitutional amendment by whic
the jurisdiction Of justices Of the peaC
has been made to include all civil cas-
not exceeding in amount $3.50 90, an
the poverty Of our people, by which bus
ness transactionj are very much linitS
in value. have taken away at least on
third OF the civil business OF the circu
and chancery courts.
LEGIsLArTvE DEPARTMENT.
The expenses Of the Legislative ID
partment have grown recently into emo
nous proportions. The sessions are no
annual, aud have been greatly prOlonge,
and there has been a great, and, as '
respectfully insist, an unnecessary i
crease in the number Of its employee
clerks, dOor-keepers, experimentation
pOrters and pages. Formerly all Il
clerical force needed was furnished to 4
House OF Representatives at 81 800, Al
10 the Senate at 81 200, for session.
We do not wish 20 be understood
stating that the services Of the memb,
Of your honorable body are not worth
that is now charged, viz; $500 per 9
mum. There is no price within our mea
TO pay, which could possibly be too hi
for the inestimable blessing Of an intel
gent. working and earnest body Of me
who consecrale their lives and devC
their talents to the study Of polit;S
,..nnorlv and fhoea arka which rnakr