The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-12-08
4 Big Leak.

Ope OF the big leaks which the next
Congress should stop up is the public
printing fraud and extravaganza. The
Government Printing Office turns out
annually cords of public documents,
compiled, illustrated and printed at an
enormous expense, and practically
thrown away in vast editions distribu-
ted FREQ among the friends of Con-
gressmen, or actually carted off to the
junk shops to be sold by the pound
Those professional men who can make
use of the documents of Scientific
nature are just the ones who cannot
get them except by buying them Of
secondhand book men. If the docu-
ment is of particular value, the edition
soon drifts into the hands of some pri-
vate publisher, and he sells it at an ex-
orbitant price, sometimes with his i'm
print on it.
Many of these bulky octavos and
qnartos it ne more belongs to the Gov
eminent to publish than treatises on
the calculus or dissertations on the gy-
roscope, or even essays on morals and
religion.
There has just been issued, in a
heavy octave of over a thousand pages
a ponderous medical work entitled
'The Cholera Epidemic of 1879" 1t
is full Of expensive maps and diagrams
done in photolithograpl,y, and con-
cludes with a photography of cholera
filling over three hundred pages. 1t
must have cost anywhere from fifteen
thousand to twenty-five thousand dol
lars to get the book out, and now that
it is out, though it may contain valua-
bic information for q few professional
men, yet it is not book of any gene
raj utility. 1t is too plain to need ar
gument that it is not the Office of the
Government to print photographers
and medical treatises for gratuitous
circulation. This volume would be of
much more real use if ITS information
had been condensed into tenth part
of the space now occupied, a. might
we'll have been done. Its value, such
as it is, is confined to the medical pro.
fession; if the information he of prime
Importance, the doctors ought to be
willing and even glad to pay for it as
for any other medical work.
The whole business of the Govern
ment printing needs a thorough over
hauling. The junk dealers may not
wish it, nor the printing Ring cry out
for it, but the people, whose money is
spent, will encourage an honest Con-
gress in stopping that leak in the
Treasury.
The true policy is that followed in
England. All public documents are
there sold ut cost price to any person
who may apply for them, and they are
issued in editions proportionate to the
demand. The English Government
prints vast quantity of these docu-
ments, known as blue books, and the
demand for them is continuous from
all over Europe and this country. Ev-
cry one has the price printed on it,
and high ard low must pay the money
to get the document. This is the Only
sensible way. 1t is contrary to reason
for Government to take the peoples
money to print books to give TT a few
of the friends of Congressman.
We have now before Us a Govern
ment document, an expensive octave
illustrated with costly wood engra-
wings, maps, and diagrams, which ap-
pears revamped, with the imprint of
New York publisher and is sold at a
handsome price. 1t is printed from
the Government type, the engravings |
were paid for by the Government and
the officer writing the book was under
Government pay and direction while
so engaged. Yet after large edition
of the volume was gratuitously issued
and circulated among the Congress-
mems or carted off to the junk shop,
this private publisher finds his profit
in issuing it at price. This is a safe
venture for him, because the type set-
ting and engraving cost him nothing,
the people having already paid for
them. This is an example Of not in
frequently occurring eases.
Our Government should adopt the
English plan, and publish no more
books without charge. Those neces-
sary to be distributed among officials
should be charged to the department
taking them, and their price included
in it's estimates. IF this were done
the money saving would be very great
and prolific source of corruption re-
moved.-(N. Y. Sun.
"A curious casualty occurred hear
Pittsburgh the other day. A man Who
was engaged with number of others
in cutting down large tree sat down