National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-07-28
THE CONGRESSIONAL PRINTER

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of ammunition to be used against the COM
mon enemy, in this important political
crisis, when it turns its guns upon Repub
lican officials. and goes far out of the way
to assail and vilify the Congressional
Printer, who has been bounded by an ex-
Confederate House for the last six or seven
months. 1t seems to strive for pre-emi-
nence in giving utterance to statements
which the World, or any other pensoned
organ of the Democracy, would hesitate in
giving to the public in view of the facts.
We are somewhat surprised at the course
of the Times in this instance, for it is guilty
of marked Misrepresentation and injustice.
What we say OF the Times assault upon
the Congressional Printer is not TO cham
pion that officer, hut in the interest of
truth, fairness and justice. We know
whereof we speak, and we cannot but
characterize the attack of the Times of
Wednesday, upon Mr.. Clapp, as unjust to
him and unworthy the gauge of any fair
and just representative of the American
press, no matter what may be its politics.
The Times alleges that "the accounts of
"Mr. Clapp were found in highly con-
":fused condition." that "Clapp's general
management was bad, if not dishonest"
that "he refused to go before the House
committee and explain" that che ap-
"pealed TO the Senate, whose appointee he
"was. The Senate declined to fight Mr..
"Clapp's battles for him. Mr.. CIapp de-
"clined to vindicate himself when he had
"the opportunity He seeks now another
"sort of vindication."
These assertions are of Democratic coin
age, and should have found utterance in
some INSCRIPTIONS and mendacious Demo-
cratic journal, which is rewarded for SLAM
dering Republicans. We have occasion to
know that if 'the accounts of Mr.. Clapp
were found in highly confused state it
was after the committee and its allies had
handled, mutilsted and confused them at
will and pleasure We have it from the
best authority that the accounts of the
Government printing Office with the Treas
ury, and those are the material accounts Of
the office, are as correct and systematic as
the accounts of any other branch of the
public service. Those doubling this state
ment can have it verified by application to
the accounting bureaus of that Depart
ment. We feel authorized to say that the
Government money intrustcd to the Con-
gressioDal Printer has been scrupulously
accounted for, so that not dollar has been
lost by misappropriation or embezzlement.
1t would have been. but just and fair in
common enemy, to say nothing OF pre-
tended friend, to have waited until fair,
open and just examination into the man
agement of the Government printing office
had been held, before the Times entered up
Judgment that MIR. Clspp's general man
agement has been bad, if not dishonest.
In this connection we say, from recollec-
ton, that during Mr.. Clapp's administra-
ton the management of the office has been
critically investigated several times by the
Senate Committee on Printing, and in each
instance he has been fully and honorably
exonerated from all the charges and allie
cations made against him. The last in
vestigatIon by that committee resulted in
unanimous report of exculpation. We
think if the management had been bad or
dishonest this committee would have dis
covered the fact.
To say that Mr.. Clapp refused to go be-
fore the House committee and explain" is
to misrepresent the facts and vilify that
officer: The facts are that Mr.. Clspp was
before the committee as often as he was
permitted to appear, and would have con
tinued to appear to the end of the investi
cation had he been permitted to do so
under circumstances of fairness and jus
tice. The truth is, he was excluded from
making defense by an act of the commit
tee, alike unjust tyrannical and insulting
The investigation had been prosecuted in
secret for some three months, and Mr..
Clapp had not been permitted to be present
except when called to testify. Over one
thousand manuscript pages of testimony
b I'D been accumulated in secret, not page
Of which, not even his OVID, had been sub.