New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-23

the efforts that have been made to
| get new books, printed by the State
Printer, out of it, in exchange for old ones
worth little or more than old paper stock,
into it. We know that copies of the Re-
vised Statutes, which cost the State at
least $40 per volume, and were deposited
in the office of the Secretary of State, are
now offered for sale by booksellers at
So Is each. We know also that the pres
| ent Secretary has none Of these volumes
in his office, and has been negotiating
with an outside party to purchase $50
| copies more. Mr.. Deslonde probably
| does not know what his predecessors did
with the 1000 volumes deposited by the
State Printer. He only knows they are
non est, and that be wants more. Doubt
less the State needs the books. 1t is sure
to always want things which its officers
swap of for useless old things. All Mr..
Deslonde knows about the matter is that
there were no Revised Statutes in the of
uCC WACA AC Ill AL, iA lAiI IL Aio
judgment the State Library is greatly in
need Of them. OF course he can not take
the worthless old books worth fifty cents
each, which one of his predecessors re-
ceived in exchange for the Revised
Statutes worth $40 each, and trade it
back to the honest bookseller. oh, no;
one is salable and the other is not, and
the State has the worst end of the bar
gain. The former manager OF the State
bookstore made some most disastrous
bargains-for the State.
Again, at every session Of the Legisla-
ture since 1868, there has beena claim,
sometimes more than one, put in for an
appropriation for the relief of some enter
prising publisher who had been serving
the State by printing books and deliver
ing them to the Secretary of State. The
bill which is SO earnestly championed by
Mr.. Levisee is we'll calculated to be the
foundation of an annual demand upon
the State Treasury for relief during the
next ten years. Of course Mr.. Levisee
does not know this, among the very few
other things which he does not know.
He has not been informed that the State
Printer furnishes the Secretary OF State
1000 copies of the ANNALS every year,
and that the difference between that
number and ESQ is the amount in addi-
ton is which the Secretary will be asked
by the agent of the Massachusetts print
ing house to receive" and the State to
pay for at $40 a copy-total, $500. Had
any body told the eminent Representative
of Caddo these things, and a great many
other thinge which are we'll known to
people who are not in the Legislature, he
would have hesitated before he blundered.
This is not a very great matter to the
State Printer, but it cans moreto Louis
lana than appears on the face of the in
looking little bill which appears to
be the sole object of Mr.. Levisee's solicit
tude, and which has wrung from that gen
tleman a speech which is more remarkable
for oratorical ability than statistical ac-
curacy. If be succeeds in putting his bill
through unless it is repealed before the
contract with the State Printer
expires, the result will be that the State
will be called upon to pay a higher price
and receive poorer service than at present.
And when the gentleman next presents
himself to his constituents for their votes,
will be solicitous to conceal the part
be took in bringing about q very bunsling
piece Of reform legislation.