The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1876-01-04
prBLIC PRINTING.

lars in which by pIoPol 06loi"'i0H wy
large sums may be saved.
PTrBLIC PRINTING.
The public printing, by the grossness
of its excuses, amounts to public rob-
Iarv We submit that such is the
nractical result, whatever may be the mo-
i've on which the extraordinary system
IA tolerated. Let examples be cited IN
evidence. j.,
For the FIVE years next preceding the
first of January, 1861, the average cost
&C printing for the State did not exceed
$4,000 per anuum.
For the five years commencing with
the fiscal year 1870, the average cost Of
the printing for the State has exceeded
s73 900 each year, being an average ex-
cess each year on the former of $50, 900.
This enormous increase in the cost of
public printing cannot be attributed to
increased expense of performing 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-Genera Of Georgia shows
that the average cost of the public print
ing in that State for the years 1872 and
1878 did not exceed $4,000. Mark the
contrast according to the above average.
The cost of 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!
.o,,.,ol. e = h. &C
Legislature contain a vast amount OF
matter utterly worthless to the public,
and their enormous bulk, with supple
ments added might well cause the in.
quiry, why were they gotten up in that
bulky form if not to swell the profits OF
the public printer? We cite for the con,
trast two examples, and any one may verify
the figures in our State Library. In the
year 1856 the journals of the two houses
contained together l ,163 pages. In the
year 1873 the journals contain together
6,393 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 bloated with useless
matter, and also that official reports are
printed and charged for more than once.
and in part because of exhorbitant rates
allowed to 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
to contain no matter not useful to the
public in legislative journal. Require
the official reports to be so reduced in
bulk as to contain only essential matters
and those to be stated in briefest intelli
gible terms. Diminish both numbers
and quantities. Let no documents be
printed and paid for more than once, and
reduce to moderate rates the prices fOl
public printing. Apply like rules OF
economy and justice to the people to the
public printing eff 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 it is both Just and
proper to tax the general public to sus-
tam party newspapers. In case of public
sales, and IN many others, the chief value
OF newspaper publication consists in
the tact that it gives notice to the people
OF the particular county in which the
sale. etc, Is to be made. 1t seems a
mere mockery, under a pretense of
fairness, to advertise the property OF
the citizen for sale under execution or for
taxes IN a distant part of the judicial
dlStrlct, ard at point remote from the
county IN which the sale is to be made.
1he same Is true of many other notices
required to be published. In very many
cases OF publication required to be made
"nuer 'he law, the seeming notice can be
ol DO possible use, and yet the poor citi-
zen Is taxed with the costs of such useless
publication.
EXPENSES ON ACCorrxr ~, r
dietary.
The number of circuit Judges and
cnanceilorS Is tar greater than the needs
OF the public service require.
before the present constitution went
INTO effect, there were but ten circuit
Judges IN the State, who not only dis.
charged all the duties imposed on the
h ,nlF. a1 circuit judges now provided for,
out also performed nearly all the duties
now imposed on twenty chancellors; and
liner mere was was, no complaint that their number
San 9 II mo Taf; By the present system
Ian9 We believe in that respect it is a
So So p mi - most OF the business formerly
acted by the chanceTy ciorLs ~" 'ia aus
chancellors are almost excIns;ns Si In Inc
pied in what is strictly cbancerv o. e OpGn-
business, which, as before sta ~ 10y ,raS
formerly within the iurisdiction Of Was WAS
circuit Judges. The litigation in the
circuit and chaneery courts Is nnu t fae
rsSs In amount and value than i was
M Tnen We had only ten c;rcp;t -. %