The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-15

The Government Printing Office.
In proportion to the amount OF money
expended, the frauds and extravaganza OF
the public printer, ms exposed by the re-
cent investigation, will compete with those
In any other branch of the public service.
The testimony of experts of the highest
character In every branch Of the business,
and from the chief cities, established be-
yond controversy that the prices paid
ranged from 40 to l25 per cent. above the
retail rates of the trade, and that all the
purchases were made OF favored middle
men only, and never from the manufac-
turers direct
The books of the public printer and OF
these middle men were purposely kept so
as to thwart the detection of these Excess
ave prices, and to favor an organized sys-
TEN of Addition, Division, and Silence.
On this point we will quote the committee;
"No person appears to have been CHARGED with
the insp' elton Of the hooks and accounts Of the
sstablishu ent, aud eacn clerk sconducted his
SPECIAL lranch OF the business In whatever m n
Der best suited his Individual fancy. No day
books or other books OF origin entry nave been
Kept to show tr insactions as they occurred, nor
do those submitted to your comni tee show
reliable or ex CT history Of the business OF the
once. The paper accounts and warerOom books
are incomplete ana useless as books OF record
and reference. The cash books. supposed to
show all receipts from every source, together
with tue deposits made In this account. show
only what the persons IN charge OF them desired
should be known. ana demonstrate nothing 80
clearly as the neglect or inconi potency, or both,
OF those who have Kept Them"
The accounts sent TO the Treasury were
cooked. and not in accordance with law.
Large sums OF money from the sales OF pub
lie documents, wastugs and other sources
were not deposited III the Treasury, rs re-
quired by law. though So officially report
Cd, but were retained by the printer in his
personal possession, or placed in private
banks during period of Ave years, thus
showing malversation, or, in the language
Of the committee, the conclusion OF fraud
becomes irresistiblel" But We will quote
again at length:
mo mention Is made OF this sum In the
books, but single detached sheet OF paper is
submitted which purports TO contain a list OF
the items which make up that amount This
paper Is the only record kept IN the Government
Printing ONCE Of the lar. G sum So wrOngfuliy
COR mittee That should IL be lost or uislaid II
would be impossible to make an ineligible
showing to account for its accumulation"
Collision and corruption are found
every where and it Is confidently declared
shat 1t has cost the Government, during
the past seven years, three and a half mil
lions of dollars more to maintain the Pub
lie Printing Once than would have been
required 10 pay for the same quantity and
quality OF work under private contract
that either through incompetency, negl.-
Eence, or design. or all OF them, abuses oil
various kinds have accompanied the work
adding unnecessarily to its cost"
IL Is not q fficult to discover where tut
money has gone. But the District Attor
ney and other officials at Washington Will
never conduct prosecution to find out
and the stolen funds Will be used as tn,
most efficient weapon to protect the crimi
mails from punishment The commute,
sum up this case compactly us follows:
FIRST That the cost and charges OF the wark don,
for Congress anl the executive experiments exOT
btant ana greatly in excess OF what the could b
..Seeond- II The Government Printing on c Is con
ihVd- That Tue 81 Q publishing the Compression
o. hecont lie Incorrectly rep.rei,
ysrtm,nls I've, ami should be limited ~ lAw
ssa.ona iin,aG y - Fns me i q. % .Gs
Ees tlat would bankrupt any private .siaO.i nm,nt II
=" h,sM- Thai he has drawn money from the U4i,e
"Serenh-Inat ne pa detained and used Go,ernmeu
EiyhM~T al ioncy belonging to the Unite state
has been deposited IN oank IN Vocation vi Jaw"
The committee recommend the discon
tinuance Of the Public Printing ONCE, bu
only practically begin by returning tn
publication Of the Congressional Rec Td L
private parties. That is only "a short steI
An the right direction. Shut up this job
bling concern, sell it out aud open IN
work to fair competition after the adjourn
ment Of the present session. Then AM
only then can the corruption be effectiyel.
stopped