The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-06-11
A STARTLING EXPOSE.
FRAUD IN THE GOSBRS MEST
PRINTING OFFICE.
FindIeY's Committee Revealing
Bad State of Affairs - More
Large Fish TO BE Hooked
Other Regulations
TO Suuer.
Special 10 the Register.

For five months q special committee o.
the House, of which Mr.. Finley, of Ohio
is chairman, has been investigating the
government printing Office. The com.
mlttee is not yet through taking testlmo'
ny and It's report cannot be made st the
present session. As far as the inquiry
has gone, however, it reveals state OF
affairs far worse than has ever been charg-
ed against that ce;s-pool of corruption
When the report of the committee shall
be made and the evidence upon which it
rests given to the country, it will produce
q sensation hardly second to the Presi-
Dental fraud exposure. Some very large
fish will be dragged alCng in the haul,
and some very high regulations will be
seriously damaged. 1t will be shown
that the administration Of the office Is no
better under the present incumbent than
il was under Clapp, who made himself
rich, with surplus enough to buy and run
at loss the National Republican of this
city.
From experience gained in this very
fruitful field Of investigation Mr.. Finley
has thought it advisable to prepare two
amendments which he will offer to the
sundry civil appropriation bill.
First, be will offer an amendment pro-
viding that the several departments,
Supreme Court and Court of Claims
shall advertise once yesr Tor what
printing and binding they will need, the
contract to be awarded to the lowest re-
sponsible bidder. The public printer
is to bo required to bid on all con-
tracts. The amendment Is elaborately
and carefully drawn so rs TO prevent
ring jobbing, and to keep the public
printer out Of pools. The Importance of
this enactment will appear by contrast.
The several departments, the Supreme
Court and Court of Claims, have sppro-
pristed for their printing about S750,OO0
ULder the present law when depart
ment wants printing done it must have
it done st the government printing Office
and nowhere else. y requsition tor the
work IS made, the copy furnished,
and the public printer goes at
the work with s!acrty, for the
departments are his good customers,
as will appear. Having finished and de:
hvered the work, the public printer makes
out his bill and draws for the amount
against the specific appropriation Of tie
department for which it has been done
The department continues TO make re-
quisiLioDs for printing until some fine
morning it is informed by the public
printer that "your appropriation for
printing is exhausted" Then there is
pothing to do but TO wait until Congress
approprlstes more money. The public
printer deals only with cash customers,
and in this, At least, he keeps
himself well within the law. 1t ap-
pears that certain of the departments
are now precisely in this fix. This is nots.
bly, true of .he Interior Department, and
a. Consequence the work in the Patent
Office is at ntsnd still. Patentees are
waiting fo- the patents for which they
have paid, and Patent Office clerks find !
1t hard to put in their time. Now the
Department! complain-snd there is am.
pie evidence that they complain Justly
that the gntlensnly Public Printer
takes advantage of them. lie charges |
them whatsoever seemeth good with HIM
it may be 1ne, two or three prices for
the work. How much, they have
no means of knowing until |
their appropriation is exhausted, and !
they have, under existing law, no alter
native but to be fieeced and submit. By |
oyerchsrginG the Departments, the Pub |
lie Printer i enabled to do the work Of |
Congress atpriCes that would ruin any
man, not Public Printer. he will |
print, as he lss just done, an edition of |
one hundred volumes, of over thousand |
tolio pages, O good paper, bound in calf, !
for less than dtty cents volume, bind |
ing and all. No binder would do his |
share for fyo times that The Public |
Printer does t by over charges on de-
psrtmeLt wok.
In his sDnIsl report the Public Prin-
ter devotes rine pages 10 q detailed |
statement Of work done for Congress
composition, ming, press work, binding,
everything is set down with nice par
ticulsrity Of dtsiI, aud at prices which |
would make ihmpossible for any printer
to compets for the WORK. For the de-
psrtment woT single page sufices
Here there areno detsils-everything is
gross and in h.ple.s confusion, for this
page OF the reprt is intended to reveal
nothing.
By squeezing the Departments the
Public Printer sccumulstes surplus
which suweri smother purpose, beside
enabling lin 20 make handsome exdIb-
it on Cngressionsl work He may
print, al lbitum, such books as the Re.
vised Statutes, Tor which there is y cOn-
stsnt demnd, and be may print them on
his own account with q view to pOcketIng
the proceeds. How much he profits By
this noboU can tell, for his books show
nothing. Then he has 3 chance 10 do
his party erviCe. Ga! Of hi; ample sur
pns-stoln from the epsrtments-he
can deIug, the country with campaign
documents This source Of revenue 10
the Publ Printer it what Mr.. Finley /
moves 10 CT of.
The secod amendment which be vii!
offer to tn sundry civil appropriation
bill Prohibs his buying or selling any
msteri4i-ik, paper, gold leaf type,
presses, sndhe like without permission
from the Ummittee on Printing. Here
sgsln hi; wUgs Will be clipped. In the
sole and pTchsse Of material the gov.
eminent hs been literally robbed, as
will, before ong, appear ID such shape IS
70 les7e no CUB: Of the truth Of the state
ment.
Remind Him OF n Little Story.