The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-01-14
THE STATE PRINTER.
mITTEE or THE HOUSE
AND SENATE,
rhe state Printers sworn statement.

| The Special Joint Committee Of the Legis-
lature appointed to investigate the accounts Of
the State Printer. composed OF Senators
Mitchell. Bowden and Delahosssaye. and Of
Representatives Hammond. Parmeee. Ross.
Netsles and Landry met last evening at o'clock
| In room No. in the State House.
Hon. J. d. Hammond. In the absence OF Hena-
tor Mitchell. called the committee to order.
Hon. j. d. Hammond. after explaining the
object OF the Investigation. said that the session
would necessarily be short one. because OF the
Democratic caucus on the senatorial question.
to be held at o'clock. The committee. there
fore. would coDfne itself to the statement Of
| the State Printer. George W. Dupre. who being
duly sworn made the following statement:
| On the third Of December. 1877, the Printing
Board under the provisions of act 49, regular
| session Of 1877. elected me State Printer and
entered into contract with me before W. J.
Castell. notary public In this city. Here Mr.
Dupre read section Of act 40, which provides
| for the appointment OF Printing Board. and
also the first four paragraphs of the notarial
contract.
On q about the nth day q December called
| tain what work had to do for them. II must
| be remembered that my
FIRST YEARS EXPERIENCE AS STATE PRINTER
| beginning on the, first Of January. 1877. was
necessarily limited In consequence of the long
contest between the Packard fraud and the
Nichols government. The retiring officers Of
the Kellogg government made no reports TO
cial incumbeney. Hence It became necessary nee a
| for me. as State Printer. to ascertain from
TEE STATE OFFICERS THEMSELVES
what was expected Of me. In view of the ap-
preaching. meeting OF the Legislature. on the
fret Monday Of January, 1878. I called first on
the Secretary OF State. who. in answer to my
request for instructions and orders, opened 4
cory q the Revised Statutes Of Louisiana Of
out lHere Mr.. Dupre read the above mentioned
then called upon the Governor. and point
Ing out to him these sections. / asked him
whether he proposed to carry out such of them
the Governor answered In the affirmative.
Subsequently every State officer. without
single exception, Whose report to the General
oept il these sections Of The Revised &atutes,)
had his report printed by me, as State Printer,
by authority OF these very sections. to wit: 1857.
In the early days of March 1878, set to work
printing. binding. and delivered 1000 copies OF
2613. Revised Statutes. to which the Secretary of
state had Gated my attention tfor l did not
BOOK "a entitled DoeDments Of the Second s aas
sion Of the Fifth Legslstgre q Louisiana. 1873"
Of which iS this y copy Exhibiting Eah the book
tailed b to the Secretary Of State for tsis wore qs
My bill mentioned the specific authority under
which tho work had been done, and the sections
The Secretary OF State examined my bill and
approved 1t In writing. across its face. then
presented this bill to the Auditor. before whom
swoRE TO ITS CoRRECTEEss.
as section II Of the printing law requires. and
the Auditor issued In payment his warrants on
the Treasurer for sl3.9e'.
). There was nc. not single question raised at that
Revised Statutes My bill was duly 1ats I sss
and duly audited. Now In the last DAYS OF July
last. think on hetwenty eighth the grand jury
a special report to the judge Of that court, Of
which / will read. and leave with you this
printed copy. Here the report was read.l
positive charge against me. but theytrequest
tho Governor and the other Law officers of the
State to Investigate my account and proceed
which the state may have been defrauded. This
report was given to the press: II was published
broadcast over the land.
court, civil and criminal In this city adjourned
Tor the sumner to reopen only In the fall on
the arst Of November. The Attorney General
grave charges were of such q serious nature
and reflected SO terribly on bolh my. personal
and official character. that naturally became
once heard In my defense.
imnediatey called upon the Governor to
Governor that he should appoint a tribunal or
commission, to be compns of five members OF |
this same grand jury. Of three expert printers |
iected BY himself; that be should preside over YER
this tribunal. and that l woulG appear before
them with the foreman Of my printing office |
offered 10 the Governor to pledge myself In ad |
vance
TO RESIGN MY OFFICE
OF State Printer and stand q trial before the |
courts on their reopentng. II. upon investiga- |
ton. the tribunal constituted as / have indi- |
Gated did hot categolically and absolutely vim |
dictate me.
On the other hand. II I were vlndicated. I
verdict OF the tribunal. in order to check the |
course Of public opinion. which felt was set.
ting against me. but that should still demand
JUDICIAL TRIAL
before the courts in the fall The Governor |
consening at first to this proposition, told me |
he would write to Mr. Samuel Todd the fore |
man of the grand Jury.
who then told me that he had concluded be had
no legal authority to do as desired. When |
spoke Of the damage was suffering In the
swered me that was no part Of his business
reauested the Governor to call the Printing
After considering this expedient. and con- |
snltipR the members OF the board then In the |
city. the Governor declined to grant me an In |
yestigatiOn by the board. on the grounds that |
the board could not exercise judicial functions |
Thus. for six months. have been left to hear as
best might the serious imputations upon my
necessarily ex parte, together with the many
malicious and cowardly attacks made upon me |
by anonymous scribblers In the newspapers of |
the city,
This. gentlemen. is the history of the only
disputed bill of mine as State Printer. will |
ask you to investigate. as early as you can. the
first charge OF the grand jury. to wit:
That the State Printer had no authority, |
either by virtue Of his contract or of any exist
ing law for printing the 1000 volumes of Legis- |
lative Documents.
In this connection. I ask that you subpoena
to appear before you the Governor. the Attor- |
ney General. the Assistant Attorney General, |
the Auditor and the Secretary OF State.
Now. as to the other charges, the committee, |
In my opinion, will need the assistance of ex-
perts, as they are based upon printing tech
nicalities.
As the hour has arrived for your attendance
upon other duties elsewhere. will reserve for
some future meeting the other points which
you must investigate under the resolution of
the Legislature.
The committee. after some discussion as to
the employment of experts. adjourned subject
to the call Of the chairman, after having ordered
subp9nas to be made out for the officers