Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-06-04
A GOOD JOB"


Knott, of Kentucky, to put stop to
stealing in the Government Printing
Office, and this the New York Times
calls "a job, pure and simple"
Mr.. Knots proposition comtem.
plates a saving OF nearly quarter of
a million dollars per year and eracts n
saving of not less than two hundred
thousand dollars. Still, in the opinion
of the .stalyart New York Times. this
proposition is "a job, pure and simple" :"
There never yet has been an inven.
tory of property belonging to the Gov
ernment which has been bought and
paid for by IFS agents and deposited in
the different branches of the Govern.
ment Printing Office. Investigations
have proven that valuable portions of
II have been given away, loaned, sold,
stolen and wasted, but owing to the
fact that no invoice Of it has ever been
made, the rascals perpetrating the
frauds and crimes have never been
brought to justice. Mr.. Knott's bill
proposes that an inventory of every
dollars worth of the property now be-
longing to the Government shall bo
taken, and that whoever gives away,
sells, without authority of law, the
slightest portion of it shall be criminal
ly proceeded against. Shall the rant
ing Radicals Of the New York Times
call this provision "a job, pure and
simple"
For fifteen years the Government
Printing Office has been used as pollt.
ical machine. While under the su-
perintendence Of man named Clapp,
a Democrat, Unknown to be such, could
not obtain an opportunity to work in
any capacity. So open and shameless
did the spirit of prescription become,
that old man Clapp at one time pub
lished letter to the effect that il there
was solitary Democrat among the
twenty-five hundred employees OF that
establishment he did not know IL, and
If one were pointed out he would dis
Charge him. Under Mr.. Defrees, the
present incumbent, although not so
bold and audacious, the spirit of par.
tisanship has been very nearly as effec.
tive. Mr. Knots bill proposes to put
an end to such disgraceful procedure
and for this tho Now York Times
stigmatizes it as "a job, pure and
simple"
For years the Government Printing
Office has been hospital and an asy.
lum. There arc scores of persons
employed IN 1t at the highest rates of
wages allowed, who cannot earn one
halfof their salaries. 1t Is studded with
sihecure positions, such as "clock wind
ers," assistant feeders" "noor walk
ers," "coppy mark rubbers." 1t is to
abolish these Mr.. Knott has introduced
a practical and sensible measure. The
New York Times hopes to kill it by
falsely styling it "a job"
Tho bill offered by Mr.. Knott is an
exact transcript of the measurs passed
by the Thirty-ninth Congress, and
which was advocated by Mr.. Latin
and Mr.. Anthony, of Rhode Island, our
friend Mizzer Zach Chandler, of Michi-
gan, Mr.. Allison, Of Iowa, Mr.. Rollins,
of New Hampsbire-all but the first
named of whom are members of the
Senate-and Mr.. Boutwell,, of Massa.
chusetts, Charles Sumner, Henry viii.
son, james W. Grimes, of Iowa, John
Sherman, of Ohio, Thad Stevens, Of
Pennsylvania, Senators Trumbull, and
Simon Cameron good Republican
names oil of them. The only addition
to the law of 1867 is one requiring q
saving oftwo hundred thousand dollars
per annum, and this it is that the New
York Times calls "a job, pure and sim
pie"
Under the law as il stands q bond
Of only one hundred thousand dollars
is required Of the person in charge of
the property. Under Mr.. Knots bill
a bond OF half a million will be de.
manded. Yet it is "a pure piece Of
jobbery' notwithstanding.
Last year Mr.. Dofrees bought nearly
100000 pounds of type, at the highest
market rates, paying fully thirty.fve
per cent, more for it than the publish
ers OF this paper paid for the same class
of material last week buying, how
ever, not one-twentieth as much. BY
Knott's bill this fraud cannot again be
perpetrated. Still il is "a job"
As the law stands, all the material
bought is paid for by the Government.
By the Knott bill all new material
needed to keep the Office up to its pres.
ent point Of efficiency is to be paid for
by the printer, and become at once
the property Of the Government, with
out cost The New York Times, how.
ever, calls oil those provisions parts Of
a great job" and willundoubtedly con.
tinue to SANDER whoever votes for it.
1t will do no good, however. The
enormous frauds committed Under the
Clapp regime, which led a Republican
Senate to unite in the abolition of his
Office in order to got rid of him, and
which caused the House of Represcn.
tatives to call upon the criminal autho.
rites Of the District to bring him be-
fore the grand jury Tor indictment,
will Justify every honest member of
Congress in voting for the Knott bill.
II anything moro is needed, the report