The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-02-07
ssi1i 4 ,]|'l

80
s'13 II lIe. sl'' An !, n
tssst Gs1tLss. Ilg 6 4. .iisi1 $
HsRpss " eol,nii 81, fsss 81 So i,.los osn
Observation-Disclosures #
.eI iiysis a.-.gl.- osyr oii
NOT T0sIgioE.THg0HARaEs,sgsraINEpiYs
tht4sR EvIDBKeElToo BE- AiTYpEssETTE,
1FoT BEQbiRED OF TEE, st3PERMTENp
ENT By LAHlC CAPTAIN !.FFRsYsER fi0tjUNt
Ell pjixIIfiE5 AMI. Il ctoNsiDERhA Bla
PRINTING OWN .SoR tTHl
PAST !, Ell seal, YEA ARr1 FOR A PART al
Is9WHIcHaHIts ENTlTLED no GREDIg-GAP P
FULLY. ViNDICATRp iB1
lUNANtHous REpoRTfoF THE COMMITTEES
OF tNvEsTiG GATfoN: 2 liasit t:io
so 9sIt a slIf,.Ig si5ttt if1 snaIf 2ai ~
Ats hfsltS8slt:ff 81 81 -T-IaGa H. J3?i n
Mr.sBland (in the senate) md Mr.. Lowell
dnIf fhe'aH Honse), iromither JOINT. standing
Committee on Printing, yesterday present.
|fdithe 1unan imonsi iconclnsf0ns or the com.
mittee as to the Goode-F -Frayser inyestiga.
|tion1GG sllt b-sct.iIll ,i-<tttja1 ~
L The report Is al aisomewhatt lengthy Eone
andinith beginning states the charges OF
Mr.. Iloode and answer OF Captain FraJsrf,
and the laWreiatiyeto the qualifications ol
the superintendent of Public Printing II
!WItsayH3 in theGepinion OF the committee,
aipersoB:maY be eqnaiiied to hold this office
without being apriater Or type-setter.a They
tnre joftliesopinion that hellanguage zof the
oath prescribed iiD thefstatute sought To be
taken;and construed. in q broad and com.
.pretlensiye sense, and TINT eitI ought not tO
he restrict ed 10 ffe contracted construction
soHght;to: be placed upon 1T. Viewed in
thedi2hb OF his. duties, the Wordsss skilled
In md acquainted with the practical details
OF the business Of printing" willinelude
not only skill IN aud acquaintance with
printing, but also with: book binding and
the purchasing OF paper Though technically
each IS 70 different. business, yet they are all
connected with!tffe business Of
printing; takeniinits brDadardicomprehen.
sire sense, since an noacquaintance with the
quality and style OF book binding and the
quality and price Of paper are as essential to
the duties of this office, as a knowledge 81
the style and quality Of printing md the art
OF measuring it.sH iI,!4pui2.; ". .sgzi NJ
'TheireportI goes on to discuss what is
perjury and says that Captain Frayser in
becoming a candidate for the Office candidly
stated that he was not type-setter, and
presented the opinion OF counsel to show
that it wasn't necessary. ItsaSs further:
III Is alleged in the first specification that
Captain ;Frayser was warned by the Secre-
tary oithe Commonwealth ut the time the
said oath was administered; but this is de-
MED both by Captain Frayser and the Secre-
tary OF the Commonwealth, and there was
no evidence to sustain it. From review
OF the law and the evidence submitted, the
committee fails to see that Captain Frayser
IN taking said oath committed any offence
whatever, but so far from it that he acted
prudently and consclentiously in the matter.
THE CHARGE OF INCoMPETENCY. r.
Fhe second charge against this officer is
incompetency, and this brings with it the
inquiry. What were the qualifications OF
Captain Frayser at the time Of his entering
upon the duties Of this office?
It appears from the evidence that for
eight or niue years after the late civil war
Captain Frayser was employed in several
capacities In the offices OF two Of the daily
papers Of this city, and discharged the du-
ties pertaining thereto in an efficient and
competent manner. A good many printers
introduced; by Mr.. Goode testified that it
was their belief that no one except n practical
printer or:type-setter could correctly mea-
sure printed matter and that none except
printers hor type-setters could be qualified
to hold the office Of Superintendent OF P alb
lie Printing While not doubling the sim
cerity Of many OF these witnesses, who tes-
titled as experts i.,lnT
,rju:, 4 SKILLED IN THE. MYSTERIES -
of the craft, and while weight ought to. be
given to the opinions OF men SO Intelligent
US class, yet in this case the practicalprin-
ters were divided in opinion. Some OF
them testified positively that others besides
printers could be- taught in very short
time to; measure all kinds Of printed Mat.
ter!d sI4j .t,.f..Gf" = i4ElH as! -
One witness, a gentleman of great intelli.
gence and OF well-known Integrity of cha.
racter, reared a. printer and skilled in all
that pertains to the business Of printing. in
troduced as witness by: Goode, testified
that it is not necessary for man to be q
practical printer or .type-setter to acquire
the knowledge OF measuring printed matter
correctly; and that in a week any man OF
intelligence might be taught how 20 t.
<.., IL, MEASURE ALL THE WORK
done for the General Assembly. This is the
testimony OF, an intelligent and impartial
witness, eorrohorated by some OF the best
practical printers who appeared before the
committee. Two witnesses introduced by
.Goode testified that Frayser bad admitted
to, each of them. at different times that be
did not know how to measure work. But
their statements were contradicted by facts
and circumstances, as well as by witnesses.
An intelligent witness, who was proven to
be a practical printer Of large experience,
testified that shortly after FraYser's election
he was curious to.know how he was getting
aIofiS in the discharge of the duties OF his
office;1 that he frequently asked him ques-
tions with view Of aseertainipg what be
knew, and that be eyinced knowledge of
the business which was surprising to him ;
that in answer to questions put by hin, to
Frayser be satisfied him that he was7pretty
familiar with the business;i and that, ac-
cording to witness own judgment, Frayser
was certainly qualified duriug the summer
OF 1878 to discharge the duties Of his office.
{ ftappears that .F 49,. - sAd.N s..
sl.:G ,J.b !. GOODIES CONTRACT ~ ~ hi
for public printing did not close until in the
spring Of 1878, aud yet he failed, to show by
evidence that Frayser did not properly
measure all the work done by him, while
direct testimony, uncontradicted, showed
that he did measure the work, and in one
or two. cases corrected accounts. thereby
efectiug saving to the State. The heads
OF departments who testified proved that
thework for the different offices was prompt
ly and well executed. =.
In, reviewing all the. evidence, which is
quite yoluminous, the committee is OF opin.
ion that, whilst some Of the bills and other
work are too "fat"-that is, having toe
much blank space in the pages-yet general.
~ ~ hnn hnnra farnIaar rlN