Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-02-28
That DEMOCRATIC EDIroR.
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

Our venerable typo of the GoY't Printing
Office has, at last, got his back up, and
has been making the fur fly at a terrible
rate. That sweet-seented specimen Of
Democracy, Mr.. Finley, of Ohio, for two
years has been investigating Father Defrees
and his management of the mighty Govt
Printing Office. An expert was employed
at a large salary to inspect the books and
general workings Of the establishment.
This expert, by the way, is man who never
saw more than a quart of paste at one time
in his life, and who, in large bindery, is
as Yerdant and helpless as a youth fresh
from a backwoods farm; hence when he
got into our huge govt printing machine
where paste is made by the hogshead, and
where tie millions of volumes bound ne
eessitate immense bindery supplies in stock,
his inquiries as to the use of this or that
article indicated either the utmost green
ness or asinine stupidity. Heigwanted to
Sc low, for instance, ''what use was there
fra barrel of pasteT etc., "Why should a
hundred sheepskin be kept on hand?' etc.,
Yet this is the expert. And ever since his
injection into the fight against Mr.. Defrees
we have been constantly promised by Mr..
Finley with future development Of ex-
travagance and corruption that would ap-
pail the country. a few days since he la
bored and like the mountain brought forth
a mouse, which the House quietly sat down
on completely squelching MIR. Finley and
his expert. But not content to be so sum-
marily disposed Of, he tried a new tack, at
which Father Defrees turns, and if his
claws do not make the fur fly from the
back Of the offending Finley, then the
English language won't express ones SEN
timents. He sends Mr.. Finley an open
letter denouncing his statement as ''lies"
and then shows what he is doing as Govt
Printer and low he does it. Both first
blood and round may be scored for Boss
Defrees and the country may now feel safe.
In some of its exhibitions the verdancy of
Finley and his expert is amusing. Take
the case of sewing machines. Mr.. Finley
has again and again denounced Mr.. De-
frees for purchasing sewing machines and
has led everybody to believe, if his charges
were true, that these machines were of the
ordinary family description. But it turns
out that the purchase was for book stitching
machines which do the work of ten persons
and better too than can be done by hand
at, of course, a great annual saving to the
Govt. An expert and Member of Congress
who does not know a $1,000 book stitching
machine from a $50 Singer family stitcher,
ought to be impaled and we are glad that
Mr.. Defrees has at least gone so far as to
fay them alive.
Things are lively at the Capitol for both
parties are vigorously fighting to gain their
ends. Mr.. Hale means ''business" and as
leader Of the Republicans will give the
Democrats long chase before they catch
their game of forcing an extra session and
Of securing a repeal of certain statutes.
The wordy duel between Mr.. Blackburn
and Mr.. Garfield was interesting and OF
course attracted the deepest attention be-
cause both are men of power in intellect
and as leaders of their respective parties.
Mr.. Blackburn was in the chair, the House
being in Committee Of the Whole, and fip
adversely to the Ren9hlieaafFsisss oT- the
points, the rePea tisfed that it was
and = FER company has been es-
abiished between the new road and the
baltimore & Ohio.