National Republican., 1880-04-02

mendous ideas like ROBERTSON. If he but
continues to think and work for the success
of his scheme aud let fair election be held
in his district, a Republican Representative
may be returned to the Forty-seventh Con-
gress.
THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
Previous to 1861 the printing for the De.
partments, which, at that time, was but q
small matter rs compared with the present,
was done by the small printing establish.
ments Of the city. The printing of Con-
gress, except the debates, was done by a
printer elected by each House, at prices
fixed by law
In 1888 Mr.. J. c. RTyEs commenced the
publication of the debates in the Congress
SiOnai Globe under contract authorized by
Congress The cost of printing for Congress
under the old system was enormous, the
publication of eleven volumes of the Pa
ciiic railway surveys alone costing one mill
ion one hundred thousand dollars. The print
ing for the Thirty-third Congress amounted
TO $3.50, ,296.9S. This was exclusive of the
debates.
At the session of 1s60-G1, after an in
vestigation of the subject Congress deter
mined to establish Government Printing
Office, in which to do its own printing, as
well as for the Departments, leaving the
publication of the debates with the pro-
prietor of the Globe. The prices paid him
were so remunerative as to enable him to
amass a large fortune before his death
After his death the publication WAS con-
tinued by his sons (associa ted with Mr..
BAILEY until 1873.
At that time it was determined by Con-
gress that, inasmuch rs the Government
owned an extensive printing establishment,
it would be more economical and satisfac-
tory to assume control of its own debates
by the employment of its own reporters,
and to direct them to be published Mt the
Government Printing Office. From that
very day the Messrs. RIvEs commenced a
groundless warfare on the management of
that office, in the hope of so prejudicing
Congress against it that they might again
be employed TO publish the debates. Every
investigation into. fits management from
that day to this has been instigated by
these men for that purpose.
AT the very first session (Forty-third
Congress), after the debates were ordered
published in the Record they charged that
they were costing more money than if done
by them, and procured the passage of n reso-
luton of investigation, which was referred
Il
to the Committee on Printing in the House.
An investigation was made and the CON-
mittee reported that it was not true; but,
on the contrary, that if the same amount OF
printing done by them for previous Con-
gress had been done at the Government
Printing Office it would have cost 1925, 900
less than was paid them for doing it.
At the same session they addressed a
letter to the Senate charging the Con-
gressional Printer with being defaulter in
his paper account and other malloRsance in
office. An investigation was had. Attor-
neys were employed by them TO prosecute
the charge. Their principal witness was
their own bookkeeper, and he knew moth
ing on the subject. All their charges were
false and it was so reported by the COM
mittee.
| At the first session of the Fourty fourth
Congress they procured the passage of o
resolution directing an investigation by the
House Printing Committee, of which Mr.
VANCE was chairman. They succeeded in
getting report from this gentleman con-
tanning as many falsehoods as it was posi-,
bic to crowd into the same space, and con.
cluding by recommending the passage of q
law giving them the printing of the debates
at their own price. 1t did not pass. In
this connection it may not be out OF
place to state that after Mr. VANCE had in-
dulged in a false report and a still more
false and abusive speech against the Con-
gressional Printer he introduced rcsolu-
tion which demanded the relegaton Of the
case to the courts of the District of Coum-
| bia for criminal prosecution. This resolu-
tion was referred to the judiciary Commit
tee of the House. That committee consd-
cred it in the light Of the testm ony that
had been taken, and which was carefully
examined, and it unanimously decided to
smother the resolution as unworthy oil
attention. Indeed, it was substantially
laughed out of court by the committee.
1t may addto the credibAity ofthis report
made by VANCE and SINGLETON to
state that one of its authors was caught in
an offense in this city, though it was at
tempted to be covered oyer by the chari-
table mantle of "kloptomania"
AT the first session Of the Forty-1lth Con-
gress these same men instigated another in
yestigation, which was put in charge Of the
late lamented Mr.. FINLEY, of Ohio. After
spending six months and taking over seven
hundred pages of testimony QD he found
out that by using his dirty forelnger he