Daily Republican., 1881-01-17
the state PrintIpE.

The State PrintipE.
II is not 80 much the amount Of pub
lilo printing tha. is fed as pap to the
s'Delawarean" as the manner in which
il Is fed that causes exceptions to be
made to the recent action of the Dem
ocrats In the Legislature. We are rath-
or inclined to think that If q little
more public printing was done, even II
II did cost the State several thousand
dollars more the State would be the
gamer by it, and the people would
have more intelligent conception OF
the State government. It is probably
true that the public printing Of Della
ware costs less than any ether State in
the Union pays for such work; but in
opposition to this stands the fact that
the people Of Delaware, as a general
thing, know less about the laws and
the general principles Of State govern
ment. There would be nothing lost If
. regular journal Of the proceedings OF
the Legislature were printed and scat
tered broadcast over the State every
day. This would cest 3 few hundred
dollars, but what would that be COM
pared with the benefit that wonld &C.
crus from q more enlightened and in
tslligent public.
The complaint in regard to the pub
Lie printing is as to the manner Of hav-
ing 1t done. As general thing, for
many years past, the "Dela~arean"
has dene all the State printing at its
own prices. The exceptions to this
rule was when Msrris Taylor, Of the
''Gazstte," }" was Clerk of the Senate in
1877, and W. Fisk Townsend, editor Of
the "Sussex Journal, was Clerk Of the
House the same year. The printing Of
the journals that year went to the pa
psrs represented by the Clerks. There
is q lucid and well defined law that re-
quires the Clerks to give the printing
Of the journals to the printing sstab-
lishment that will do it the cheapest,
and tor this purpose proposals are to
be asked. How has this law been car.
ried out Sometimes proposals were
asked and Sometimes they were not,
but in every case, with the exceptions
alluded to, the 'DslawsreAn" always
got the job, no matter how low other
printers bid. 1t has not unfrequently |
been the case that almost double prices
have been paid to the "Dslawarean, :"
simply because 1t was the acknowledg-
cd Democratic organ Of the Salisbury
family. We are personally oognizant
Of one instance when Wilmington
publishing firm bid seventy i've cents
q page for the printing Of the House
Journal, but the "Delawsrean" got the
job at $l.4O per page. The Clerk
made the excuse that as he resided in
Kent county he would be at oonsidera-
bls expense in going to Wilmington to
revise the work. This excuse was met
by the firm Offering to pay the Clerks
expenses once 9 week for coming to
Wilmington to revise his copy, but il
was all Of NO avail. The "Delawarean"
must have the job, and the State had
to pay the difference Of some $500 for
that job alone. Some $500 more was
paid tho same year for printing the
Senate Journal that could have been
saved! The same ratio OF prices paid
for other printing the same year would |
run the pickings Of the "Dslswarsan"
mp to over $1,000, which could have
been saved had the Saulsbury-"Dela-
warean" lash not been applied. It
will be noticed that the "Dslawarsan''
does not include the printing Of the
journals Of both Houses for 1879 when
1t says that the whole Of the printing
ordered by the Legislature amounted
to only $775.75, and in that 1t says
Was included Governor Cochran's mes
sage, Governor Halls inaugural, the
State Treasurer's report, the report Of
the State Auditor, Superintendent of
Common Schools, and all bills and res
olutions. The Legislature does not
order the printing Of the journals, the
clerks do that; and there is where the
"Dslawarsan" has its richest pickings.
II may miss those rich pasture fields
this year, as Mr.. Marvel, the Clerk Of
the Senate, is editor of the "Susse1
Journal" Mr.. Downing, Clerk of the
House, is also from Sussex, and the
leading member Of the House from
Sussex is also an editor and publisher.
As Sussex 10 shaky anyhow in the
Democratic faith, and New Castle ST.
ready Republican, II is not likely the
salisbury lash will be very freely sp-
piled this year on the Sussex Clerks.
The "Dslawarsan" will hardly sstat-
lish itself only in Its own estimation
by telling the public that the Republi.