Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-04

Ii hOusehOders would only realize the dangers
from such practical examples of stupidity and
criminal negligence there would be such
demand for houses free from these defects and
properly constructed that owners of proDprty
would soon see it was to theirinterest to eXspend
the sum necessary to secure thorough work
done IN accordance with the regulations of this
department unprncipled plumbers can be-
found who viii run the risk of being taking to
Police Court-they may escape detection. but
the householder Is the sufferer i'm being sub
Jected &c the dangers that nrise from bad work.
manShip and faulty system of plumbing.
economy and Competency at the Gov.
eminent Printing Office.
To the Editor of the EVENING STAR:
The Critic the business manager of which
holds the lucrative and responsible position of
foreman of the Congressional Record used to
oristle with items and columns editorial relative
to the mismanagement and extravaganza OF the
Government Printing Office under the late Pub
tic Printer Defrees. 1t was pastically manipu-
lated almost every day by some schemng hand
that fashioned its columns to receive any dose
that was offered by way CT prom ise of what
,rOstId be done when the busness-like, compe-
tent, mastery hand of S. P. Rounds assumed
command. The prblic were asked to believe
that nothing was done there as it should be
while incOmpetency and profligacy glaringly
marked everybody and everything. Well it
isn't to be supposed that even with all of Mr.
Detrees' experience as printer, publisher and
business man, with the valuable aid
of his foreman of printing. Major Davis,
himself formerly successful editor, pub
Usher and business man. and his competent
| chief clerk, Mr.. Childs. and his foreman of the
press room, Mr.. Reed, and the fore
man of the Record, Mr.: Ford, and Mr..
Eshew, OF tie specification room
ali of whom have been bounced-it isn't for a
moment to be supposed that they were fault
! less in their management of the affairs of that
immense institution. or that everybody who
transacted business there were always delighted
with the treatment they uniformly received, or
| that the wOrkmen found no fault with their
bosses, Tor it is not human to expect things not
human. No man is perfect, and yet it can be
| written. without fear of successful cOntradic-
ton, that as far as promptly and economically
| turning out the work demanded by the govern
| ment is concerned, the management of that
office under Mr. Defrees has not been and can
| not be surpassed, although Mr. Rounds got all
the money he asked Congress for, which
amounts to nearly One-third more than Mr.. De-
frees ever obtained. who never secured but
| about % per cent of what he asked and abso-
| lutey required. And it is patent to everybody
whose powers of observation are not cIOuded
that the era Of economical management so
biaZonly and patroniZingly promised under
Rounds has not yet dawned and that more Dis.
trict men and women must yet lay their heads
on the block in order to enable the ::poWers
that be- to indulge in a few more luXuries and
eXtrayagances before Congress is called upon to
make good the deficiency.
As incompetent as the Critic and its hench-
men. so unScrupulOuSly labOred in season and
out of seas on to induce the public to believe
Mr. Defrees was. several things can be said of
him that cannot be of the present incumbent ::
tie never employed private secretary at a sal
airy OF Il 800 per annum, furnishing him. besides
/ rr,1 orr;.,
pense whenever he wants them, his chief clerk
had no 81 500 assistant. and horse and carriage
ana driver at his beck and call has foreman
OF printing did not have the use or a team and
driver for his family to do marketing and
shopping and making calls and taking friends
out to ride; has foreman of the Confessional
record had no newspaper to manage and occupy
his time, consequently did not require a horse
and buggy to take him back and forth during
the hours for which he was paid and supposed
to De attending to government duties: neither
had has foreman OF specification printing an
assistant at tire dollars day: and there are
many petty officials and superfluOuS duties in
the various departments which / will not stop
70 iteimlZe, that had no existence under Mr.. De-
trees. But 1t may be that in these deficiencies
in this lack of desire to put on style and expend
large sums OF money for show" as is now dis
played bya retinue of useless subordinate an
pendages-cOnsisted the incompetency of the
late Public Printer; or, possibly, it was because
room into which ne could hide away from dis
charged employees when they or their wives came
In their tears and with their tales of
want and distress, to know why they
We're sent OF, and to implOre for reinstatement;
he had no convenient private secretary
with whom to leave them to dispose of as he
saw best, but received them all kindly himself.
and listened attentively to their pleadnps
while the big heart within him sometimes
prompted and compelled him to acts of kind
ness for which many a poor family will bless
and revere his name and memory while life shall
last. Or perhaps. he was too intimate with his
under officers, and made too frequent inspection
tours through the various departments of his
large "workshOp'-as he was wont to famil-
| iarly speak of ito be deemed competent He
DID try to familiarize himself with his duties
1t may have been a mistake. We leave your
readers who knew the man to judge. If it was
certainly he was unfortunate not to have had
SO important parsonage as Helm in his en-
pioy, upon whom to call when he wanted to
| ascertain how many new presses were neces-
sary, and what old ones should be dis
posed of; how many apprentices ought
to be employed and how many dis
charged; how many cOmpositors ought to be
discharged from the specification room in order
to make room for some Of Helms pets, and how
many horses ought to be purchased and what
should be done with those on hand-in short
| II Mr. Defrees had enscOnsed himself in snug
| llttle room, giving himself no worry or trouble
ABOUT what was going on around him. trusting
the almost absolute management of the Govern
ment Printing Office to the business manager of
daily newspaper. largely published in the in
terests OF star reuters and black mailers. he
might have been pronounced competent-a man
capable OF running the office in the interests Of
reform and on business Jyinciples"
Mr.. Editor. may have something more to say
about the management of the Government
| Printing Office, but shall wait awhile to see if
some OF the many promises that have been made
TO individuals as well as the public are still to
be wholly ignored. An administration that
cries itself into power by loud and long promises
OF REFORM most assuredIy ought to commence
the good work pretty soon. or an increduIous
| puoiic VIII be slow to acknowledge, and still
slower to recognize it, when it is begun.
| REPUBLICAN,
The Sunday School Superintendent and