The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-01-06

The Commission found that the Acts i
r 1882 did not conform to :he require /
tents of the Code Of 1880 in that the /
rsnted portions of the pages were not e
f sufficient length or W 9TH, and did !
OF contain a sufficient number OF 2
,ords; and, since the Public Printer
ad received comp, nsaiien upon the
Imposition that the Acts hal been
rinted according TO law, it was rightly
ecided that he should be charged with
he money he had received and credited
.ith what the book would have cost
ad it been printed according to law
adopting this method of compensation
he balance was against the Public
'ruter, and the amount of it, as stated,
vas SIPS 90.
It will doubtless excite surprise that
in the publication of the Acts of one
session of the Legislature, a mistake
resulting so seriously could be made,
and, therefore, in the interests Of justice,
we propose to make an explanation. IN
doing 50, for the sake Of breyity, we
shall allude TO only such portions of the
laws Of the State regulating the public
printing, as seem, to US, to be applica'
hle.
In 1913 it was enacted that leach
page of the printed pamphlet acts of
the Legislature shall contain an average
Of fifty printed lines to the page and
each line an average of ten words To-
the line" Acts of 1913. p. l35 Prior
to that time, ouly the size of the page
had been prescribed. This provision,
first found in the Acts of 1913, con
tiuued in force until the adoption Of the
Code of 1857, when it was re enacted
Code of 1917, p. ll5, Art. 78) and con
tinued in force till 1870; so that from
1913 till 1880 there was law in force
requiring that the printed laws should
contain an average of fifty printed lines
to the page ana each line an average Of
ten words 70 The line.
In 1870, the Legislature changed the
requirements of the Code of 1857, re
ferred to, and enacted that the law
should be printed Sin small plea type
solid, each page twenty-three ems pic;
D N width, including five ems plea 70
E marginal notes, and forty two ems il
d length, including the running title an,
> white line under it and foot line Act
Of 1870 p. 62D; ard this change wa
D carr ed into the Code OF 1871. See
l76.
D In 1872 the Act of 1879 which ha'
D been Incorporated in the Code of 1871
p was Ie-enacted, the same phraseolog
E being used, except that the requiremet
! that the pages should be forty two en-
j in length was changed to ''forty-tw
ems plea in length . Acts of 1872, pag
{ ia The law Of 1872 remained in fore
/, until the adoption of the Code of 1885,
{, when the provision of the Code of lS5
was re enacted and is still in fore,
&. Code 1902.
y Thus it will be seen that prior to th
year 1913 the size OF the page, only, va
fixed Y law, and that from 1S48 to I'll
= present time not only the size of ii
2 page but the quantity of materials bee
+. regulated. But note, that the mode
i, asoertaining the quantity of matter on
page from 1913 to 1870 md from rom 1SS
1tt6-- TIE present time has been by coun
ing the words in line and the numbe
of lines in a page, and that from 1870
1880 the mode of ascertaining TIE quar-
. tity Of matter has been by measurement
>, or what is known as the printers rule.
A book printed according to the r.
quirements of the Act of 1913 need nC
be different in size from one printed a
cording to the requirements of the Az
of 1870 and the Code of 1871, becau.
the Act of 1913 did not require marg
:, nal notes or prescribe the size of the typ
: but book printed according TO the r
u quireinents of the Code of 1857, whic
/ aid require marginal notes and did pr
: scribe the size of the type, would be
! large as the Code of 1880.
. We suppose that the object of tt
Legislature, when it adopted the moo
of measurement found in the Act of 10
was to protect the public against an e
u listing or threatened evil in the shaI
& of pages conforming in size to the la
e with less printed matter on them tina
honest service called for, and that ii
/, additional requirements found IN Il
y Code of 1857 were intended to secu
5 uniformity in he size of the books.
n We have casually examined Il
h pamphlet Acts publls he'd between ii
= yeacs 1873, aud 1857 and we find thu
81 nope Of IL, m conform to the requl
~ ments of the statutes under which the
d we're published, taking the conclusion
81 of the Commission as our guide, e.
cept the Acts published between tt
/ years 1870 and 1882, and thee were a
Il published while the printers rule
.o uISdsuIcHttHt piSfdliSu
!, From 1913 to 1870, covering perio
. during which as many as eighteen vo
T umes were published, by several diferer
II printers, not one can be found that wi
Ii stand the test applied by the Commi
L sion to the Acts of 1882. As stated, v
% have carefully examined the Acts pull
il Iished between the wears 1867 and 1877
y and We fud that, counting the words an
!. lines, they are all deficient in printe
r matter, being short at least four prin
ed lines to the page and from one t
i three words to line. The Commissio
i charged the present Public Printer wit
7 a shortage of four printed lines to til
page and about one word aud hal
j: words To the iine.
1t will reasonably be asked Why ha
!, the State not been able to secure faith
full performance Gifts contracts with il
! printers? One reason is, that Printer
measure by printers rule, and line t
them is line, whether it be blan
:, line or printed line, and the other re,
son is that the rule for averaging word
on page is altog Their impractical,
: Indeed, The evidence, it seems 10 us,
!, abundant, that the Legislature nevere,
J pected more than a substantial compI
ance with it.
We have said that the Acts printe
between the years 1870 and 1882 col
formed to the requirements of the Law
in force during that period. These al
the Arts r.rsr,fod ~, L. -.