Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-22
PLATE PRINTING BY STEAM.
Points from the Senate Debate-Com-
mittee Amendment Adopted.

660ate cOu410ex-
| alton OF the sundry civil bill Mr.. Blair was
the first to take the floor, and he at once went
to work to attack the report of the subcommit-
tee on finance. He said that the amount Of
work done by the steam-presses was not SO very
considerable, and the saving to the country by
the use OF those presses was not more than
half of the three or four hundred thousand
dollars assumed by some to be the saving. The
question was not as to whether or not labor-sav-
ing machinery should be adopted The working
people were most interested in the introduction
of labor-saving machinery, but no labor-saving
machinery should be introduced until it was
demonstrated that it saved labor The mere
fact that 1t was able to perform Just the same
amount of work which was performed by pre-
vious methods and utensils would not consti-
tute a reason for its introduction, unless that
work OF the same quality may be performed at
great reduction of expenditure. Unless some
such advantages were apparent the govern
ment should not introduce such machinery to
supplant the means Of livelihood Of any citi-
zens. He did not believe that the investiga-
ton OF the matter by the finance committee
was a thorough one; the report did not touch
gated.
CHIEF BELLS OPINION.
Mr.. Blair introduced and read the following
portion Of letter from Chief Bell, Of the secret
service, replying to questions put to him as to
the manner in which currency was printed:
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. IL, 1885,
SIR: have the honor to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your communication Of the 18th instant,
asking reply to the following questions, namely:
First. Are the government securities, in your
judgment, printed in the highest style of the
art; and is it necessary that they should be?
Answer. No, they are not; and deem it neces-
sary that they should be. Second. Do the
steam-presses print as good impressions as the
hand-presses? Answer. No, they do not. Third.
pare favorably with former issues in wear and
execution? Answer. No, they do not by any
means. Fourth. Are the present issues more
easily counterfeited than former issues? An
swer. Yes, in my opinion they are The former
issues were printed in more colors, and in q
higher style of art, which could not be so
readily photographed whereas the present
issues have less colors and can be easily photo
graphed. Fifth. Do you hear of any complaint
from the public generally, regarding the silver
certificates4 Answer. Yes, great many COM
plants from the public generally, and the
bankers in particular.
NOT WAR AGAINST MACHINERY.
After quoting from the testimony of Mr..
Powderly and other prominent officers of the
Knights Of Labor, Mr.. Blair, in their behalf,
disclaimed opposition to labor -saving ma
chinery, and said: ''They say that in this case
the steam-press is simply an invasion Of their
occupation in the interest of capital and for
the performance of work of an inferior quality
that the public may be imposed upon and large
profits made which belong, as they believe, to
the honest men and their associates engaged in
this occupation, and therefore they espouse
their cause, they indorse it after an investi-
cation, and are careful to preclude the idea
that it is based in any degree upon any hostility
to the introduction of labor-saving machinery
in proper cases."
WHAT MACHINERY CAN AND CANNOT DO.
Mr.. Call argued against the propositions ad-
vanced by the finance committee THE report
of the Senate committee" said he, ais in favor
of the employment of machinery to the disre-
gard OF the lives and comfort of the laborers
who have been educated under the government
for this employment, and are trained and fitted
for 1t and nothing else. On the one side are few
capitalists owning these presses, perhaps
twenty or thirty in number, and on the other
side are some eight or perhaps ten hundred,
several hundred at least, laborers with proba-
bly, two or three thousand human beings de-
pendent on their labor, >who have been taught.
and had right to expect, that their skilled
labor would continue to be employed by the
government, thus furnishing subsistence for
their families. l scarcely think, in this contro-
versy, immediately, without any regard to the
interest OF those people, unless some great
public necessity demanded it, that they should
presses. 1t may be said that the substitution
of collaborating agencies in all cases where there
| is very general and widespread consumption
OF the thing which is the subject of this labor
saving machine is advantageous to the public
in cheapening the necessaries of life; but that
is not true of this government work, limited as
1t Is to the government demand.
"But there is another point. Is it clear
question that a machine can possess the dexter
ity of hand and the ligbtness of touch Of the
har and ~.
work and excellence require? l confess am
loath to accept the testimony of any experts
upon this proposition. / do not believe that
you can make machine that can paint por-
trait like the human hand and the human eve
and the human taste, or that you can make a
machine that will take the impression of the
most delicate tracery in steel plate with the
| same fidelity that can be done with the pres
sure regulated and adjusted by the eye and the
| hand of the skilled laborer. Machinery can do
great deal, but it has not yet created man..
Nor do think that it is reasonable to believe
whatever testimony there may be of experts,
| that the delicate engraving that should be done
and the delicate impressions that should be
made in the preparation of currency, of bank
| notes, which should be the highest style of
| art, can be effected by machine operated by
| steam as nicely and as carefully as it may be
| by the human hand am prepared to accept
rather the testimony which these people have
submitted in this controversy. / read from
what Mr.. Graves, chief of the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing, says, in miscellaneous
| document No. 1871:
AS to the comparative merits Of steam
printing and hand-printing, it may be said that,
| speaking in the widest sense, steam-printing is
not equal to hand-printing. = There is
| no doubt that the printing by that process
would best carry out the intention of the en-
| graver.'
He went on to argue that if the experts in
| favor of hand-presses were not always reliable
| In detecting the difference between the two
| sorts of work, the experts on the other side
found it equally difficult to detect the coun-
terfeits of the steam-work.
MR.. MORRILL, DEFENDED THE REPORT
| Of the subcommittee. Senators here" he
said, presume to attack the report of the SUBJ
| committee on finance who were not present al
| the examination that was undertaken and who
have not even read the report, and one Sena-
tor has denounced 1t as rotten report wish
| to say in behalf of the subcommittee who had
| this subject under their charge that, while /
was not member OF the subcommittee, / was
present great many days when the examina-
| ton was going on, and if there was ever a SUBJ
ject honestly, fairly, and patiently investigated
| 1t Is the subject We have now under considera-
ton. The parties appeared on both sides,
| such as were summoned by the committee, and
| the plate-printers also, not only by themselves
| but by their attorney. / thought myself that
| the plate-printers seemed to me amply compe-
| tent to conduct the examination OF the witness
ses who testified upon the other side"
Mr.. Harris said that no fair-minded man
| cOuld read the testimonv and emma Tn a nor-