The Washington critic., 1889-06-03
THE PUBLIC PRINTER.

| = ihhh W hAo AOb UtIn III
office more than four weeks, but he has
already begun TO find that public Office
as public trust is not sinecure by any
means. Since the time the civil service
| law was made 10 apply to the other de-
! partmcnts the Public Printing Office
has been the dumping ground for all
the political refuse that comes to Wash
ington. Every Congressman who ha.
| friend seeking an office, however in
| competent he may he, looks 10 the Pub
| lie Printer TO get him n place, and the
! more incompetent the more likely hr is
| to be taken to that office. There are
not many public men in town now, but
| those who are here have beseiged Mr.
Palmer day by day with applications
| for place for friends and constituents
| of theirs On the day that he TOOK
| charge OF the Office Representative
| Peters of Kansas made his appearance
with an application for office and since
that time Mr. Peters has visited him
more than once. Other members OF the
| House and Senate have called upon
him to help them ont, and II he made
all the changes that are requested OF
| OF him he would turn the Public Print
ing office upside down once month.
The Public Printers position is very
difficult one TO fiji and II Is one that IS
not very well paid for the responsible
Ties that its possessor assumes. Mr.
| Palmer draws only 81 200 year, less
than any member of the cabinet and he
has more work TO do and more bother
than any one of them. II Mr. Palmer
succeeds In passing through the trials
and ordeals of the next four years with
out incurring the enmity not only of
the Democrats in both Houses Of Con
| gres, but Of the members of his own
party in public life, he will have done
better than any of his predecessors.
The force under Mr.. Palmer is n very
large one and is composed of men who
are skilled In the art of printing, of type
| setting and of engraving. Their places
cannot be filled by every man or woman
! who comes along and wants an office, or
who is recommended for place by some
friend in power. TO maintain the high
standard of work Mr.. Palmer must main
tain also full force of competent men.
To do this, and at the same time please
Members Of Congress and other political
friends, is almost an impossibility. The
| placc-hunter, however, is only one Of the
many obstacles In the path Of the Public
Printer Mr., Palmer will have 90 deal
| with unreasonable men In the Depart
ments, in Congress and at the White
House. He will be called upon to do
impossibiities and will be scolded If he
cannot accomplish them.
One Of the chief difficulties that Mr..
Palmer will encounter Immediately, but
which will be visited upon him more
L..
the trouble that he will have getting his
paper contracts filed. The Public
| Printing Office uses an enormous
amount OF paper every year and con
tracts Tor II are let by the Joint Printing
| Commi,te OF Congress by bids. There are
| only two paper mills in this country
| which are capable of filling the contracts
| which are let by the Joint Committee,
but irresponsible men put in bids and are
| at times awarded contracts which they
cannot fill, They rely upon fluctuations
in the market and upon being able 10
obtain from the large mills sufficient
| quantity of paper to fill out the
contracts. When say irresponsible
do not mean that they are IT,
responsible financially They are
obliged TO give bonds to the Public
Printer for the fulfilment Of their con
tract, and they can be forced TO pay a
| forfeit for delay. But when Congress
is shrieking for printed work; when the
| public departments have documents
which should be issued from the Public
Printing Office, and the paper contractor
| does not fulfil his contract, no money
| forfeit will repay the Public Printer or
the public service for the damage that
Is done The Public Printing Office
printed during the first session of the
Fiftieth Congress, for Congress alone,
90, 800 envelopes. The cost of the
paper that was used in that year was
| $457, ,37S.7S. The Public Printer has a
busy season and season when he is
comparatively idle, and yet during the
dull time he must maintain the same
| force that he maintains in his busiest
season as nearly as possible or give
| great offense to persons who are in
| power. When Congress is in session
| there is an enormous number OF pub
lie documents sent down 10 the Public
| Printer. They consist of reports from
| committees, reports from the depart
ments made to the two Houses of Con
gress, and other documents. Many of
them are illustrated many contain
costly maps. Some of them come to
him with the injunction upon them that
they are needed Immediately and these
he will push forward TO the neglect OF
other work. Meantime, one of the de
partments has probably sent down some
important work which should be issued
in very short period il 1t is TO be OF
any avail and several Senators and
Members of Congress have come in
| with immediate orders for their speeches,
which must be printed by the Public
| Printer at their expense, for circulation.
| The Public Printer is urged to hurry
this piece of work and push that one
along, If the Congressman does moi
| get his speeches he is offended; il the
head of the department does not get his
| publication he feels that he has
| cause OF complaint, and Congress must
| not be neglected for Congress makes the
appropriations which keep the Public
Printing Office going. In the midst of
| all this hurrying word comes from some
one of the contractors who were TO
| furnish so many tons Of white paper,
| that he is unable TO supply il and that
he stands ready to pay money forfeit.
The Public Printer must 90 into the
public market and obtain the paper
II he can. If he cannot obtain
| II he incurs the enmity of all
these people whom II is 50 necessary he
should make his friends. There is an
enormous amount of unnecessary print
ing done in the Public Printing Office
and all OF this of course interferes with
the necessary work, The type may be
in use when an urgent piece of work
comes down from Congress and IL NAV
be necessary to run off this job in order
TO distribute the type and use il over