New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-02
WORK FOR A REFORNER
A SERIOUS AND GROWING EVIL.
THE GOVERNMENT AS PUBL1sHER-"HAi
FREE pUBI1c DOCUMENTS CosT-HAP-
HAZARD METHODS OF DlsTRlBp
TLoN-A CHANCE TO WIN
nv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIyCSE.1
FAME AND DO GOOD.


Washington June For dozen years or more
time and opportunity have awaited the coming to
Congress of man armed with ability, nerve courage
and constancy, and inspired by sincere desire TO
Crapple with and conquer serious and costly abuse
which Is growing rapidly from year to year until
has become big and strong, partly because what Is
eyerybody's business is nObOdy's and partly because
many a Unconstitutional many a senator, TOO
dearly loves the "perquisites7 Of his official station
and will resist any proposition which, in his opinion
may, directly indirectly, lead 10 their curtarncht'
Perhaps another element also should he taken INTO
account-the official vanity of some heads Of depart
ments and bureaus of the Government inns abuse
affects both the publication and free distribution of
books and pamphlets at the expense OF the general
Government all those publications which are usually
grouped classified public Reconnaissance the
man who will day rise up and attack 1t VIII ma
himself confronted by mean or weak adversary
for it Is not only strongly entrenched behind thick
walls Of custom and precedent, but it can at all times
command the active and jealous support of strong and
influential allies.
once or twice Congress has been partly aroused
10 the need of doing something at least to cur1al
the evil and one two feeble and spasmodic efforts
been made in that direction, but they Wero
quickly abandoned. Several years ago. Mr.. spohord'
the eminent Librarian of Congress, and Mr. Ames,
the able and efficient Superintendent of Documents oil
the Interior Department both of whom possess speca
qualifications for such duty made thorough IN
recommendations Of which, if adopted wou" nave
been OF great benefit to Congress and the country
and would have saved tens of thousands OF collars
which have been unwisey expended, and a large pro
portion of which has been virtually wasted every
wear since that time Congress has provided in t.
card To the distribution of Official records OF The
Union and Confederate armies and the reports OF
the Tenth Census against the breaking of sets or tho
Issue of more than one the depository or
person. This wise and sensible provision, OF course
ought to be made in regard TO every document pub
ushed by the general Government for satuitous dis
tibution.
Few persons. indeed know how much the printing
bills of the Government amount to in the course of
single year and therefore few can realize the pres
ent magnitude of the growing evil, which some as
vet unknown reformer will attack and uproot and
thus win fame and glory for himself and save pres
ent and future taxpayers millions Of dollars lie
will rot be selfish, narrow cheese pairing "econo-
mist, of the demagogic type already so widely
known and Justly despsed. but real statesman Win
enough wit and ability 70 eradicate the evil wlIhou'
destroying the good. If he shall examine the report
Of Public Printer Palmer for the year ended June
So 1880, lie will find that the disbursements
amounted to ~ 0s8 OO1 o3. from appropriations
which amounted to IS, OIL 331 IL; in other words
that the cost Of maintaining the mammoth printing
establishment al the Government, in Washington j
about a quarter Of million Of dollars per month.
The net expenditures on account OF that lnVauaolc
ports to give but which not contain verbatim
report OF the proceedings Of Congress-amountcd 70
the pretty sum of Sl05,i22. 1t should, OF course
be understood that the grand aggregate above gwen
includes the printing of bills. resolutions, reports cal
eadars etc. for Congress- we'll as blank BOOKS
blanIs enveones and letter for that BODY and
also Cor The Executive and Judicial Department. ana
in saatiOn thereto, variety OF othcr matters, pc
sides documents for free distribution.
superintendent Ames, Of the Interior Department
however estimates that the number Of public docn-
ments issued by the Government annually for Tree ais
thution is not less than 600 600 volumes. the cost
of printing and binding which exceeds 100000 TINS
estimate is probably within bounds and it includes only
the two items named-printing and binding. 1t does
ROT cover the prodigious cost of the "copy' which
makes the volumes. the cost OF materials and LABOR
in wrapping, addressing and placing million volumes
moro or less in the p0stoice; the cost OF trans
porting them in the mails all Of which expenses are
horne by the Government, and which amount 10
large sum annually. In this relation II may be ahdeh
that the Government pays more for "copy,' and the
preparation Of it. for its free
of course Of Record" the statutes at large and
few other publications-than authors or magazine
and newspaper writers in the United States as rule
receive for their work.
II Will be seen therefore that the cost OF the free
literature with which the Government undertakes to
supply the people is not inconsderable Item
While that cost the chief thing TO be considered
1t still is matter of consequence because com
paratively of the people who contribute the money
receive any indirect benefit. and fewer still any direct
benefit from the expenditure. For example, the
largest edition. number, Of any Government publ
cation for free distribution is 100000. That is the
annual report Secretary Of Agriculture. and the
number large IS would not be sufficient to supply
a copy to person in twenty-probably not one In
thirty of the vast number Of people in the United
States who till the soil Of course, proposition for
the Government TO publish. at expense Of $500.
OoO say 100000 copies Of even valuable docu-
ment as the named would be regarded as
absurd. and yet that number Wond 10
wholly inadequate. This Is not only strong additional
reason for the wisest economy the expenditure Of
money in the preparation and publication OF Govern
ment documents, but unanswerable argument In
favor Of the adoption and enforcement OF A plan Of
distribution which shall be thorough comprehensive
and equitable as the circumstances VIII permit,
which shall prevent the accumulation Of documents
by hundreds OF thousands thousands Of tons in
Government and private storerooms, as is now the
case. and also prevent the sending OF than one
copy Of the free document 10 the same person.
That is to say, system which would be substantially
the reverse Of the present practice-for it cannos
be called system Everything is haphazard, except
as to the report of the Tenth Census and the War
records before mentioned The law which authorized
the publication Of the former provided the
should be distributed through the Office Of the Super
intendent Of Documents Of the Interior
Department, and that special care should
be used to prevent the sending Of more
than one copy Of the same book TO the person.
OF the volumes in question, $4,000 copies had
published and about fourfths of them had been dis.
tTibuted before the middle of February, $50. Down
to that time the Superintendent Of Documents had
received applications which, If filed would have in
velved the duplication OF than ~, 900 volumes
In other words. the provision referred to had pre-
vented the sending Of 900 volumes-nearly l. =
Der cent Of the whole number dstributed-to persons
who had already received copies Of the volumes.
That fact alone is enough to show the necessity
only Of systematic distribution, but of having only
one distributing Office instead Of fifty sixty such
Offices at present. And yet with all these agencies
in operation the Government is unable to give away
its books as fast 1t publishes them, and to-day
thcre are stored in Washington thousands of TONS and