New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-19
'NEW-JERsEY'S CORMORANTS.
HOW THE LITTLE STATE WAS PLuNpEREp
BY WHOLESALE.
MORE SHAMEFUL FACTS DISCLOSED BY THE
VOORHEES, CoMMrrTEE-How PIE rAx-
PAYERS WERE LOOTED THROUGH
SECRETARY KEIsEY.s OFFICE


PAYERS WERE LOOTED THROUGH
SECRETARY KEIsEY's OFFICE.
tBT TELEGRAPH THE rRIBuNE1
Trenton. May 1s.-The Voorhees, Investga ting
Committee devoted all Of to-days session to the
subject OF printing and the illegal system in
vogue In Secretary OF State Henry c. Kelsey's
department., by which favored printing firm
received $4,000 annually without competing: also
showing the vicious system of printing the State
laws in ninety newspapers at a cost TO the State
OF $4,000 annually
Joseph L. Naar. editor and proprietor of THE
Trenton True American" Mr. Kelsey,s personal
friend and lone defender was the first witness
called. Mr.. Naar said he is owner Of the print
ing establishment known under the firm name of
Naar. Day e. Naar. which concern during the
last FIVE years had rendered bills aggregating
100000 for printing done for the State without
entering into any competition with printing
houses. This made possible by Secretary
Kelseys Illegal action in failing to make requi-
sition upon the State Controller for what his
Office would need. at the beginning Of the fiscal
year. Being asked II any money had been ad-
vanced him by any State officer Mr.. Naar replied
at length showing that he had had transactions
with Mr.. Kelsey aggresating many thousands of
notes and loaned him as high as $4,000 the
editor Of the Democratic organ swore. How
ever. Mr. Naar showed that these loans had been
quickly paid off. and volunteered the statement
that the printing received through Mr.. Keseys
hands had gone long way in aiding him to
make regular payments. During the ive years
Mr. Naar had bought property valued at $4,000.
and also the interests of his partners in The
True American.
In explaining the basis upon which he charged
the state for printing. Mr.. Naar cited the
statutes fixing Is cents thousand ems for COM
position, and * cents a token for press work.
Last year the contract price in the case of some
work was as low as 2lla cents thousand ems
for composition and 20 cents token for press
work The highest price paid last year under
the contract systems for composition was A.
cents thousand ems
Mr. Corbin asked Mr. Naar why he should not
have charged the State the same price for doing
work that he would have charged private indi-
vidual TO which he replied that the State did
not expect to get its work done as cheap as
others got 1t done. Asking the privilege to make
q statement Mr.. Naar said what he had received
was simply political bounty. but he denied that
he had ever paid anybody any part Of the money
received from the State because Of having aided
In getting the work.
Mr.. Naar took exception to Mr.. Corbin's state
ment of last Tuesday. that his and Mr. Kesey's
dealing savored Of a conspiracy to defraud the
State.
Replying. Mr. Corbin said 1t mattered not who
was hurt the committee intended to bring out
the facts.
An expert printer. Edwin Fitzgeorge. being re-
called to the stand gave comparisons between
the prices Naar, Day Naar had charged the
State for certain goods furnished under contract.
and the price the same firm had charged the
State when the goods were not furnished under
contract Where a total Of $50 IS was charged
for certain goods furnished under contract, the
sum Of $l35 II was charged for identically the
same kind Of goods furnished in exactly the same
quantities under Mr.. Kelsey's orders outside Of
the contract
Taking up the question Of printing the thou
sands Of election blanks given out privately by
Secretary Kelsey in violation of law, the expert
swore that work for which the State paid s2.1S7.
cost with one-third profit. s1.07l GA. This same
proportion obtained all through the printing Of
each Of the different blanks needed. The print
ing Of the election returns of 1S93 for which the
State paid Naar. Day e. Naar $780, Mr.. Ftz-
george said II ii had been done at the prevailing
contract price would have cost S127 70.
vi
ahe committee for the day. and also advising Mr..
Kelsey who had been under subpoena in connec-
ton with the printing Jobs Of his Office. that he
would not be called to the stand. Mr. Corbin an
nounced his intention of showing the gross ex-
travagance In promulgating the laws Of New-Jer-
sey The counsel to the committee said that Of all
the outrages upon the community the greatest
was that Of "muzzling the press" This. he said.
was the effect of NeW-Jersey's system Of promn
eating the laws There are 231 daily and weekly
newspap pers he said. and ninety were annually ST.
fenced by giving them the laws, which this year
would amount to about s125,0OO. This was an
enormous item. he said. much higher In proper
ton than the amount paid in any other State in
the Union. The printing of laws in pamphlet form
costs about 81 year, and in addition the State
paid the newspapers in 1885 the sum Of $763SS in
1856 s47949 in 1887 ssOo52 in 1885, $4,000: in 1ss9
sS9 123 in $780, slO3S54 in 1891. ss9374; in 1892 s7
5l in 1885, ssO34 in 1894 $7S.53s; in 1885, s1s.S97
The discrepancy between 1886 and 1881 Mr.. Cor
bin explained due to the fact that In the
former year a law was passed providing that
SO 900 only be expended on the publication or
laws Such pressure was brought to bear. how,
ever that the designating officer named several
additional papers at cost OF S300OO Whlch was
paid the following year. This year. he said, as
the Atlantic City Charter bill was published. the
COS, would be $50 600 additional, a total OF
$134000 This charter bill was rejected by the
people Of Atlantic City, affected no other city, and
was useless.
Mr. Corbin explained that he had ascertaned
the cost OF printing the laws in eighteen different
States and in no case except New-York ana
Pennsylvania, was the cost anything IKE thdt VI
New-Jersey Here is the result Of his researches:
pennsvjvania rso 200 NIssour; ............ $500
Sew yort $50 H. an MARYLAND .. 5000
Maine ........... 5000 Virginia ......... Syo Ssgo
New HAMPSHIRE 900 Illinois ~
Vermont 1000 ONO 3'vn
Massachusetts .... 5000 Michigan '.......... ''ioo
Connecticut ....... 2.b0
In Rhode Island all the papers publish the laws
81 a page Connecticut H. the only state
where the laws printed in any other language
than English. There Is special act by which
certain laws are printed I'm the German language
Mr.. Corbin proceeded TO show that while the
ninety newspapers selected were presumed TO
publish the laws In their own offices. rev OF
than did To prove this. he called T.. IL.