Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-06
AN UNEXPECTED TURN.

How Desirable Law Ousted It's
Framer From the Government Service
A curious fact in connection with a re-
cent reform instituted by Congress is that
the government official who suggested the
reform and planned its details has been
legslated out of Office by an amendment
to the law which he helped to create.
The bill, usually known as the printing
bill, which passed Congress and has re-
Gently been approved by the President, is
regarded as one Of the important measures
enacted by the present Congress- so de-
clared by Senator German in his conclud-
ing remarks on the passage Of the bill
through the Senate. This act contains
compilation of laws governing the adnltlis-
tration of the government printing Office,
the relations of the joint committee On
printing of the two houses to the whole
matter of printing and distributing doeu-
printing and distribution of publications OF
the government. A portion of the act is
simply a re-enactment of laws that nave
been long in force. There are, however,
added quite number of provisions which
are new in their character and which are
regarded as in a measure reforms in the
matter of printing and distributing docu-
ments.
In the preparatio of this bill DR.. John
G. Ames, superintendent of documents,
Department of the Interior, was In re-
joint committee on printing. at its Invita-
ton, for the purpose of giving them IN
formation and Of making suggestions that
would help to put this whole matter In
a better shape than had hitherto existed.
He had for years been laboring to secure
some legislation that would be a decided
improvement In the matter OF classify
ing, indexing cataloging, binding and dis
tribUting public documents, feeling that
1t would be difficult for this whole matter
to be in a worse condition than IT had been
for generation.
So far az any reforms have been en-
bodied in this act, 1t is said they are al
most exclusively those which DR.. Ames
has repeatedly recommended. The act does
not, in the matter of distributing docu-
ments, go as far as he has recommended
but in almost all other respects his recon-
mendations have been adopted, and the
provisions found IN this law are almost
In the very language IN which he submitted
them to the committee. These refer 10 the
classification of congressional documents.
to the indexing, cataloging aud sale of
documents, and to the more adequate pro-
vision for supplying documents TO our
public and college libraries. His assist
ance in this matter was publicly recog-
nized during the discussion on the bill in
the Senate by Mr.. Henderson ana in the
House by Mr.. Richardson.
In view of these facts it is very sin
gular outcome of the bill that at the last
moment an amendment was attached to
1t in the Senate transferring the office
Department of the Interior to the public
printing Office and authorizing the public
printer to appoint a superintendent OF doc
n'''e''fs. leaving DR.. Ames' continuance in
Office now dependent upon the action OF
that officer.
ar. Ames has recently completed an in
dex Of all government publications issued
during the Fifty-first and Effty-second
Congresses. The index was prepared upon
a new principle and Is in great demand
among libraries all over the country.