Evening star., 1895-05-27
In the Case Involving the Patent
Office Gazette Contract.
DIVERSITY OF VIEWS EXPRESSED
The Hearing Today Before the
Assistant Attorney General.
THE EXPECTED DECISION

There was a final hearing today before
Judge Hail. assistant attorney general for
the Interior Department, on the subject of
the right of the commissioner Of patents to
award the contract for the production OF
the Official Gazette without reference to the
government printing office. There were
present at the hearing the Messrs. Camp
bell, who sit with Judge Hall as board:
also the Messrs. Freedman Of Baltimore.
who are among the lowest bidders for the
work, with their attorney, Mr.. Gull; MIR.
Frazier of the Norris Peters Company, the
present contractors, with his counsel Mr.
]. NJ. Wilson; Mr.. Andrew B. Graham, an
other bidder, and his counsel, Mr.. Alex
ander; Mr. Frank Conger, representing
New York firm. and Mr. E. w. Oyster of
the printing office.
Judge Hall caused some surprise in open
ing the proceedings by reading a letter
from Senator German, dated Saturday, In
which he distinctly disclaimed any nouon
of writing to the commissioner IN MS ca
pacity as chairman of the Joint commlttee
Oil printing The letters had been so sign
ed by him. he explained, but through the
inadvertence of clerk, who had typeWrlt-
ten them with that designation, and he had
signed them without noticing the fact he
desired to have this explanation refer TO
all his letters to the commissioner IN the
pending controversy. .
This disclosure put a new aspect on tne
case, for, as Judge Hall pointed out, Sena-
ter German wiring as chairman OF the
Senate committee only, and not on the au-
thority of that committee, could not nave
the same authority as though he wrote LOT
the Joint committee, or, in the absence OF
such a committee, for the Senate commit
tee 1t was shown that the joint commit
tee or, if there were no such organlZatlon,
the printing committee of either house,
might order the entire work of printing the
Official Gazette to be done at the printing
office but this had not been done. There
is now no joint committee, and so the Sen
ate committee would have the right TO SO
direct; but as Senator Blackburn is MEM
Der of that committee with Mr.. German,
the latter is not, as has been asserted. the
sole authority today, and there mas been
no action by these two members.
Mr. E. w. Oyster made .the first afgu-
ment going over much of the ground that
ne covered Friday, for the benefit OF Mr.
Gull, who was not then present.
Lawyer Gull made an argument OF some
length in behalf of the contract system.
an argument on behalf of the present con-
tractors for the photo-lithographic. " o:k,'
the Norris Peters Company, In which he
sustained the position taken by Mr.. Oyster
that the type work should still be done in
the printing office, and that the illustra-
ton and final production of the Gazette
alone should be let by contract.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Wilson'S re-
marks Mr.. Alexander filed brief on be-
half of Andrew b. Graham, and the hear
ing was adjourned. Judge Hall stated to
Star reporter that there wculd he no more
hearings, and that he would render a de-
cison in very few days. II is important,
be delayed, for the contract should be let
at once.