The San Francisco call., 1897-02-17
BAT TIE OF THE
STATE PRINTER
Must Secure More Money
or Tie Up Routine
Work.
Enrages Controller Co!gan by
Refusing to Print Some
Warrants.
Further Complications Grow Out OF
the Refusal of the Governor to
Sign the Appropriation.

A1ANAeA Ah EN- ~, SAls, IcO 1p.- L 4C
employees OF the State Printing Office and
the State Bookbindery, who by reason of
being discouraged the other day, found
time TO attend the morning session of the
Assent bly,, were sorey disappointed, for
the battle of the types and presses, the
statesmen and the Iawbooks was again
deferred It'll tomorrow morning at IL
o'clock.
There was only a slight skirmish to-day
by the advance pickets just outside the
majority trocha, the first gun being fired
by the Committee on Printing, to which
had been referred Dibbles two bills, al
lowing 0,000 in one and $50, 600 in the
other TO the State Printing Office The
committee reported a substitute for both
in the shape OF a bill appropriating
$4,000. The committee reported back
Caminetti's resolution, asking the State
Printer to furnish the House with list OF
the names OF the persons discharged by
the State Printer, together with the names
OF the persons upon whose recommenda-
tion those employees had been appointed
by the printer, and the committee sug-
gested the reference of the resolution TO
the special committee on investigation.
Caminetti's resolution was intended for
the manufacture of political thunder to
hurl upon the head of the printer for hav
ing discharged Democratic employees and
retained Republican ones when he was
obliged to cut down his force by reason of
lack of funds.
Caminett is really a very funny little
man. He is the funniest man in Sacra-
mento, and there are whole lot of funny
men here. He belongs 10 a party whose
motto is ''To the victor belong the spoiIs,"
and yet he is acting in this matter as
though he desired to prove that the State
Printer should discharge all the Republi-
cans and keep only the Democrats on
guard, because, forsooth, the Democratic
Governor and the Democratic legislators
had refused to furnish the office with suf-
hcient funds to keep the full force en-
pIoyed! Now, if that isn't funny this
world IS q revolving funeral.
The funny man, OF course, raised an OBJ
lection. He thought 1t was funny that
the committee should recommend that
his resolution should bo referred to a
committee not yet in existence, and
Speaker Coomos, obIIvious of the JOKE, in
qulIed whether public officer elected by
the people could be required 10 furnish
the names Of persons discharged By him.
BridgfOrd came to the rescue. He said
tat the charge had been made that the
State Printer had attem pied to intimidate
members OF the Assem- bly, by discharging
persons who had been appointed al their
suggestion, and the resolution should be
adopted.
The report OF the com mittee was ignored
and Caminetu's resolution cilling for an
investigation was put to the vote and de-
feated, the vote being % ayes and 80 noes
Then the whole subject matter was laid
over until II o clock this morning.
Controller Colgan, next after the dis
charged employees, was the first to feel the
effect OF the shortage of funds in the State
Printers office. He sent down yesterday
an order for 200 warrants and 500 vouchers.
The order was returned TO the Controller
with the following Endorsement: Re
spectfully declined Tor lack of funds. A. J.
Johnston, by H."
The Controller was angry. 1t was the
first time that anything OF the kind had
been done to him and the top of his head
became rosy with Indignation. The result
OF his cog tations was the following letter
10 the State Board of Examiners:
To the Honorable the State Board of Examiners.
Sacramento, CGL-GENTLEMEN: l beg 10 iaclose
herewith two orders on the Superintendent OF
STATE fIlnung IoT printing necessary for my
office, which have been returned TO me wi.
the notation attached thereto. Under the pro-
visions OF section 53l, Political Code, as
d
the event that a State officer shall consider
the decision of the Superintendent of State
Printing unfair in his declInation of an order
lot prlnung ne may refer the matter to the
State Board OF Examiners, which board shall
determine the matter. This decision of the
Superintendent of State Printing | consider
unfair and unwarranted, against public policy
and detrimental to the proper cond uet of the
business OF the State. | therefore refer the
mater to your honorable board with the re-
quest that the Superintendent of State Print
ing be required 10 fill this order at once.
State Printer Johnston, when asked bv q
CALL reporter this afternoon as to the
reasons why he had cut off the Con-
troller's printing, replied that he had
given instructions only to do such State
wolk as was absolutely necessary for the
running OF the State government until
the Legislature made some provision for
paying the hands employed in his office
II have been compe led by reason of
the lack OF funds he said. "to cut off
some men and to phalanx others l
should cut OF large number more, only
for the fact that | have very l6-ge guam
tity OF legislative work on hand. | must
do the work Tor the Legislature and for
the Supreme Court at all hazards, be-
cause these departments must go on no
matter what the cost or trouble may be.
l shall DO the best | can under the cir
cumstances.'
Eugene S. Hadey, bookk eeper for the
State Printing Office, said that Caml-
nettis statement that the accounts of the
Controller did not tally with those of the
State Printer was unfounded. The state
ment also that neither Hadley nor
Johnston could explain the discrepancy
was denied.
WHAT l did say" said Hadley, twas:
i will not attempt TO make any explana-
ton of shortage such as you claim
Caminetti said IF l come to you to-
morrow morning will you try to explain !?
and / said, i will l will say further
tnat our books and those of the Controller
balance correctly to a cent"
The explanation made by ..Hadley is
this: In the report OF the State Printer
from July l, 1894, to June 80, 1896, ap-
pears on page % a table OF expenses of the
office, such as composition employees, $44,-
55l 95; engraving employees, $1,000;
pairs, etc, the whole aggregating $146, 600.
Under the heading, Printing for Depart
ments. Institutions" ETC.. beginning on
page %, is a statement OF the cost OF work
done for each department by the Printing
Office. In this statement the items OF in
surarce, plum bing, ETC., do not appear.
ara therefore the total does not foot up
$i46 OO0 Caminetti, whose forte is doing
ponies and not bookkeeping, jumped TO
the conclusion that there was shortage
ol $oO.OOO, although how This could have
happened when the State Printer neither
receives nor disburses dollar the gentle
man man from Amador cannot explain. Had
tsy presents the following as explaining
the mare's-nest shortage discovered by
the ex-Congressman:
Total expenditures from appropriation