The record-union., 1897-02-18

any one whose nervous system Is well nigh
! if he rs satisfied with the claim, draws
a warrant therefor, and it is paid out of
| the State Treasury to THE person who
| prese nts the claim. Every claim that
has been paid during my administration
of this office has been paid in this man.
ner and every claim has received the
sanction of the Board of Examiners
1t would be absolutely impossible FOR
me, even if l so desired, to use for
my own purpose one dollar of the
| States money.
| charge has been made that names
of persons who do not exist have been
carried on the pay Toll. These charges,
if true, would simply condemn the
Governor, Secretary of State and At
| torney- CT General, who pass upon these
| claims and the Controller who deliv-
| ers the warrants. This statement !
say most emphatically is untrue, and
nobody could draw any money in this
way without committing a forgery. 1t
| is the practice in most of the State
| institutions for the person in charge
to draw one warrant and give his check
to the individuals entitled TO the re-
| spective amounts. Under the law l can
not follow this practice, and have not
| followed it, but every person, no mat
ter how small his claim may be, who
has a claim against the State, payable
out of the appropriation for the State
| Printing Office, receives a Warrant
| therefor.
| 1t has been charged that there is
| discrepancy between the Controllers
| DC Oh hut 81
true, and in the very nature of things
could not be true. The Controller is
| the bookkeeper of the State, and his
are the books to be governed by.
For my. own convenience l have kept
an account with the different inStitu-
| tions and officers of the amount of
stationery and printing ordered by
them, respectively, SO that those who
desired might know the amount con-
sumed by each department of the
State In estimating the amount SO
consumed 1 have made rough esti-
mate, taking into consideration the
composition, stock, presswork and
binding, but l have not counted as
charge against these institutions or de-
| partments other expenses, consisting
of light heating power, repairs and sun
| dry other expenses which are charge
| able to the institution as whole. All
that anybody has to do who desires to
| know the truth is to add up the costs
| charged to the various institutions for
| press work, composition, etc, as l nave
described, together with the other eX-
| pensels that I have enumerated, and
| the stock in hand, and the sum total
will equal the amount shown by the
Controllers books, and it could not be
otherwise unless the Governor of the
State, the Attorney General and the
| Secretary of State were in collusion
with me, which l believe nobody has as
yet charged.
There is another fact to be borne in
mind in this matter and that is that
every officer and department of the
State sends to me for such printing as
he or it may desire, and L am given
very little if any discretion in the mat
| ter unless 1 believe that the matter
| asked for is excessively extravagant,
| when it would b my duty to interfere.
The laws of the State are faulty in
that they do not require that each de-
partment and officer should pay out of
the appropriation made for it or him,
the amount of printing done for him or
his department; but over this | have no
control l am satisfied that if the in
stitutions of the State were required to
pay for printing out of their appropria-
tions the demand upon me would be
much less than it has been.
In the management of this Office /
have followed union rules, and en-
ployed union men and paid the union
rate of wages. / am free to confess
that if the State desires to inaugurate
policy of having work done for less
than union rates and not in accordance
with union rules, a Slight saving
might be effected. but that is for your
body to determine. SO far as I am con-
cerned I desire to say that until the
law is changed, and as long as the mat
ter is left to my discretion, 1 shall run
it as union printing office, as l am a
union printer myself
Ever since the inauguration of the
State Printing Office there has been a
concerted attack made by persons and
establishments who desire to have the
work done by contract. There have also
been frequent attempts made to pre-
vent the State from publishing text
books. These are matters Of legislative
policy for the Legislature to determine.
/ have already asked, as you know,
that a Joint committee from both
houses be appointed to investigate the
State Printing Office. when these mat
ters can be verified and elaborated in
detail.
For your information 1 append to this
letter a statement from the Controller
of State showing that every dollar that
has been expended by the State Print
ing Office has been upon. claims audited
and allowed by the State Board of EX-
aminers and paid on Controllers war
rants.
In many, if not in most of the State
institutions, there is contingent fund
which is expended by them without be-
ing passed on by the Board of Ex-
aminers, or by the Controller. This is
not the case with the State Printing