Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-07-17
you. am not accused Of having charged
for Sewing when did 'stitching. but

4 you. am not accused Of having charged
! for sewing when did 'stitching': but
the charge s that the books and pam
phlets We're better bound than the law
4 Icontemplates. The state binders have
for years done what the state officers
have ordered them to do That is all
4 have done. Customs which were es-
tablished years ago have been followed
right thru l have done what others
have done. If the state officers desired
a report sewed, 1t was sewed. and it was
charged for accordingly. The state Off
| GERS had the law before them, and the
secretary of state was made the final
judge of the bills II the state officials
had ordered that l should do stitching
in the case of books and pamphlets it
would have been done. The law is not
plain in all cases. For instance, it says
that the official documents the large
volumes containing the messages and
.lother documents, shall be stitched and
then bound in half calf. The absurdity
Iof stitching such books Isl apparent e.
| once 1t shows that the legisla tors didn't
know what they We're talking about
So 1t ia all through the code--a cosfus-
ion of terms and a failure to discrrnin-
ate, and ~ result the state officials
have pretty much followed preceden:
and got the best they could each for
i himself. Almost the entire controversy
10 over this question of stitching or sew
ing.
The expert who prepared the report
for the council" MIR. Young continued.
undertook to construe the law and de-
/ eide what kind of binding should have.
been used. Figuring it thus he arrived
at some queer conclusions For in
} stance. he would have me receive 5000
for putting together the supreme court
ldockets for seven terms 1000 in each
batch. each book consisting of a large
number of sigma tiires of four pages
each. II wouldn't pay for the string
1 SO also with the reports of the weathe.,
| bureau, where they figure out an over
charge. In the case Of the official regis
4 ter, which is bound for cents copy.
/ there is an absolute loss. In reference
4 to the smaller pamphlets there is simpiy.
a question as to what constitutes a COW
er. Governor Shaw. for instance, had a
wrong notion about it, like many others.
for he had an idea it meant a paper back
of different PAPER or color Now all
printers and binders know that 1t 10
not the color and weight of the paper.
but the manner in which 1t is put on.
4 that determines what Ia a cover These
pamphlets have sheet put on sepa-
4 rately after the main pamphlet s bound,
and this is a true cover. This is all ther..
is to the question. The fact that it is
of the same paper as the body of the
pamphlet has nothing to do with the
I case. An expert in buokk eeping has set
himself up ss a judge of the law and
the facts in purely technical matter,
and thus figures out a big overcharge
This is all there is to the case"
Incidentally question came up some
time ago in regard To fixing RESPONSE
bility for the so-cailed overcharges 1t
was stated that an epf-lon had been
secured from the then attorney general
authorizing it. This being brought to
the attention of Mr. Re.nley he wrote
last April as follows:
II am simply amazed that anyone
whomsoever should say that gave any
advice Whatsoever. written or verbal.
\ that binding Sin paper covers m nesssa ge >
reports. Documents referred to in para :
graph g. section l4l. should be allowed
for at is cents per copy as is provided
for the binding of the journals Of the
section. The two paragraphs are dis
i tinct and separate and for me to have
done such a thing would have ignored
the plain provisions of paragraph 3.
The journals of the two houses Of the
general assembly do not differ much in
4 size from session to session. A lump
sum could therefore be fixed. But mes
sages reports. etc, referred to in para :
i graph 3 vary in size from l6 pages or
less to several hundred and different
scale altogether is fixed for such re-
i ports. If any state officer wished 10 dis
Il regard the plain provisions of the stat
ute and wished the opinion Of the attor-
ney general to justify him therein, he
ought by all manner of means to have
obtained that opinion in writing. | nev-
er. under any circumstances, or to any
person whomsoever gave any such
opinion as.that referred 70 by you"
This refers TO the charge Of Is cents
a copy for some of the books instead
of in accordance with the privious para
graph. 1t may be said, however that.
the reports of the attorney general wera
ordered sewed and not stitched Some
lother questions come up in the cas-.
/ The secretary of state is practically
made the sole judge Of the bills. 1t is Il
question If anybody can go back Of
them. Then the legislatures. having the
matter before it and refusing to DO that
4 which would indirectly change the sys-
tenn. may be held to have approved the
present method. on the other hand 1t
ia contended that the law is very plain
4 and that 1t is mandatory In regard to
stitching instead of sewing. 1t will rest
a