The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-04-19
REVOLUTION NEEDED IN THE STATE PRINT,
ING OFFICE
ING OFFICE.

the records published over and over and scattered
all over the state for the past six months have
been called in question, as to the law the facts as
printed i'm detail
There are thousands of people in the state who
think the state the state printing plant and that
the people elect and own the state printer. But that
is not the case. The state printing plant is owned by
cXState Printer f. g. Baker, who all the presses
and the type and leases the same to whoever is elected
state printer any terms they agree upon These
rentals have paid high % per cent, and it is est
mated by some in position to know that out Of the
total appropriations for the state printing Office for
four years the Of the plant has received 100000
to 100000 We do not state this fact, but it is
stated by persons in Il position to know.
AS only whitcwashng Investigations have been
conducted by the Legislature for the past twenty years
of the state printing and other departments of the
state house. the real facts may never be known The
great fact is that the plant belongs not to the state
to the state printer, bu to politician who is inter
csted in swelling the graft This graft should he
broken and not continued for the four years.
Without saying word against the Republican
nominee Mr.. Whitney, of Albany, the question
fairly be asked what are the chances of breaking the
state printing graft if he is elected Republicans and
Democrats have introduced bills into the legislature
for the past ten years to change the laws, but all eff
forts have failed. An attempt made in the last
legislature to pass bill regulating the compensation
of the printer, and reducing the enormous fees and
profits of the Office But Republican candidates for
printer intcrferpd killed the bill and got Il cOnsttu.
tional amendment passed knowing that such amend
II
have failed to retrench in this Office, while state
printing lobby works openly in nearly every session
to swell the volume of work done al state expense.
Mr.. Whitney if elected, will not be able to put in
plant and will be compelled TO lease Of Mr.. Baker,
and all influences will be set to work to swell the
protS of the Office to yet greater dimensions.
The way Whitney was nominated ought to con
vince anyone that Il graft will be started. On the
first ballot there was no nomination made in the Re
publican state convention. Then Jack Matthews as
Scmbed his 81 delegates in the of the convention
hail. and the word was passed, and at the next ballot,
il is said by those who were in close touch with the
contest that 81 ballots went into the hat from Jacks
hands III Il bunch, and Mr. Whitney, of the Albany
Herald, nominated 1t is also stated that the deal
to give it to Whitney was made by w. p. Ready and
Jack Matthews, and they are to get $4,000 apiece out
of the office but for this cannot vOuch except that
It comes from source i'm their councils
So the office if Mr. Whitney is elected will he
held up for all there is in it by Mr. Baker for the use
of his plant and by Matthews and Ready for deliver.
ing the goods that nominated Mr.. Whitney. And this
is nothing especially against Mr. Whitney, because
any other candidate before that convention would
have stood up and mOrtgaged in the same way if DOS
sble 1t cost large sack of money to carry Mulmo-
NAH county for the Matthews states, and that money
must be made back, and in no way can it come SO
quickly through the state printer that Office is
now conducted The proposition before the people of
this state is simply will they put Mr.. Whitney where
he will be held up by Baker and Ready and Matthews?
Is there any way to get the enormous burden of
payers? Not il gOH eject Nv. Whitney, Ii the people
elect Mr.. Whitney on June 2d, let them do it with
their eyes open and knowing that there is no pOssib
iy of breaking up this graft but that the state print
ing push will be installed for four years more and will
be increased The push in that Office will have license
To increase their graft and pay their convention
pledges out of the public treasury.
Without entering into the merits of the candi-
dacy of MIR. Whitney or Mr. Godfrey, the Democratic
nominee, from the standpoint of organized labor what
is the true interest of Union labor in the state print
ing office? Concedng that union labor is employed
at present in the state printing Office the labor unions
have no interest in the CRAFTS of politicians have no
interest in a state printer making from $4,000 to
$4,000 year, have no interest in Mr. Baker making
rental sufficient To buy new plant every two wears
have no interest in rakeOtf for Jack Matthews ond
W. L. Ready, if such be the fact The only direct in
elS the labor unions have in this matter is that the
labor actually entering into state printing and bind
ing shall he done at the union scale of wages and Inv
union labor, which is the case on all the work now
done AT the state printing office 1t is well known that
now the printing office the state house cannot do all
the work when there is a rush. and that every Job office
in Salem is employed to print bills and other work
during the sessions of the legislature and none nf
these offices have been under union Scqle With tho
present plant the work never all be done M unio
rates
From the standpoint of the union labor of This
state there should be of two things done with tho
state printing Office the state should own and onar
ate the plant should be put out of the state bon
and the work done by union labor i'm commercial
printing offices, the same any other large cornor,
iton has II done The present system is a portnetsbi
between political b0odlerS and the state treasure IN
which the state and union labor get tive worst of the