The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-17
ANOTHER OBSTACLE
SOMETHING ABOUT THE GOV.
 EMINENT PRINTING.
A Law Found Which Has Been Ignored Ever Since Its Passage Twenty
 Years Ago.

Washington, July f6.--tSpecial. )--The contract for the printing of the money or
 der blanks, which was to have been lei to Paul Herman, of New York, who was
 the lowest bidder, has been held by Act
 ing Postmaster General Wynne, until he is satisfied that Herman has plant ca pablo of turning out the blanks as rap
 idly as needed by the Department, and until he has examined a new legal point presented in this connection to the ef- feet that the public printer and the Di- rector of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing failed to comply with the law when they neglected to submit an esti-
 mate for this work.
 Assistant Attorney General Robb has
 looked up the law on this subject and has
 found that in the act of March 3, 1888, which authorizes the Postmaster General to call for bids from private parties for
 the engraving and printing of these blanks, the proviso is made in the clear est and most specific language that the Public Printer and the Chief of the Bu- reau of Engraving and Printing of the Treasury Department shall submit, re- spectively, estimates, etc." It is further
 provided that should their estimates be
 lower than these of outside bidders. they shall furnish such printing and engraved
 matter"
 It Is said that although this law has
 been in force for twenty years, no at- tention has been paid to it by the officials
 mentioned. on the contrary, when MT. Wynne recently asked the Public Printer
 for an estimate on. the work. he said he
 could not give one, as his office was not equipped to do "lithographing.
 An examination of the statutes fails to show any authority conferred by law up-
 on the Postmaster General, the Public Printer, or any other official to overlook or waive this provision that estimates
 shall be submitted by the public officials
 referred to, either because of the blanks
 being autographed" or for any other
 reason. On the contrary, the law is man. datory on the Public Printer and the
 Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to submit such estimates, and
 that MT. Wynne recognized the manda-
 tory character of the law is shown by his incorporation in the advertisement of
 April 8, 1903. inviting bids for this work,
 a paragraph calling the attention of pros- pective bidderes to the Tact that 'the Public Printer and the Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are required by the provisions of the act of
 March 8, 1883, to submit estimates for
 this work in competition with bidders. therefor" Tn the body of the specihca- tions 1t is further stated that the esti- mates of public officials will be treated
 like the proposal of the bidders according
 to the mode of apportionment, etc. It is well known that millions of money
 order blanks nave been printed from
 steel plates and there Is no doubt the Blu
 reau of Engraving and Printing can do such work.
 The fact that the Government printing office has no facilities for doing "llthO- graphing IS not considered valid ex- cuse for the absence of a bid, as the gen.
 eral laws relating to duties of the Public
 Printer in several places direct him to
 take care of ''lithographing either at his office or by contract.
 The intent of Congress that private bid ders should be prevented from charging lextortionate prices by competition with the Government Printing Office and Bureau of Engraving and Printing appears to be plain, and also that the Postoffice De- partment recognized this fact, yet neither the Public Printer or the Chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing com piled with the law. u R. II. Watkins