The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-11

the Mergenthaler Linotype company should have been informed that the pur- chase of additional machines was under consideration, and should have been given an opportunity to be heard.
 MT. Rlcketts Cleared.
 "It has been necessary in describing the circumstances attending the execution of this contract to mention the name or Oscar J. Ricketts,, foreman of printing in connection with the movement to nave him appointed public printer. and to reIer to the opinion ayowed and expressed py Mr. Palmer and General Kitchener ana MT. Dove to each other and to various members of Congress, that he was the candidate of the Mergenthaler Linotype company, and that his company was the principal interest and influence behind his candidacy. Questions were asked or the public printer, Mir. Dove and Genefal Kitchener, as to what grounds they had for thinking that the Mergenthaler com pany was behind MT. Ricketts.
 "The reasons given were or an unsup- stantial character and it is only just to Mir Ricketts to say that there is not Tn this evidence taken before this commit tee anything to show an illegltlmate con nection between MT. Ricketts and the Mergenthaler company, nor Is there any proof of any act of Mir Ricketts In con neCtlOn WlIn the Mci bSHtinlOA e'AN -|eA- ston machines in the government print ing office, which in our opinion Is to MT. Ricketts, discredit or inconsistent with a preference on his part for the Mergen- thaler machines, based on his honest De- lief as a printer that this machine was better adapted than the Lanston ma chine for the work in the government printing office. The important iacl brought to light in connection with this matter, is that MT. Ricketts, while hold ing the position of foreman of printing and being In immediate charge or the work done there In the department or composition and the only officer whose duties gave him immediate supervision of both machines, was in no manner con suited by the public printer in an impor- tant purchase of machinery for the req son, as avowed by the public printer, that he considered MT. Ricketts preju- diced in favor of the Mergenthaler ma chimes, and that he was satisfied from ln- formation that came to him that the Mer- genthaler company has been the prihcl- nal influence behind MT. Ricketts, canui- dacy. Such dissension in great govern ment bureau between the head or the office and one of his principal associates could not fail to be preJudiciai to the conduct of the business.
 "It developed in the course of the tes- timony taken by the committee that seV- eral persons in the government printing office were at the time covered by our inuuiries interested in the stock of the Lanston and Mergenthaler companies Both of these stocks were dealt in on the Washington stock exchange, and 1t Is not surprising that in body Of men as large as that employed in the gov ernment printing office. whose attention is naturally directed to typesetting ma chimes, some speculation in Lanston and Mergenthaler stocks should De found- Ine committee considered such matters of no importance, except the case of persons whose acts exercised an influence upon the reports submitted to the public prin- ter about the typesetting machines or persons who occupied important positions in the government printing office, and might be regarded as assistants to the public printer"