The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-09-11
President Roosevelt Makes Pub- lie Conclusions of Keep
 Commission
MERGENTHALER COMPANY
 DIDN'T GET SQUARE DEAL
Favoritism Shown in Awarding Con tract for Typesettng Machines. No Evidence Found Against
 Foreman Ricketts.

Oyster Bay, L. l.. September 1O.-Presi- dent Roosevelt today made public the re- port of the Keep commission on its recent investigation of affairs in the govern ment printing office at Washington. The Inquiry was made by special direction of the President on account of a protest which he had received from officials of the Merganthaler typesetting machine company against the award of contract by Public Printer Frank w. Palmer to the Lanston Monotype company for sey- enty-two machines of it's make.
 By order of the President the contract with the Lanston company was held up until an investigation could be made with the view of ascertaining whether the charges of favoritism and corruption In the letting of the contract were substan- tially founded.
 As heretofore chronicled in these dis patches, the President decided after an examination of the Keep report that the contract for the Lanston machines should stand. The Keep commission reported that if the contract could be set aside such a course would be desrable." al- though the commission states expressly that mo corruption of payment or of pay ment promised passed from the Lanston Monotype company to the public printer or to any person ln--the- government ser vice."
 It was developed by the investigation. however, that two important assistants Of the public printer were indirectly in terested in the Lanston company. "thelr wives being stockholders therein" The commission shows that fair and impar- tial test of the Lanston and Mergantha- Ter machines was not made, and reports that the purchase of so large a number of Lanston machines was 'lmprovdent' and indicated great partiality and bias on the part of the public printer" The commission regards the purchase as 'maladministraton." The report of the commission Is voluminous, containing about 16.000 words. Accompanying 1t is memorandum by President Roosevelt in which he approves the report. except as to the disposition of the contract for the Lanston machines, which he has directed shall stand.
 Presidents Memorandum.
 The text of the Presidents memorandum follows:
 oyster Bay, L. l., September 9. 1905.
 "The conclusions of the committeee are hereby approved, save the latter part of conclusion first It does not appear that there is any question as to the vali- dity of the contract in question. If it had not been for the conduct of the Mer- ganthaler company in preferring tie charge discussed by the committee in conclusion two, that of corruption, I should agree with the committee that 1t would be desirable to set aside the con tract If such course were legal. But second only to corruption in public of- ficer in point of iniqulty, comes making baseless charge of corruption and this is what the committee finds the Mergan- thaler company has done in this case. It's comments being fin part:
 Tn the light of the failure of the com pany to produce evidence of such corrup- tion. 1t must be held that the charge was made recklessly and the Mergan- thaler company should be severely con demned for including such charge in a formal communication to the President of the United States, made a basis for official action on his part 1t is fair also to the Lanston Monotype company to say that no evidence was presented by the Mergenthaler company, nor was any obtained by the committee in the course of its hearing, tending to show any prom ise. payment or consideration of any kind whatsoever made by the Lanston conn pany, or any of its officers or agents 10 any person in the government service.'
 Had not this charge of corruption been made, I should have entirely agreed with the conclusion of the company that if 1t were possite (which 1t Is not), 1t would be desH Jle to cancel the contract in question.
 Public Printer Palmer has been re- moved from office. The cases of the sub ordinates alluded to in the report must be taken up in connection with the dsci- plining and reorganization of the bureau when MT. Palmers successor assumes of- flee. THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
 The Keep commission was appointed some time ago to make a general investi- gation of the business methods in all the government departments. with view of simplifying and improving them. Its report into the affairs of the government printing office is signed by c. II. Keep. assistant secretary of the treasury. chair man; F. H. Hitchcock. first assistant postmaster general; Lawrence O. Murray, assistant secretary of commerce and lah- or, and James R. Garfield. commissioner of corporations in the department of com merce and labor.
 Conclusions of Committee.
 The general conclusions of the commit tee in the report made public today are summed up as follows:
 1. The contract of the 18th of June wes duly executed by the public printer and the Lanston Monotype company before its subject matter was called to your at- tention and before. therefore any orders were or could be issued to delay action. The law gives the public printer full dis- erection to make such contract. and con tracts for machinery do not have to be approved by any superior officer or by the joint committee on printing. We know Of no ground upon which the contract can be successfully attacked. Its validity is however more properly question for your legal advisers than for this commit tee. If 1t could be set aside. such a course would be desirable.
 2. No corruption. payment or promise 
 Continued on Second Paosl