The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1905-09-14
BIC PRINTER OUT
1, Case of Graft But One of Par
tiality and FavOritism
PARTISANSHlP, NOT CORRUPTION
Reason For the Summary Dismissal
of Public Printer Palmer is Given
by President Roosevelt.

Oyster Bay, L. l., Special.-President
Roosevelt has made public the report
of the Keep commission on its recent
investigation of affairs in the Govern
ment Printing Office at Washington.
The. inquiry was made by special di-
rection o. the President on account Of
y protest which he had received from
protest whichhe had received from Of
, ficiaIs OF the Mersentha!er Typesetting
Mac6ineTSppany against the award OF
a contraoEEy Public Printer Frank w.
Palmer to the Lanston Monotype Com
pany for % machines of its make.
The President decided, after an eX-
animation 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 course would be ad-
visable," although the commission
states expressly that no corrupt con-
siderat:cn, payment or promise passed
from the Lanston Monotype Company
to the public printer or to any person
in the government service"
1t Was developed by the investiga-
ton, however, that two important as
sistarts OF the public printed were in
directly interested in the Laston Com
pany. their wives being stockholders
therein" TIE commission shows that a
= fair and impartial test of the Lanston
and Mergenthaler machines was not
made. and reports that the purchase Of
so large number OF Lanston machines
was "improvident" and indicated great
partially and bias on the part of the
public printer" The commission re-
CARDS the purchase as "maladministra-
ton
The text OF the Presidents mem
orandum upon the report follows:
Oyster Bay, Sept. 9. 1905.
"The conclusion of the committee are
hereby approved. save the latter part
OF conclusion first 1t does not appear
that there is any question as to the
validity Of the contract in question. II
it had not been for the conduct OF the
Mergenthaler Company in preferring
the charge discussed by TIE committee
IN conclusion two, that CT corruption,
: | should agree with the committee that
it would be desirable to set aside the
contract, if such course were legal. But
second only to corruption in a public
office in point of inquiry, comes making
a baseless charge Of corruption, and
this is what the committee finds the
Marganthaler Company has done in
this case, its comments being in
part:
"In the light of the failure of the
company to produce evidence of such
corruption, it must be held that the
charge was made recklessiy and the
Mergenthaler Company should be Sc
verely condemned for including such a
charge in q formal communication to
the president of the United States
made as a basis for official action on
his part. 1t is fair also to the Lanston
Monetype Company to say that no evil
6ence was produced by the Mergen-
thaier Company, nor was any obtained
by the committee in the course or It's
hearing, tending to show any promise,
payment cr consideration OF any kind
whatsoever made by the Lanston Com
pany. CT any of its officers or agents,
to any person IN the government SER
vice
Had not this charge Of corruption
been made | should have entirely
agreed with the conclusion OF the COM
mittee that il it we're possible (Which
it is nct) it would be desirable to can
eel the contract in question.
Public Printer Palmer has been re-
moved from office. The cases of the
subo-dinates alluded to in the report
must be taken up in connection With
the discipline and reorganization OF
the bureau when NJ. Palmers sue
cess or assumes office.
"TKEODRORE ROOSEVELT.
+ Referring to the allegation that Os-
car ]. Ricketts, was the candidate OF
the Merganthaler Company for Public
Printer. the report says: Questions
were asked of the Public Printer. Mr.
Dove and General Michner. as to what
grounds they had for thinking that
the Mergenthaler Company was be-
hind Mr.. Ricketts,. The seasons given
were of an unsubstantial character ana
it is only just to Mr.. Ricketts, to say
that there is not in the evidence taken
before this committee anything to show
an illegitimate connection between MI.
Rockets and the Mergenthaler Com
pany."
Gomez on Parade.