West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-09-21
A New Deal and a Square Deal all
Around is Badly Needed In Coy
efnment Printing ONCE.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOL
LARS CAN BE SAVED In
THIS DEPARTMENT,
The Corn Crop This Year Promises
TO Yield Almost Three Billion
Of Bushels Far in Excess
Of ANY Previous Year.
Regular Correspondent Of The Argus d..

Regular Correspondent OF The Argus
WAsHINGToN, Sept. I8, 1905
There will be bad times ahead for
the investigating committee that
went through the Government print
ing Office and brought about the
present state of affairs in which the
President has been forced to dis
charge the public printer and tenn
porarily put one of his foremen in
his place. The new acting public
printer is doing the best he can for
himself by exposing the slackness
and inc fficiency of the regime under
which the printing Office formerly
labored. This course has two ad.
vantages. 1t makes prominent the
fact that the new printer is a man
who knows his business, as he prob
ably does, and strengthens his
chances for permanent appointment.
Ii also detracts from the attention
that would otherwise de directed to
the inteTnecine strife in the office.
But it is likely when Congress meets
that there will be several unpleasant
developments forced by the opposi-
tion which cares nothing for the
feelings of the administration. Con
gress is said to be quite deeply in.
volVed in the printing office trouble.
The two rival machines the Morgan
thaler and the Lanston that were
competing for business in the big
prIntery were backed by able lobbies
of both political faiths. Several
congressman held stock in one or
the other OF the companies and it is
stated that the machines that were
SOLD To the goveInmen, were priced
almost twice as high as those which
went to private concerns. This
charge applies to both of the type
machines companies involved.
There was also large amount Of
stock iudiciuusly distributed that
was expected To influence legislation.
Just what part of these revelations
were made to the Keep commission,
is not known. But they have stir
red up a hornets nest and will call
for very thorough whitewashing as
soon as Congress gets where it can
WELD the brush. 1t is probable that
the congressional committee will
vent a good deal OF its spite on the
employees OF the government de-
partments who have run up enor
nous printing bills through their
ignorance Of the first elements Of
copy preparation.
This is one of the points to which
the new public printer has drawn at
tention in showing the conditions
thaticonfront the government print
cry. In the first place the govern
ment is called upon to do an enor-
nous amount of unnecessary PRINT.
ing. Some Of it is work authorized
by Congress but wholly outside the
pale Of government work. There
has even been copies of the reports
Of patriotic societies with pictures
and biographies Of their officers
printed and other things of a like
nature in which no one is interested
save those who have an itching to
see their names and faces in print.
Then there are scores and scores Of
government reports thatare not Of
ihe slightest interest to anyone even
to the men who compile them One
typewiittsn copy would he about all
that was needed il the matter we're
put on strict utilitarian basis.
But the worst source Of waste and
extravaeance comes in the kind OF
copy that is submitted 10 the print
ing Office 5y government officials
who should know better. Whole
reports have to be reset owing to the
carelessness and ignorance Of their
authors and nearly all Of the copy
that comes in is put mp by people
who not only do not know the first
thing about printing but some OF
whom cannot even write English.
II is said II a decent system is adopt.
ed IN sending in copy from the gov.
eminent departments and any at.
tempt is made to hold down the
mass Of useless and foolish matter
that IS submitted, the national print
ing bill can be cut by hundreds oi
thousands Of dollars annually and
no one he in the least injured.
Fresh trouble has broken out N