Evening star., 1905-08-31
The Presidents Decision on
the Printing Office Inquiry.
PURCHASE OF LANSTONS
DECLARED THAT MR.. PALMER'S
ACTION WAS REGULAR.
A Number Of Matters Involving the
Discipline Of the Institution to
Be Further Considered.

A decided stir was apparent in the gov
ernment printing office today as a result OF
information from Oyster Bay that President
Roosevelt had arrived at one conclusion as
to the recent Keep investigation. and to
particular conclusion as to certain other
matters that developed during the sessions
Of the official inquisItors. Although the
"other matters referred to were not in
cluded in the purposes for which the inves-
tigation was ordered by the President. yet
their development resulted from conditions
that are said to exist in the big prlntery,
and which are also said to have been mat
ters of common comment and gossip for
several months prior to the inquiry.
The word received from Oyster Bay was
to the effect that. although the President
will not make public any part Of the find
ings Of the Keep investigation until he re-
turns to Washington. he has settled the
main point of the inquiry by deciding that
the contract made by Public Printer Palmer
for seventytwo Lanston typesetting ma
chimes will stand.
Lanston Contract to Stand.
1t was learned by Star reporter today
that before arriving at this conclusion the
President submitted the contract to the
Attorney General for his opinion as to Its
legality and to ascertain whether there was
anything irregular about the transaction.
as had been intimated. Upon the report of
this law officer he Is said to have based his
decision allowing the contract to remain in
force.
That the question as to the merits and
typesetting capacities Of the Lanston and
Mergenthaler machines were not gone into
at all is the belief OF an official Of the gov
ernment printer with whom Star reporter
talked today. The President was concern
ed about the statements that were being
made by those apparently interested in
booming the respective machines from q
business standpoint. These statements were
to the effect that the transaction by which
the government contracted for seventy-two
Lanstons at a total cost Of $275, 900 was
irregular.
1t is also said that President Roosevelt
was induced to make the advance an
nouncement sustaining the action OF the
public printer In contracting for the Lans-
ton machines by the persistent reports that
reached him that stock jobbers were using
the rumored findings of the Keep commits
sion for selfish purposes in the sale Of
stock. He thereupOn at once gave out his
decision in the matter.
To Have Further Consideration.
The matters that 1t Is understood The
President intends to look Into further are
the alleged existence of antagonlsms and
cliques and the lack of proper discipline in
the government printing Office. These
abuses are said to have been developed to a
greater or less degree during the Keep in
vestigation and the friends Of Mr.. Roose-
1t was said today by one well versed in
the methods of the public printing office
that Mr.. Palmer In his excess Of good ma
ture has been permitting subordlnates to
run to him with all manner OF tales and
gossip. and that a result some OF the
| foremen are Eat daggers' points," as It
was expressed, and warning factions have
been given full play in the Office.
There should be almost army discipline
in an establishment like the government
printing Office" said an official Of that es-
tablishment to a Star reporter this after
noon. THE public printer should not give
ear to anything in the nature OF a COM
plant unless 1t comes to him through the
proper channels, and those channels are the
office of the foreman of printing. AS the
office is now conducted, and as was shown
by the testimony taken by the Keep inves-
tigators. 1 am informed. the foreman of
printing has been persistently ignored and
foremen and others have been allowed to
go over Mr. Ricketts, head with their plants
and kicks. This has made possible what
was aptiy described in The Star in its
accounts Of the inquiry as 'stabbing In the
dark. and made the enforcement of proper
discipline In the big printery almost impos-