Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-02
DEFENDS HIS OFFICE
Public Printers Statement in
Response to Criticism.
WILL MAKE INVESTIGATION
Matter Will Be Referred to Congress
sional Printing Committee.
HARD WORK AT SESSIONS CLOSE
Surprise Expressed by Those Who Had
Work In Charge-view
at the Capitol.
WILL MAKE INVESTIGATION
HARD WORK AT SESSIONS CLOSE

the sources to which the public printer
| attributes most of the trouble that de-
! scended on him and the government
| printing office in the last hours of the
closing session. He says there were some
OF his enemies at the Capitol and that
when they found the several breaks that
the printing office made. either through
| following or not following the copy IN
| the bills sent them. they were prompt to
| call the matter to the attention of Sena-
tor Hale who enlivened the waiting hours
with very bitter roast of the govern
ment printing Office and the public
printer.
The first fruits OF the trouble at the
1 printing office will be an investigation
there under oath. conducted In all prob
ability by the public printer. the chief in
| spector and possibly one other member of
the force not yet selected All of the copy
| from the Capitol is saved, so that there
| VIII De no trouble in locating each piece
| and assigning any error where 1t belongs
| either on the men who set up and read the
| proofs OF the pages or on the force at the
Capitol who prepared the copy for them.
/ when this evidence is collected ii will be
| turned over to the committee on printing
OF which Senator Plat of New York is the
| chairman and that COMMITTEES will do with
| the matter as 1t sees fit. Meantime there is
| good deal or resentment among the print
efs generally at what they cons der a s.ignt
| on them and their work and unea s!ness on
| the part of the public printer at what he
says Is an unjust reflection on his force
Mr.. Stillings' Statement.
| Mr.. stiflings made statement today as
| to the technical end of It. He SAID:
L think much of the criticism that has
| been made Is based on misa apprehension
| The night bill force is the best and hardest
working printing force that 1t would be pos
tn find
/ two typogra phical errors in the hills a.
| nnaily printed. but If there were that is be-
cause we are all merely human and liable
10 make those mistakes. Nobody outside
the office knows just how hard the force Is
rushed IN the last hours of a hard sess on
BUT II they make a mistake il is that which
Is reniembered against them and not any of
the good work they have done in the mas.
NOW l am going to have an investigator
OF the whole occurrence. but If small
mistake is found to have been honestly
mace ana there was no malice about it, |
40 NOT pelieve the man responsible SHOULD
De nred or reduced. 1t is a pretty safe
| guess that he will not do it again.
AS 20 the mistake of leaving in the sun
ory ciVl Dill the appropriation of S., 600 coo
mat both houses had stricken out [ cannot
concede that that was the fault of the of
nee. There are always lot Of changes and
corrections made in the copy sent us and
that Item was one of the things that we
queried. 1t came ba ok to US with the query
marks crossed out, and naturally We let
the Item go.
Men Take Pride in Work.
Inc men here have pride in their work
II Is a life work TO many of them. while TO
me 1t is matter of few years at most.
cannot conceive that they would willingly
do anything that would be reflection on
their own work for the sake of making
trouble for me. They are a good force.
faithful and efficient. and they have been
about the hardest worked force of men in
washington for the past few days. 4
i do not want to take 1t on myself to
make the statement for any other depart
ment. but know that the enrolling force at
the Capitol was pushed almost to the limit
and those SO employed are re dy to testify
that the work of the printing office was
satisfactory and up to the minute; but II
there is any trouble on their end they are
willing to take it. On the other hand II
the mistake has been at the printing office
l do not want to dodge or sfde-step It for
a minute If the office was really to blame
IN any way, II is up to and 1 am ready
to take the blame myself"
The big printery today was humming
with wrath. The printers thought they had
been un3ustly reflected on and that those |
who had criticised them were msinformed
as to the particulars
The work of printing the bills resolutions |
calendars, hearings, the Congressional Rec
ord and other important matters pertaining |
to the work of Congress has been matter |
of great pride to the office. 1t is conceded |
n.
first night force was established about IF
teen years ago. and from a handful of en- |
ployes has grown to three forces OF COM !
positors of over three hundred men The |
system of handling congressional printing |
has been gradually evolved as the volume |
of work increased, now innovations and |
changes in methods taking place from year |
to year to Increase the capacity and eff |
ficiency of the workers.
Was a Record-Breaker
Employees having experience in handling
the rush work of Congress were selected
last fall, as usual, It is stated and the in |
PRODUCTION of new iron lines and i'm |
provements in the manner of locking up |
forms to prevent "drop-outs" combined
with added facilities in the press room, has
made the past winter a record breaker both |
In the quantity of product and the facility
Of operation.
The night bill force has been under the
charge of Mr.. James Ross, who has been |
almost constantly identified with congress
sional printing since the establishment of a |
night force. When asked regarding the |
statements of alleged inefficiency of the Of
fee, Mr.. Ross said:
81 was much surprised to read of the
criticism OF the government printing Office
and can only believe that 1t was due to a |
misunderstanding. The output Of the night
bill force has been greater than that of
the three last sessions combined. No init |
nation has reached me of any failure this |
winter to fully meet the requirements on
congressional printing All the employees
have had to particularly exert themselves
to keep the work up to date, but we have
succeeded in each instance In getting every
thing In readiness for the next days ses-
sion of Congress"
The first division of the day force handles
all the rush work that is required to be !
printed while Congress is in session during
the afternoon, and 1t is not infrequent for
a small bill to be put in type. imposed
I printed and on the way to the Capitol in
less than ten minutes after the receipt of
the original copy. Additional facilities were
added for the past winters work. and the
large force of experts were congratulating
themselves on the smoothness with which |
everything passed of when the explosion
came
Foreman Meyers Views.
Mr. J. D. Meyers. foreman OF the night
press room. has had many years of ex-
perience on congressional work. and has a
picked set of employees thoroughly schooied
In handling the food of printing turned
loose during the winter The press room
the past winter, he says. has been in better
shape than ever before to handle this work.
and the reflections on the Office are re-