Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-01-29
BIG PRINTERY Attacked

! The House opened nre on the govern
men! printing Office yesterday, charging
tba. The government could have lis Priut.
ing done cheaper by private printing
comranief; that many delays in the
work for the government had occurred,
sud ended as stated in the Gazette OF
that dsy By agreeing 10 the Senate
amendment to the census appropriation
oil, which a1thoriz the director Ot the
census to have the tbiresnth census re-
ports printed outside the government
printing Office if, 10 his opinion, the
wo,k ca1 be done more economically by
private contract.
The statement was made by Represent
atiye Tawney, chairman of the commit
tee on appropriations, that The gOvtrn-
ment might save in the neigbborhood OF
80 per cent if The work wers done out
side the government shop, unless the es'
Inmates submitted by the public printer
tor printing the census were greatly r.
dacad. The public priOtaF has estimated
lhat i. would cost ir)m $500, 600 to ST.
0O0 coo T. piiDt tle csnsus.
A sensa ional charge was made by
Oll Hepburn, Of Iowa that the govero-
ment piuting off % was dOmiDa,ed oy
a labor uriop, AID ttat it was largely
due 10 this fact lha. lhe cot Of priot-
ing tad become 30 high in tie big shOp.
He secuted tie idea that the govern
mept piDling Office vas sn "open shop,
decia leg that 95 p5r cent OF TIE en-
poy es there were members Of the union,
and that it was tde cuslom to "Iiesza
out" aay rOsuniOn nan or TO iotini-
Ca'e him iut) becoming a member Of
the uuioD, if by a1y cba1cs such
man was ssnt there u0der the civil ssr-
vice gula,Ions. Mr.. Hepburn assert
cd lta. uuiou labor sought TO advance
Only it's own interes's.
"Uoion labor Ia the Uoited States
1oes 10. represent lsbor 10 the Unlied
S ates," shouted Mr. H spbun. "There
sre 3 GOO 0OO uaIon la"o'es in ttis
tolnIy: there are 81 000 0C0 who are
nonunion lsb0rels. The 2,000, 900 de
ua1d the closed shop; they demand
Il at axes shall be paid By every lAborer
in'o tue Golfers Of the unions. an
mechanic myself and | sympathizs
sith labor.
Il have been republican hecalse ]
believe ia free labor; have been a re-
publican because l believe that labor
should OWE iissli; | have been repu5-
licsn because believe ia protecting Ia
Dor Of my own country and in widening
s Geld Of activity, bat am not 10 favor
# a s'ng'e class dominating the whole
field Of labor.
"Io adopting this course in regard to
The publication Of the census we do not
take labor out of the hands of Americans
but We act in the interests OF the a.
600. 600 nonunion workers in this cOun.
t,v rather than in the interests Of the
! 2. 600 600 union workers."
Mr. Lands, Of lad ana, who has had
long experience on the committee on
printing ihen made au explanation. He
conienGed that The director Of census
should have leevay 10 the matter. He
said that the scale Of prices at the print
ing Office had changed three,times within
eighteen months and in that period ihsre
rad been fsur public printers.
The cid scslp, which had prevailed for
fifteen yeals, wss charged. Then last
June be was notified that a neg public
printer intended TO pat into ef-o; The
Philippines scale. He wired him to
withhold action until the secretary of
the printing commission could see him,
but not tFithslsndipg that the public
printer went ahead and put the new
scale into effect, SO that tabular ma ter
which previously bad ccst $ll per psge
vas increased to $l6. ave have now"
ssid Mr. Lands, "certain changes in
miud aud certain regulations to be en-
reed by which We hope in the future to
+ strain the exercise by The government
printer Of this arbitrary power to change
the scsle and rats"