New-York tribune., 1920-02-06
Waste Charged
In President $
Campaign Mail
Speeches From Executive
Office and OtherBranches
Of Administration Have
Cost Nearly S5OO,OOO
McAdoo Big Contributor
Treasury Head Flooded
Country With Addresses,
Senator SmOot Declares

From The Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-The taxpay
crs of the country have paid nearly
S5o0,0oo since July. 1916. for printing
and distributing more than 100000
copies of campaign speeches delivered
hy President Wilson, William &. Nc
Adoo and other executives of the Ad-
ministration. Senator Smoot, Of Utah.
declared in the Senate to-day.
Senator Smoot is chairman of the
Joint Commission on Printing He said
that while only approximately 1000 900
OF the speeches printed and distributed
came from the White House. McAdoo
had more than 25.000.o00 copies of his
speeches distributed by the Treasury
Department and another 10000 by
the railroad administration before he
resigned as Director General.
In order to impress upon the Senate
the wicked waste that has been going
on. said Senator SmNot. 81 have pre-
pared statement showing the ad
dresses or speeches printed at the
Government Printing Office since July
1. 1916, charged by the Public Printer
20 depa artmental appropriations. not IN
Guiding those ordered by Congress or
members of Congress. This statement
is but an indication of what has been
happening.
White House Output Forty Tons
For the executive Office during the
period from July / 1916. to September
l5, 1919, there have been copies Of
l.163,S62. The estimated weight of
hose speeches is 79,497 pounds. The
cost of printing is s13 3,70572
In the State Department the total
lumber of copies Of speeches printed
vas 29,1o0, their estimated weight l ,5l3
rounds and the cost S527.O2
In the Treasury Department the
lumber was 25,066,000. The estimated
weight of this output was 75S,896
nqunds and the cost of the printing
vas SS6,S13.09. In the War Depart
ntent there were 500 speeches printed.
In the Postoffice there were 1861 900. The
number printed in the Agricultural De-
partment was 144.000; in the Depart
rnent of Labor, 1923 900; in the Pan
American Union, 5000; in the Food Ad-
ministration. 100000, and in the Rail
foad Administration, 3.055, 500"
In response to inquiries by Senator
N1ng. of Utah, with reference to the
speeches printed by the railroad ad
ninistration, Senator Smoot said:
There were 1,OOOOOO copies of an
address delivered at Altoona. Pa, by
William G. McAdoo on September l2.
lglS. That address was printed bv
the railroad administration and sent
hrough the mails. An address en-
taled "A Life Sentence was delivered
d. the Rev. J. f. Weinmann, and there
were 100000 copies printed by the
lalroad administration and sent
Trough the mails. There was an ad-
trcss before the Railroad Fire Protec-
I'VE Association by Charles ~ Rambo,
which $4,000 copies we're printed
There was an address delivered be
lore the New York Railroad Club by
rank McManany. Of which $1,000
copies were printed. There was an
address before the National Safety
Council Of St Louis by Hiram w Bel
knap with only 5000 printed These
are the character of speeches."
Nv no paid for the printing of these
speeches? p asked Senator Smith, of
Georgia.
Entire Bill Paid by the United States
'The government OF the United
replied, land the government not only
paid for.the printing, but paid for all
tho paper, and paid for the transpor-
tation through the mails"
Senator Smith called attention to
the fact that Senators pay for the
printing of extra copies of speeches
delivered by them on the floor of the
Senate. He said he desired to empha-
size that point in order to correct
popular mIsapprehension.
Senator Smoot then presented
figures on the cost to the government
Of printing and mailing addresses and
speeches by order of the executive
departments, and charged to govern
ment appropriations from July /, 1916,
20 September 10, 1919.
"The number of speeches." he said,
printed during that period was 80
l4A,3b2. The expense involved in print
ing and mailing these speeches was as
follows: The total cost of printing was
SlOe,O66.35; the cost of envelopes, $50
n52.96; the estimated expense of ad-
dressing envelopes, $67 1924; estimated
mailing expense, $3O,144; estimated
postal service expense for handling and
transportation of s49,lol. pounds OF
speeches, 1913 ,453.55; estimated postal