Year: 1866




motion of Mr.. Grinnell of Iowa,


Rtsolrsd That the Committee on Printing be reque''
ed 10 report to this House what reforms II any are
needed in the purchase Of paper the ordering OF 0ook
documents bills and other matters printed at ihe buo'
llc expense in the management Of the Prinuhs OIu
for the collection and sale OF tie waste paper ensr AZ
said Office 10 any other place under the coLuu o. "
Government or IN any thing connected Wlh lHe Con
sumption of paper and the purchase Of the same anu
TO this end they are hereby empowered to sehu loi
persOns books and papers and 70 make srch eAAlIHh
rlon shall. in their Judgment be necessary 70 aIa
The end hereby sought, with authority 10 81 uuANs '
sessions Of the House.


- We do not believe there is any need Of
sending for persons or papers, nor of making
any elaborate inquiry. Mr.. Defrees, VINO
superintends the Public Printing, is honest
capable, and faithful; and there is (n short)
nobody to blame but Congress itself And Us
fault is just this-It inteferes with the business
OF supplying the public with reading matter, to
the great injury and wrong of those who laud'
ably seek to live by doing that very same.


Suppose Congress should buy up one-twelith
of all tie leather in the country and proceed
to transform it into boots and shoes, and dis
tribute those boots and shoes gratis among their
constituents at the public cOst-who would not
realize that this was gross wrong first to the
people, whose money was laYished in making
gratuities to a small portion Of their number;
next, to all who are engaged in the boot and
shoe business, which would thus be deranged and
debauched7


Yet this is exactly what Congress pcrsistently
does to our business, defying our protests and
mocking our complaints. We gave our best
years to learning how to supply the public
need of useful information. All our living and
our savings have been gained by it. The bus
mess suits Us, and We are not skilled in any
other. We can do well by it if Congress
will only let Us. But Congress will
not let us. II persists in raising the
price of paper on us by buying up with public
money one-twelfth of all paper made in the
country, printing it at the public cost, and then
sending it all over the country by a still further
pull at the treasury. Is this fair Congress calls
on us for many thousand dollars per anumn in
taxes. Why won't it give us decent chance
to earn them2



tural knowledge to farmers; and we can beat
at it all the Government pap-suckers in the
country. But, when we have TO compete in the
business with rivals who are not only salaried
from the Treasury, but have their paper, print
ing, mailing, and transportation, paid for out Of
the Treasury alsO-our product being taxed to
help pay the cost of supplying the competing
article for nothing-we IT help saying we
do MT like it. Is that too harsh


What Congress should DO is 10 stop the whole
business of printing matter for public inforina-
tion. Let it print what is required for ITS o'en
information, and then supply at cost all who
gant exit copies. We are willing to pay a
Jar pr.se n copy Of every document printed
1by Congress. and Pay the regular postage on its
transmission to US: and we are quite willing
Nthat very one else who q rs 1Ould be sup
pGcd cl the same terms; rs ~ all print
ing OF documents for gra etous diffus we
most earnestly protest, now and tyeraIore.