Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 2, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1859 — More About Frauds—The State Printing and its Abuse. [ARTICLE]

More About Frauds—The State Printing and its Abuse.

[From the Cincinnati Gazette.

Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 22. Another charge on State Printing frauds, based upon the oaths of men duly qualified to testify, will be of more interest to your readers than for me to set and listen to dry debates, which you cannot and will not publish. When I have got through with this other thing, then I can sum up the doings of the legislative nabobs in a few words. The House Committee on Frauds in the State Printing having set about their labors, found several existing obstacles, such as office-holders and blood-suckers only know how to set up. They, however, went to work to take testimony, and making as brief an abstract as possible. I present the result of their labors. Those results speak for themselves. Professor Larabee swears that he was Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1852-3 and is so at this time. His attention was called this year to the project of re-printiyy the documentary journals of 1852-3 by readiny the laws yoverniny his office. (Vide the testimony of A. 11. Brown, for a contradiction of this.) Asked the Attorney General, McDonald, for his opinion as to the legality of giving out such work. Can’t tell what the work costs. Ordered one thousand copies and cannot say whether he ordered the re-print-iny of the two or for three years. His impression was that M; Bingham (State Printer) never mentioned die subject to him. (Vide Bingham upon this point.) Never ex . amined the printer's bill but certified to its correctness. Austin 11. Brown, former St ate-Printer, says that it is usual for the printer to spread the work over as much paper as possible. Asked Mr. Larabee why, at so late a day, he ordered the documentary journal to be printed. He said that he had been importuned by Mr. Jiinyham to that effect, but he never consented, until Attorney General McDonald gave a tvrWopinion that it was all right. Had this conversation about six weeks since, in the Treasurer's office. Win. S. Cameron has been connected with the State Printing since 18 17. Has seen State papeff worked on other jobs than State work; enumerates the Sentinel, published by the State Printer, within the three years last passed. Alpo the Democratic. Platform, printed at the same office. Mr. Taylor, book-binder, states that he allows Bingham forty per cent, on his work for book-binding, and does not count the sheets, but gives the number in his account against the State, as fixed hy the State ( Printer. Mr. Strickland, p iper-maker, says that he has seen bills pasted up around town which he knows werer printed on paper; picked up a bill a short time since’with the title, “Waugh’s Italia,” (printed by Bingham.) which wtis prihted on paper paid for by the State; supplied the paper lor the State, but does not furnish the paper for ; Bingham’s work, and is thus able to judge of the difference; generally notices the bills posted up which come from that, office, and find, many worked off on State paper. Franklin Rattie, pressman, was in the. Sentinel office. All the job work of that office, worked by him, was on paper charged against the State, unless where it chanced to need an odd size. Can enumerate a large job for the Pennsylvania Central Railroad, alias worked the Sentinel.on State paper at least three or four t.ines, to the amount of more than a hundred'and fifty quires. Has frequently supplied deficiencies in the paper for the Sentenal office from the State paper; also printed the Monthly 'Teleyrapm on State paperJohn R. Elder confirms this, and says that it was usual always to take from two to four quires for office work out of each bundle of two reams of the State paper. Oscar Miles swears that the pqper contracted for to weigh one hundred pounds to the bundle of two reams, seldom .exceeded in weight seventy-five pounds, and was frequently of. less weight than seventy pounds. Mr. Appleton, the present pressman in Bingham’s office, says that he works off all the job work done in the office, or. nearly ail, on State paper. Mr. Bingham, State Printer, swears that Mr. Larabee first spoke to him about reprinting the journals, but his par ner had suggested it to him as a thing that might be done.

The Committee sum up to show that the existing statute, having been enacted before steam presses were used, made allowance for sheets of eight pages, which enabled the printer to collect double pay for the presswork done, as the printer prints in sixteen page form. They state that the books of the Secretary of State do not-show that he demands or receives a bill of items,, that he certifies the account of the printer without knowing what work is included in the bill, and that he allows pay ; per on the certificate of the printer,, without seeing or weighing the paper, and without knowing that it is ever delivered, or if delivered, required or used for the purpose of State. The amount of printing to November, 1858, for four years, has been $51,089 59; paper supplied, $16,984 80, and bindingslß,335 29—to which is to be added paper used by the State Printer and covered under the head of “Fuel and Stationery,” to the amount of $19,621 00, in all $106,031 24. This does not inelude November and December of 1858, since which time there has been re-printed 3,000 copies of the documeniary journals of 1851, 1852, 1853 and 1855. This is the little job I explained a few days since, that my estimate was not large enough. The Committee does not hesitate to denounce all this as fraud — which will bo indorsed as a term applicable to it by every honest man. The amount of stealage from bundles regularly made for four years by taking the quires from the bundles amounts to $1,500, the amount by sub-contracting the binding is $7,320, after the profits of all partieshave been paid. The direct stealings by printing jobs -of work on State paper is incalculable of course. The amount of there-printing job is estimated at from $35,000 to’sso,ooo. are. manifest symptoms of revolution again in Italy. Arrests have been made at Pavia and Milan. All the Italian peninsula is full of volcanic political elements, and a grand Irevolutibn is certain to take place, sooner or later. Constant vigilance and espoinlage are required to prevent h serious snd general outbreak