PUBLIC PRINTING.
The Lieutenant Governor announced the special order,being the consideration of Mr. O'Brien's State Printing and Binding bill [S. 257] with the majority and minority reports thereon - the latter recommending the passage of Mr. Beardsley 's bill [S. 245] to let the printing to the lowest bidder, with sundry amendments. The question being on concurring in the report of the minority-
Mr. Friedley, of Lawrence, moved to refer the bill and reports thereon to the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Glessner was of opinion that the Senate should decide which system shall be adopted, before the matter is referred to a committee.
Mr. O'Brien, Chairman of the Committee on Printing, said this matter has been before his committee since the commencement of the special session, and it was known that the State has been largely swindled in the matter of the public printing, for that is a matter of public record in the courts of justice. In the examination of the subject he found that the State has been swindled by raised vouchers, and there is a suspicion that the State has been swindled by false affidavitsthough he believed the courts acquitted the accused of the charge; and the State has been swindled in the measurement of the amount of printing done, and been swindled by parties getting orders for printing through here, which was done at the expense of the State with the State's material, which is as useless as dirt, and which has cost the State thousands of dollars. He referred to the Adjutant General's report which cost the State some eighty-odd thousand dollars. The Auditor of State, in his last report, says that the State has been swindled out of $150,000enough to buy any three printing offices in the State of Indiana. The State Auditor might have increased that amount $150,000 more and it would probably be nearer the truth. Mr. O'Brien thought the State in the last ten years has been swindled out of $300,000 in the item of printing alone. This thing occurs in various ways, and one of the ways is by a collusion between printers and stationers in the purchase of material, by which twice and three times, and he thought as much as twelve prices has been paid by the State. Then in the matter of stationery for the General Assembly, the last Legislature cost the State $17,000, and the special session footed up about $12,000 in addition for the single item of stationery. Then the contracts for repairing public buildings no one knows anything about. The State has been saved some $8,000 or $10,000 recently by the vigilance of some State officer. The State Auditor reports that the public printing; for the past ten years has cost some $455,000, and page: 152[View Page 152] adding the cost of printing the Adjutant General's report to this sum,would run that item up to over $530,000, which makes this item of printing cost the State $53,000 per annum.
Mr. Hall moved to refer both bills and reports to the Judiciary Committee with instructions to report a bill providing that the State printing shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder.
Mr. Slater thought no better plan can be devised than that recommended by the majority of the Committee on Printing.
On motion by Mr. O'Brien the motion to refer the Judiciary Committee with instructions, was laid on the table - yeas, 13; nays, 31.Then come the recess till two o'clock.
