Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-04-26
MONDAY. APRIL 90.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,!

part, a bill, the object of which is To reduce
the Revolutionary Pensions, for all grades of
rank, from and after given day in the year
1894, TO 81 per month.
The bill (which, Mr.. III. computed, would,
If passed, effect saving Of 100000 dollars for
the first year 1t got into operation, and pro-
portionabIy thereafter,) was twice read and
committed--Mr. HARDIN giving notice of his
intention To cab up this hill, and the one pre-
elously reported by the same committee, on
Wednesday next.
MIR. WAKEFIELD moved the following;
ReSolred, That Il committee he appointed 10 rcport
the hest mode, in their opinion, of giving the Pul-
lic full and correct statement of The Debates IN this
llcuse
And the question being taken thereon, il
was agreed to without debate or opposition
Mr.. BuTLER submitted for consideration
the following resolution
Resoired, That committee lie appointed TO In
nnire INTO The conirac, hrtwecn the War Department
81 the Unl'"d States, anl E,h Mix, of The 25li Ju-
~, 1918, To report whether the same WIS made in
pursuance Of law, and whether the said Mix has per-
iorne'i his covenant, and such other facts as they
may deem proper, relative 10 saidcon,ract
In offering this resolution, Mr.. BUTLER re-
marked, that he discovered, on consulting the
documents on this subject, that, according to
The contract, thern was dee 10 tine United
States tire delivery of 5000 perch of stone,
~ the lst January last, and that, on that day
there had been actuaiiy delivered only
1872, 437 pcrches: SD that the contract had not
been fulfilled on the part of Mr.. Mix, and was
mo longer binding on ihe Unted States. Be-
sides, he said There wrrc To say the least, sus-
picious appearances about tins contract. No
proposals for this contract were publicly in
v,tcd by advertisement or otherwise. Il was
said too, that MIR. Mix had sold ont his con-
tract AZ Il dollar and a half per perch and Mr..
3 sad he observed, from the account OF con
tracts laid before the house, that contract
h:d actually hcen made by the government at
Philadelphia, for stone, to he delivered at the
Pea patch, for Il dollar and q half per perch,
whilst three dollars per perch was paid To
Mix. Taking the time. place, and manner of
The contract into consideration, and the de-
ian't otihe contractor to- fulf! his engagements
ne had thought proper to submit this resoln-
ton. No appropriation that is made at this
session, Mr.. Il. contended, ought to he ex-
pended under that contract
Mr. McDUFFIE said, he was very glad the
gentleman from New Hampshire had intro
duced this resolution. 1t was the proper
course 10 pursue in cases Of this kind. Iffhere
was any thing improper in the conduct of any
oltcer of the government, ii was proper to in
q'tlrc into il, not incidentally in debate or by
fr pdrte statements on this flor, bat by Judi
cIal investigation. Whilst up, Mr. McDuiie
said he would state, that. ou an investigation,
he facts of this case would be found very
different from what they had been represent
ed tn be. He was authorized to say, that If
Mr. Mix had not taken this contract, a loss
would have been occasioned Ia the United
States Of $4,000 dollars the contract having
been taken hy Mr.. Mix at half dollar per
perch less than was Just about to he contract
ed Tor with another person. A great deal had
been said about the Extravaganza of the price
eiihs stone. AZ this time such price would
he nigh but the contract WAS made in the
year 1919, at which time every article was
higher than il now is, in consequence or the
depreciation of the national currency which
fact ought TO he taken into consideration.
Mr.. SAWYER said he had no objection 10
this resolution but rs for the abrogation Of
the contract with Mr.. Mix, on account of his
failure to deliver stipulated quantity of stone
it was sufficient to say, that if the allegatio
were true, the fault lay not with Mr.. Mix, but
with this House, which reduced the appro-
priation for Notifications below the amount
required by the Secretary Of War to comply
with existing contracts. For this Mr.. Mix was
| certainly not to blame.
Mr.. CAMDGELENG said nc hoped the reso-
| luton would he adopted. He thought, from
The statement which had been made by the
gentleman from New York, some days since,
| that the subject required investigation. On
one point ne begged leave TO differ from the
gentlemen from South Carolina and North
Carolina. He did not think that government
under any circumstances, ought to have made
u contract with Mr.. Mix. This opinion was
formed from what he had heard from gentle
men on different sides of the House on this
subject.
Mr.. METcALFE proposed an amendment
! for giving TO the Committee power TO send
for persons and papers. He did not mean TO
censure the Individual who was implicated in
this discussion, nor to exonerate him from
censurr. But he was induced to believe some
very satisfactory information might be got on
this subject by a resort 10 oral testimony.
Mr.. Butler accepted the proposed amend
ment as part Of his motion and, thus modi-
fed, Mr. Buffers motion was agreed to with
out opposition.
Mr.. BURToN called for the consideration of
the bill TO repeal the existing law for the en-
enlargement of Vaccination, and the motion
TO take it up was agreed TO.
Mr.. BATEMAN moved to commit The bill to
committee Of the whole, which molten was
opposed Ivy Mr.. Burton, and negatiyed when
the bill was ordered to be cngrossed for a
third reading.
WAsHINeToN, April l9.-Thc hill further
to regulate the post office Department" which
was reported in the House of Representatives
on Wednesday last, and is now depending
there, provides, among other things as fol.
lows That all post roads shall be dscontin-
ued, on which tie nett proceeds ofpostages do
not amount to oDe-third of The expense of
conveying the same, except those which lead
TO seats Of government, or between seats of
government OF several states or territories, or
TO or between seats Of justice that no post