Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1828-06-13
Congressional.
ON RETRENCHNIEN,r.
Read, and committed to the Committee Of the
Whois House on the state Of the CnioH.

thtuu, ana committed 10 the COMMITTEE az TIE
Wh0is House on the state Of the Cnioa.
! (CoNTINUEp.)
FIXED AND CONTINGENT EXPENSES OF
THE HOUSE.
| "And that they furherrepor whether the com
ipensaton OF members of Congress should be reduc-
red, and whether the fixed salaries oil officers of
this House, and its contingent expenses can with
lPropriety be diminished
Your committee aware of the difficulties in-
cident to the first branch of this resolution as it is
subjectwhich has often been discussed, and upon
Which there is yet great diversity of opinion
10 all per diem coinpensaions, there is the intrn
SIC objection that they are apt produce tenden
icy TO Incidence and waste Of time in the agents
lempioyed, whilst there many and serious OBJ
Elections 10 fixed salaries, in which no time is pre-
sc'1bed which shall! be devoted to the discharge OF
the duties thus reniunerated. In considering this
subject in many oil lis relations, your committee
have deemed the pernicious and announcement dura
ion oil the alternate long sessions of Congress
oil Tie most serious evils attending the national le
gislation OF the country, and visiting the heaviest
IeNpense on the contingent fund OF the House. With
view OF reducing the duration of the first session,
whichs IN fact, will reduce very essentially the
mount paid to members OF Congress for their
pensaon, they recommend that the compensation
OF the members during the first session of each
Congress, be reduced two dollars per day, from
and after the first Monday in April, if Congress
should sit beyond lhatday Before the frs: Mon
day in April, well as during the second or short
session TO the fourth OF March, they do not propose
70 recommend any reduction.
! This plan is founded on the basis that 3 months
Tor the second session; and 4 for the first, will be
amply sufficient to do the public business during
! which the full compensation now allowed is 10 be
| received. But il Congress, either from procrast-
nation, short daily SESSIONS excessive indul-
SeLce III debate, should remain in session longer
Than the hrst Monday ia April, then lot
more than sufficient 10 cover the absolute expense
subsistence, should be allowed during such pro-
iongation OF the session.
! Your committee think that n uniform ruie
should be established iii the calculation OF mileage;
that the Cashier OF The House be dire cted to Oh
tain from each OF the members the Of the
next post-ofEce TO his residence and then procure
IRON the Postmaster General an exact statement
OF the distance Of that post office from the Seat OF
! Government, Oh which, his mileage is 10 be
! puted. We believe great abuses have taken
place from the various and arbitrary manner i'll
| which members have sometimes estimated their
mileage; not taking post routes but founding their
calculations on the navigation OF steam boats
through all the sinuosities OF large and extensive
rivers. They would, moreover, recommend that
the accounts Of each hnember be certified by him
on honor; and that the certificate state that ne has
deducted from his account every day which he
may have been absent from the Seat of Govern
Inent, during the sitting of Congress.
And Tor all these pun poses your committee viii
report bill
AS it respects the number and fixed salaries OF
the officers OF the House, they regret that, from
the short time allowed them, compared with the
cOInprehcnsiVeness OF their labors, they should
have been unable TO investigate this branch OF the
subject, together with the contingencies of the
House, with the scrutiny they deserve. The O.
pinion OF the Clerk Gan experienced oilicer) is
fanny entitled TO weight; and yOnr committee will
not venture TO recommend amy redUc ion OF the
Latter, although they think, by distribution
and classification ot the labOrs OF the clerks, il
might be effected to perhaps limited extent.
i In relation TO the contingent expenses Of the
House, much depends on the discretion OF the
Speaker Of the House, and the vigilance of the
: Clerks but much mere on the attention OF the
House TO its appropriations, and the amount Of
printing which may be ordered. IL often happens,
HAT large documents are directed 10 be printed;
which III fact are altogether useless and tine evil
Is greatly increased, when numerous copies are
ordered, which, In many cases, swells the profit
oi the printer, without the smallest benefit to the
country.
Your committee eonsi!er The size of the docu-
ments as unnecessarily large, which arises, first
from habit OF proixity aud detail into which all
the departments are more or less liable 10 fall
more especially ~ a new practice has been intro
duced, by the Secretaries ol the Departments send
ing the reports OF their clerks heads Of bureaus
instead OF condensing them and making them SUBJ
stantIally their own communication; and, second
'y, from the practice, in printing the commurrica-
tons, Of using ttie-pages for all of them. Ii the
title be placed at the head OF the communication,
, and the priDtins-of the communication Itself i'm
Inedateiy follow, an essential saving in expense Of
binding, well the cost OF printing. would ac-
J cTue. This, together with an alteration OF the
mode OF printing the figure ruled work, by sub
s,ituiing, III many cases, the octave Tor large ta-
/ bles, would be productive Of a valuable saving,
for which they will report joint resolution They
moreover strongly recommend 10 the consideration
Of the House, the expedency of organizing, as
one Of the Standing Committees Of the House a
committee, to be entitled " The Committee on
Printing" 10 which the expenditures alterations,
and reforms ON this subject should be cOnhdcd
together with "a reference Of every doeumen t O.
yer one hundred pages, communicated or reported
70 Congress, 10 report the necessity or propric-
~ OF printing ID before the House makes such or
der
In the course of their examination Of The print.
ing oil the House, your committee asceTtained that
Messrs. Gales + Seaton, printers Of the House had
deviaed from the conditions OF the resolution of
Congress, Of the 81 of March, 1919, under which
they were bound, aud had contracted 70 perform
the printing.
The resolution directs & That all printing, other
than rule or table work, is to be done in small
plea type, on royal paper, in pages of the same
size as those OF the last edition Of the Laws OF the
U. States, including the marginal notes"
by comparison OF the size of a page Of the
documents printed by Gales and Seaton since the
I'd Of March, 1919, with that of the edition of the
Laws Of the United States referred TO in the reso.
luton just cited, Is found that each PAGE OF the
octave size, small plea type, wants from $50 to 22O
ems OF the size OF the page Of the edition nl the
Laws Of the L. States by which the size of the
page OF the documents and journals Of Congress
has been reduced nearly one-seyenth from the
standard established by Law.
by reference 10 the appendix, all the inforna
ton which your committee have collected toge-
Their with their correspondence with Messrs. Gales
and Seatorr will appear, which they DO not con-