Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-02-07

Of this Character to committee was not 80 In every
case, but II rule adopted pursuance to s,,c,
matters required the examination OF coa,mcc Tho
Force act, he believed referred 70 commit
tee, at least objection made that course The
rule, therefore, was not to be regarded imperative
There appeared To him TO be nothing in this resolution
which required the supervision OF a committee Ii
might with just AZ much pEopricty be at decided by
the action o the Senate itscf particular reason which
operatedto prevent HIM from submitting this resolution
To the action OF committee was that resolution SINH
lar IN ITS chractcr two Years ago, referred to
committee, which usually active in i.s move
Inents than any other committee of the Senate; vet that
committee did not find time upon the resolution
rs to report it, until the time had gone by when the OBJ
jcct for which it offered could De effected The
committee did not report back the resolution until the
election Of printer had taken place, which it the
design OF the joint resolution prevent Then indeed
IT was reported, and without any alteration, even so
h9sh as The crossing Of or the dot;ing OF an
Has first objection, them to the reference the reso-
luton WAS ls Because the resolution required super
VISION ola Committee and 2dly Because a resolution of
the same kind, formerly rcqured not reported to
inc senate until II was too late for any benefit to be OBJ
tanned from IT. lie therefore opposed reference
OF the resolution to Committee.
MIR Mangum in few words which were only par
uniy audible, expressed hope that the reference
COMMITTEE would be ordered, and that there would be
an early report At present lie did not find himself pre-
pared to vote the subject, without further inquiry
lie moved TO refer the resolution to the Committee on
the Expenditures of the Senate.
MIR. Benton replied, that he had resumed his seat
81" as TO give any Senator the opportunity to make
reference if should be considered proper and intend
ing himself to make serious opposition the motion
lie was not acquainted with the Committee which had
been named, and he would therefore the views
which had actuatcd him in submitting resolution He
regarded 1T inherent right in every Congrcss TO
elect ITS own officers, in the it provided
ITS own stationary and fuel In the place the Joint
resolution adopted in 1919 regarded the Public Pruter
as AN officer OF the House He created public Of
hcer by law. lie was officer of very comprehensive
character, and important one in consequence of
the great control which he able to exercise the
debates from the mouths of Senators. Each House was
competent TO elect its officers In the first place. il
was its inherent right, and secondly, it its consttu-
uonal right under the law for each Congress
TO elect its own officers lie considered the Joint resou
uon OF lol9 as already dead letter and fit and proper
to be dsregarded But while il remained on the statute
book, 1T might be stumbling block some gentlemen
and therefore he moved to strike il off, and that each
Congress hereafter should elect its officers
These were the views which operated him to move
the repeal OF the resolution. He had other reasons
winch he should be ready to give, whenever the rcsou
ton should be taken up its passage.
Mr. Pondcxter suggested that the consequences
oil the passage OF this resolution would be- that Con
gress would atcvery short session. be left during the
vacation OF nine months without any public printer
Between the 9TH March and the beginning OF Dcccm-
Der. there would be public printer.
One OF the questions which the States decided for them
selves was, that Which related TO the time of electing
their representatives. Congress and some of the States
made Their elections more than twelve months in advance
Ana the question with the Senate was, whether the
pubic printer shoald be elected auths lii advance
or That Congress should be left during that nine months
without any public printer In reference the two
Houses having the choice of their officers he would
only remark hat either House had the power to 90 into
an eiectio2pf printer during the session. if the
one al ~ employed did behave properly. He
ihoIx rule as 1T now stood much better than would
ch must be acted on If the Joint resolution
I'd. He had merely thrown out these views
Ideration of the Committee.
gum and said, that lac wished, on refec-
He Il different direction TO the resolution than
eviously indicated. He considered the existing
tuition as IN all respects equivalent to Il law
hght, therefore, that the present resolution should
% Committee which would be competent to exa-
mine the law on the subject and which would 90 into the
investigation. He would therefore, move 10 refer
The JOINT resolution to the Committee the Judiciary
lie concluded with expressing his hope that the Commit.
tee would at look into the subject and make report
Mr. Benton said, he apprchended the whole object if
there was any oblcctat ALL to be accomplished by refer
ring The rcsouton was for the purpose of bringing in
arguments which would influence the Committee, and
induce to reject the proposition Nov, he thought Tho
was modern conception and onQ found in the
rules which regulated all Par nentary proceedings.
The resolution contained no list was single
thing; he was Of opinion here was no necessity
cd Vto go TO the Judiciary Committee, tiieS the eli:
I1ct would be- to consgn it to the Tomb OF Inc uets
to be an a5use 'ss oa Of n thu the
which had been passed some vcaFs a1o and an aimee
too, IN direct violation of the sanes low h, skcd va
the public printing executed prior t. 1919, yhv nrecisc
~ ON the same principle the full stationary &c was
supplied under the direction of Secretary ofthe Senate
and Clerk of the House The Resolution had nossed on
the 80 OF March, and the first fart of it announced that 4
was to regulate the prices of the public printing while
Inc last clause provided for the Immediate election of
printer Immediately after approval of the President
was communicated Congress elected printer which he
presumed done about the hour of midnight on the I'd
OF March Now, what the of that Joint rcso
luton They were, that the printer should give bond to
me Cicrk Tor the prompt and execution of the
printing The first word them was for the .pro,op'
execution, nc And what he would inquire was the
next provision? 1t was, % if nc fail to do it promptly
&c the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Son
ate was to go on as formerly and have it done at his
pensc.
The idea o. having Printer during vacation was he
would again repeat great abuse Now, he would state
what he knew to be true-that, soon as the Printer
was made permanent officer, he went t. workout he
(Nlr Benton) here wished to say that this expression
was not intended for or b. Well he went to work in
order to discover what ought 10 be nr;s that
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