Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-04-03

s. To how low rate the tariff of postage can oe re.
duced now proSpectively, citiia Two years, @ de-
the present Thanking prvilege ana and pro.
parlment, with rate Of tariff deemed Juaicous
| per by him. in case such reduction Should oe o''
| prBLIC PRINTING. 4,
| The E,llowinp submitted some weeks sihI' " ''''
| Uopkins of Virginia also came up III us o'usi
.RssoIred That a select committee CONSISTING VI '
| Lo,. H.. ,,,oin,.d whose duty ii shall he 10 make
c,Ir, and comprehensive investigation INTO all suc
abuses as may exist in The administration o. ''e
| live branch OF the Federal Government, VIII" '
I'm. sneedy correction of the same ny '"e "u''p' "
s,nb system of reform and retrrnchment III the con
Inconsistencies thereof, The public good may req"r'
and tina, the said committee be instructed a's"
into the expectancy OF d'v"rclhg' oy INV, VIC G,n,o
,neoi irnm The public press by prohibiting, IN 'u'ue'
av.rv officer thereof his official capacity, from EN-
olovinp any conductor of political journal 10 execute
any portion Of the public printing . ,,,;,
a. u,pins said he had no disposition 10 deoat ,''''
rssn,u,;ou hut would feel willing the House should at
once vne upon il. few remarks as TO the reasons
|. WHICH had induced him 10 offer 1t, might not De "u "
plnce tie was satisfied tia, such pf"pos"n "' P
rr.,lv called for and should be adopted IL aneu at
wL,, Le ,cgnrtcd os growing evil The extraordinary
increase Of the expenditures on the part OF .at house
for ia Drnlinu was subject, he Thought i"rci"y ca"s
for some REFORM The resolution however l''aeo "s
,relI IN the printing done for the s"veta Executive ae
as for that done under the order OF the House.
the Increase of the expenses Of which! had been enor
mans During the year l629 the whole expense oil ,le
Congressional printing only amounted TO about S3Ouoo
was now about 300 600 He could not say what that
of the Executive departments amounted to- but the eV
was augmentIng there also.
The object Mr. II. had in view, not only proposed TO
effect an actual saving of some sixty seventy thou
sand dollars year hut another no less important "uec
that of separating the patronage of The Government
from the public press of the country In proposing .ns
he had himself party or personal views "a sup Ii
and the person who did the printing Tor the ii"uST
had Int a small party in his support there, and Mr H.
was one who voted for him. /, was not to inVor any
particular party, the editor OF any political journal
that this proposition had been INTRODUCED, oo' vi M
contrary to separate as lar as posSloe, tue Ho'e"
patronage from the pubic press -.
Nor did Mr. r. confns his object alone TO the PoHuca'
journals published in the city OF Washington By me
present arrangement Of publishing tine laws oil the u
States, there eighty or more newspapers
throughout the Union, enjoying IN this way line pecuar
patronage OF the Government; and he was Tor aKi'S
that away aso and devisInG ii practicable, some scheme
by which the same object cond be accomplished, ana
which he believed might and could be devised II couh
b. done by general publication in tins city, IN The con
pfessonai printing Office, aud the dissemination O!
large number of copies Throughout the country E'th'r
this or some other mode might be devised
If the independence of The public press was important
il was no less important for The attainment of that object
10 spparale it from this corupung influence, tor corrupt
ng il is and corrupnr will contnne to be whilst
human nature continues what IL is He repeated thal
he had no desire 10 debate this proposition, tor 1t was
no, the discussion but the action of the House ne want
ed and he had doubt that gentlemen had sufficiently
weighed and examined it to vote upon H.
The resolution proposed TO raise committee 70 inquire
into the expedency Of separating the patronage {" Go
vernment from the public press II this was deS!raoIe
and it seemed to him could question IT, II was
certainly proper and necessary to inquire whether any,
ard what substitute could be DEVISED whether be an
evil and II an evil how could corrective or remedy
he applied and what tina. remedy could be. ne lh""sh'
could be found in The establishment Oh pnoc press
entirely separated from Government patronage cohneu
only Ia The prinnr Of the Government a. well that OF
both branches OF Congress as that OF the Executive De
par,men,s Even question OF economy, II lhey
could effect saving in one single year hai "ouIu cover
The entire cost of such an establishment IL was highy
imnoriau, and he thought this would be the why,
since le2 the annual expense OF the printing oi Con
rress had s1ead from $50 600 To S!OOoOD year. anu,
including he Executive Departments to probably near.
" $50 U0 and that. too, while II was wei known mat
The present rate of prices allowed 10 the public printer
had remained unchanged. The Government loses lht
benefit of all the improvements and benefits "h'ch hnn
grown ou of the substitution OF machinery IN presSwork
for manual labor power, and all the advantages Of the
general reduction in the price OF paper, no uninpotlan
item. ,
ed no interference with any party 1t proposed only an
investigation into the expenditure ct money tor puhlIc
ptung subject ceraini :. as II seemed lh nm, whr
Inv Of investigation That investigation cond he mace
without prejudice party; and rs proposed re-
trcnchnen there could be reasonable objection l" H.
especially a, this crisis when they bad, only few months
apo saddrd the country with debt Of ten millions OF
d0llass and had proposition oeinre them "i SaG"hg
with ten millions Under The present mode, ihey
were 90 NO nn with most proiigate and uncalrd'of
system of expenditure, whist the Treasury sub.
s;,,Iiolv baukruul
with reference 10 the necessity tina, ght be ullegedor
DISQUALIFICATION or n. In TIA IN NJ wspapcr it was
sip.oiI Cav Tho ,,ct wnsknown 10 Mr. "A that the Sc
~ ,h os no, ALWAYS confined to that press
-; ,h I,r,.s, c;rcuIa,op in ITS neghhorhnGd or the
c., -; :, -,,e nnblshcd But whether tina, por
S.u'e ,h Cncn, n,ironare had been prop.riy or
!o" ~ .'ie Jnsnd vns mi Ier,o,ne to the proposed
;;rp rHdsr IL. resolution for his object was sincerely
d ho,,,;iv n sever Tins influence mud he much doubt
I ir ,hs,e w,s single noury tina, you'd come before
ia t,a nj. sossien more entitled 10 lis grave aud
eor;ons consideration
~ n,vnI,sI,n Ar II di.cl,imed having any nrjyate
~ -, 49,: '.,,.. md la / new not ,,E.iI.r h.
'ee"'g !" '' - 49,, ~; Ii,,.,s;rr ,Lc ro,ron