Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-01-09
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

The Senate then went into Executive business, and
afterwards adjourned until Monday next
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
i Saturday, january A.
4 MIR. EVANS asked leave of the House to introduce
a bill, which he said very important, and which
would not take than three minutes Of the time of
the House to consider II was bill which was usually
reported by the Committee of WAYS and Means; but
n'Taach as the organization Of the House had been
80 ''"s ~ s','.'.; - ""t set had meet.
The money which had been appropriated for Tie con-
tngent expenses of both Houses and for the payment
4 of the members had been expended and he learned
from The officers of both Houses, that great nconvc
nicnce resulted from It lie wished to introduce" the
BILL if no objection made, and would ASA the House
to go into Committee of the Whole on the State of
the Union to consider it.
No objection being made
MIR. f. then introduced bill making appropriations,
in part FOR tic support of Government Tor the year
lS10, which was twice rcad-whcn
Mr.. f. then moved that the same be referred TO the
Committee of the Whole on the State uf the Umion
which WAS agreed to-and
The House then went INTO committee, Mr.. Banks
iii the Chair, and the bill having been considered,
reported II the House; ysl:cn it read the third
time by its title and passed.
On motion of Mr.. TlLLINGIAST, the House took
up and considered the resolution of the Senate propcs
ing the appointment OF Committee on the Library
; and concurrcd in the same.
/ Mr.. RAMSEY said he had had in his possession for
several days petition from the citizens Of the Third
| Congressional District Of Prnnsy vana, complalnin.
that their rights had been rampcd III permitting
the gentleman here, (Mr Naylor) TO take his seat
their representative, and asking that the frauds by
which their rights have been violated be investigated
which he asked might be read Tor the information OF
the House.
The SPEAKER said i, would not be in order at
that time.
Mr.. RAMSEY then moved suspension of the rules
10 enable HIM TO present the petition and upon that
motion, demanded the yeas and nays, which were or
dcrcd, and wcrc--yeaS IL, nays g.
So the rules not suspended, il requiring vote
Of ;wo-thirds.
The motion Of Mr. THOMPSON Of South Carolina
10 reconsider the vote ON ordering the printing OF Inc
map of the scat Of war in Florida accompanying the
report of the Secretary of War; came up Tor consider
alton; when
Mr. THOMPSON Of South Carolina observed that
The matter which he had moved TO reconsider might be-
said TO be a small matter but inasmuch as abuses IN
small matters the dangerous they like
" io escape attention. he had for this seized the
6 earliest opportunity al bringing II before the liouSe
The vote thai II" had moved the reconsideration of was
on The proposition to p.ini 1000 extra copies Of the
map oil the sea, Of war in Florida, which the rcntlc
who mrTcG tic printing SAID would not cost tlorc
tan S;i loco dollars. THIS 10 be sure mG., hc con-
: sdcrsd small matter comparison with the "Tdina
ry expenses oil the like nature. The House, in its eypcn
ditur's printing something like the law-dc
sTdt: but il was III regard I" these small mat
tiers that economy was as lie had before Observed
large anu as 10 Tins particular docu
mcnt for all the that it would BIZ to the members of
that body, il mig we'll be burnt. Any body was vel
come the share Of them that would fall to him. for he
could make no earthly use of them whatever To his
constituents they would not be worth single bawbec,
and he cnnl no all for printing unless it
was for the purpose of rcwardng certain ia"ortcs OF
the Administration hanging about Washington, with
portion Of the public money. He did not know any
one Of the ten thousand instances Of gross cNtrava
ancc and waste OF public money 10 be denounced
than that Of members oil Congress having printed for
themselves at the public expense, documents worth no
more than waste paper for the purpose Of putting
; money in The pockets Of political partisan lie
would mention fact which would surprise many
Of the young members who not yet aware OF the
extent TO which the practice he advrrted to had pre-
vailed While al home last summer, he received
from TO two hundred maps of the United States,
; excellent maps, which would readily sell in sta
TONER shn-tal had been printed under the order OF
the House Tor the of its members These things
were done under the plea OF furnishing useful inor
nation to the members, 10 enable them the better to
carry the business of legislation: but they already
had valuable and extensive library; and if more IN.
formation necessary for the members nc thought
it would be letter Ia furnish them with good historical
works than to cyprnd the public money in printing
parcel of maps, that would BE- worth to icm rs far as
useful information was concerned no more than mere
waste paper. He also received last summer number
of maps Of Florida, which were, to HIM and his con-
sttucnts, perfectly worthless As ne had been placed
OH the military committee, the motion of whose
chairman this printing had been ordered, he thought II
his duty TO the reconsideration, being determined
while member Of that committee, to resist, TO the
utmost of his ability, every unnecessary expenditure,
whether proposed in il or in the House.
In Justice however, to the gentleman who was al the
head of that committee for the last Congress- r must
say that that gentleman uniformly IN favor Of pre-
serving the siriccs economy and cordially coopcratcd
with hun in resisting every cXtgnragancc OF eXpcnd-
turr.
: Mr. T. concluded, by moving reconsideration Of
the vote referred 10 III the commencement OF ms re-
marks.
Mr. CAVE JOHNSON said, that as he had submit
ted the motion for printing the map of Florida accom-
panying the report of the Secretary of War; il was due
TO himself and the House that he should explain the
reasons which operated upon him in making that mo-
ton The map of Florida accompanied the report OF
the Secretary of War and the only question was, whc
thcr, in publishing the documents accompanying the
Presidents message, the map should be included
There former order of this House, made some
ago upon his applcaton that genera! order FOR
printing should include maps and charts, without
the special order Of the House. In consequence of this
= order he brought the subject before the House, that
the House might decide for itself, whether the map Of
Florida should constitute part of each of The docu-
mcnts accompanying the message and that he Thought
, the gentleman from South Carolina had used an I'M
proper expressions when he spoke of them as cxrd CO.
) pies
Mr.. J. said that he had seen the map of Florida, al
ready published by the Senate, accompanying the
port Of the Secretary of War and that he supposed the
! number Of maps necessary to accompany the docu-
ments might be procured at moderate price, as
the engraving had already been done under the orders
of the Senate; and that he had inquired Of of the
printers, then in the House, to the probable cost for
each, if now ordered He was informed that each one
would exceed six eight cents for the paper and
printing the engraving having been already done For
these he had the first place. made the appl
cation TO the House Since that time, he had been
formed that the Clerk of the House, time before
had made contract for the performance of such work
by some photographer in the city, whose name he did
not recoect BY which the House pay aboa, TIE
price that the Senate paid the cngraver lie had
inquired what the price of the work would be, but had
been able to learn. If he had supposed that new
: engraving would have to be made, lie should never
, have made the application.
Mr. J. said that he gratfcd learn from the ho-
norable member from s. Carolina that he was so yea