The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-03-12

4 end Of the session. at the commencement; and the
| House had adjourned now without electing printer.
/ This was not the whole. The House had not only
not considered itself bound BY the resolution which
they told the law of the Ease, but the House
had gone 10 vary the terms Of the printing. And
by resolution sdoed at last session. the terms OF the
act Of 1929 entirely varied and considerably re-
duced. The House, therefore, was not bound by the
resolution either as TO the line the ternsi and If
| they not bound what principle could u be
said that the Senate was TO be bound to contract
between boh-a recipracal obligation And II either
| pariy-if the House is not bound, neither was the
| Senate bound. Neither bound, because the
Constitution gave the Senate irrespective Of the
other branch oil Congress- the to choose It's own
officers.
/ The Hon Senator from Pennsy lvania had regarded
this contracts binding, obligatory contract, to
the execution Of which your honor, good faith, fair
dealing were all pledged. How did he make il out
The argument Of the Senator from Delaware, he
| (Mr C.) thought must concusvely satisfy every
that there was no contract in the case. What
the fact This Editor had staiked about this Hall
taking the liberty of this Hall, the express ground
4 that he was officer, for he could not have got
admission any other ground but, being regarded
as an officer by the Vice President who had recently
vacated his seat, he had walked about with all the
freedom and consequence OF any other person entitled
to the floor.
A. TO calling this contract, the Senators on the
other side had said that the resolution expressed the
terms, The fees and The compensation, &c. to be re-
ceyed by the public printer Was not this the case
with every officer :
/ Mr. BUCHANAN said the time was not e1-
| pressed
Mr. CLAY continued. Let me put a question to
| the Hon SENATOR Suppose the party, when they
lad the power had chosen TO elect printer FIR ten
years. They had the power 10 do II, 50 as 10
disable the Senate afterwards from disconnecling IT.
self from purified s, which should be attempted
10 be dashed to their bodies and borne by them The
whole lime. Or, suppose instead OF tins, they had
made contract for iiir In all the cases he had cited
L Atf. hal .x4l. f..
dules stated particularly in the ution oil
| lSi9--e fees were provided, &c. &c But all these
ofiiceis held their Office subject 10 the will Of the APP
o.ntiug power What does this con racl amount
to2 A ract TO III I'll the duties while they Iemain
| in the employment ofihe Senate.
Thai they officers, he thought had been prov
| I'd by the resolution oil 1919. There election.
! Who succeeds he one having maoIly--voted
by ballot How declared In The usual mode. The
whole ceremony pr cse y like that when they
proceeded tins morning TO the election of Sergeant
Arms Ii The election by ballot, Of person for the
performance of high Official duty, did create
flice, and il the person disch rgng these duties
uf cr he should like have the Senator from
Pcnnsylvania, or any OF his friends. favor them 18th
The definition Of an officer. The the
case Of any officer.
Inaugural Speech, delivered The other day, and whe
he desired the gentleman would study and profit BY in
all its parts
They were reproached with violating some othe prin-
1
| pIoicssed when out OF power. How Che asked.) Did
gentlemen The other side imagine that they
going to consummate the triumph Of prescription
They protested against prescription when the late Adj
ministraiion were carrying II on with such high
hand through this nation; when they were sweeping
out every body, without regard TO merit, services
capabiliy, and introducing persons often Of interior
merit Was II possible that persons on the other side
could lay the hatterng JUNCTION to their souls, that all
these persons to be continued in Office because
when the process of prescription going on, they
protested against it Why sir, continued Mr.. c. if
they were TO be continued in office, il would be the
triumph of prescription He knew the rules that
4 would be adopted in Harrisons administration, but
trusted that but those who were incapable, dis
honest taithless to the Constitution, had improper
/ ly intermeddled with the elections OF the country,
| would be removed from Office.
| That was his principle. But from the symptoms
manifested at this day, honorable gentlemen seemed
disposed to put themselves in opposition to this act of
the Senate. Did gentlemen think that they could, by
this course interest the sympathies Of this country
with su III being Francis p. Blair Let them at
ach themselves 10 him and 20 out utterng their argu
ment. with him proclaiming the injustice which had
been done this poor person-hut all he pressed was
NOT 10 attach the Harrison party to him. II there
was no oiher ground Of prescription he would pro.
printer. That the ground he would 90 on He
wished to be allowed to say that the other day when
the late President Of the United States and the pre-
sent were exchanging official courtcsies with each
/ other-a spectacle with which every manly must
BY this Globe, Gas foreign minister remarked to him.
for he scarcely ever the dirty heet)-that very
| day was selected by this man, whom the gentlemen
would force on them against their will for TRADE of
abuse and scurrily against the actual President in
power. II they regarded the character of the coun
Try at home or abroad they ought TO be dismissed
And there WAS scarcely any circumstance at home o
abroad that had done their party injury than the
services OF such press The official organ. On the
ground Of the character of the man and his paper
they ought TO the purity Of their national
character, by Kidding themselves Of him. The noto-
riousy bad character both of the paper and printer
would justify the action of the Senate in dismissng
them and no longer give them the execution of the
official work, either Of the Senate or Government
the whole Government any part of it, What in
jury had been done to theml They were printers Of
the Senate to the Sd March--they executed all the
duties up TO that tine They were notified that they
would be dismissed il thus elected What injury
could be done TO them As to their bond he hoped
if necessary order would be made to return their
bond to them.
/ 1t was nothing but naked trial TO prolong their
power after the expiration of their power, and force
on the present Administration unwelcome printers
which, they notified at the time they should al
tempt to dismiss AT the very first moment when they
possessed force enough TO dismiss them. The time
had come and he hoped that they would avail them
selves OF il and get rid of these men
| MIR. WALKER briefly opposed the resolution
| Mr.. HUN Ting TON next took the floor aud on
motion by that gentleman the Senate a j ,urncd.
TUESDAY, March g. ls4l.
The resolution relative to the dism ssaI Of The public
printers was discussed by Mtssrs II UN Ting ION,
KING, HENDERSON, and SMITH, OF c.nnec-