Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-03-24

Ry abdginp the duration of the long session." If the mem
II n, regulating and clearly defining ir mneus' " "
bers; and ;,, .,nsn.e. and especially those
y incurred
q For stationery;
r e." ,I ",nloyment Of clerks committees and
r GIJna printed matter be Transmitted ,hrou.n ,t ma
' NV Givnc departments the public service, VIZ:
To diminish Tue ssps<es Of @ or s T. within
% hv Jsconnuins appropriations for charges a'"''e' al IA
pies Bosoa caIaec st. Jso ,a d"a @ BY reducing the
appropraons diplomatic representatives I"l , den
and far those for Austria and Mexico TO The compensation
10 The grade oil charges dadaes; - ,,oss IN lei
r" restrict the frankng privilege fmembers oil Congress e
,ers and other communications IN writing only anu ''e
,er limit and more clearly define the Thanking privileges
"a ree and regulate, according To the wesh, e
h. made upon books pamphlets, and other printed
miei through tile mails. L.. n Tho Sensie the
,o,t duration of the long sessions hao beeh niaef
f universal complaint by all persons and all
I IN os ont of Congress- and yet those sessions mao
,bar been increasing in length than otherwse'a each
successive Congress He had long been oil the OPT
MON as he now was that the only effectuai way 10
aia tho change. without detriment to any public in
erest 10 fix the day of adjournment at the early part OF
tho session He had uniformly noticed that more laws
we're passed the short session than the long, ny every
CONGRESS- and he thought he might safely say iha more
of every character talking only excepted was
usually transacted at the short sessions han the iong
lie knew of no reason for it, except that we assemoe
a, the short session knowing the day when we must
adjourn and work to ii; and that TINS was tue rea
SON. was proved by the fact that very little business was
ever COMPLETED at the long session, nn alter the day OF
adiournment was fixed. He verify believed II the re-
solution laid upon the table weeks since by Inc
honorable Senator from Alabama, (Nlr. king0 should
he taken up and passed this day. placing the DAY OF au
iournmant from four 10 six weeks distant only, Con
res would be as ready to adjourn at the expiration OF
that time as we shall be at the middle OF July, u we
continue our session to the middle OF June, without
naming day for the adjournment. lie hoped, there
fore that the Senate would consent to act promptly
upon that resolution and tender TO the House an early
day for the close of this session
\ He had retained the mention OF the mileage OF The
members of Congress, because he found IN the org
nal resout ons of the honorable Senator; but 1t was
subject he had not examined and therefore, was unable
to say whether any, what abuses existed under that
head.
The contingent expenses of the two Houses of Con.
oress by the admission Of ALL call for reduction. These
EXPENSES have increased enormously within the last
few wears and Mr. w believed the great and unneces-
sarv increase would be found to have taken place in the
four items here enumerated. He did not doubt that
great waste had been practsed with the writing paper
and other articles of stationery furnished for the desks
and rooms of the members, but still he induced to
believe from what he had and what he had heard,
that the great article of expense under this head the
wrapping and folding paper, used to envelope the inn
mense of printed matter sent of under the franks
of members through the mails Upon this point he
should have occasion to make further remark, when he
came consider the proposed restriction of the frank
ing privilege.
The printing was another Of great abuse He
hopcd the result would prove that under the regulation
now established in this body, upon this point, much of
the superuous printing would be avoided, and yet he
had become entirely satisfied that nothing but rigid
restriction upon the right TO frank would bring this eX.
pense within proper limits When were not per-
med to send off through the mails free from post
age we should order printed at the public expense.
the FIVE ten twenty, thirty thousand extra copies of
public documents: hut long as conld thus send
them, the orders for the prnn. would be very likely
to be made.
The employment of clerks for committees had been
frequently carried to great excess, and was, in his
judgment, always an expense of q very questionable
character 10 It's utility, except Tor committee or
dered TO examine witnesses and take the testimony IN
writing. lie had performed fair share of duty upon
committees since he had been member of The Senate,
and never had any clerk been employed for CON-
mttce of which he had been member, except COM
mttees of Investigation. Indeed, in the discharge of
his ordinary duties a member of any OF the standing
committees OF the Senate to which he had belonged a
clerk could have rendered material assistance,
cept to have occasionally performed some little copy
ing which he had always found the permanent clerks
in the office the Secretary of the Senate ready to
do promptly and well, upon his request So far
f as lie acquainted the employment ofclerks for the
standing committees Of this body had usually followed
the urgent solicitation of the clerk and his friends, and
the desire TO give employment TO worthy individual
engagement. He made this remark with no feeling OF
disreapect to the committee, which had given the en-
ployment, or to the clerks who had received it, and
with disposition TO cast censure upon either. lie
had experienced the difficulty of resisting these urgent
importunites and he thought distinct understanding
that the Secretarys office should be looked TO excu-
svey for this SERVICE would save both the expense and
D the feeling.
The employment Of messengers to fold documents
and speeches for transmission through the mail,
,h,oI,b bod pF
the extensive and liberal of the Thanking privilege,
and could only be retrenched by its restriction. His
observation had induced the belief that full the onehaf
of the labor of the messengers in the employ of the two
Houses expended in folding these documents, and
at some sessions these public servants had been com.
PEELED to labor most severely keep the folding
clear If the documents could not be iranked the fold
ing would not be called for, there very few of
them should venture to send TO constituents snb
iect to The charge for postage.
The several appropriation bills would show the rapid
increase of the incidental expenses of the judiciary de-
partment. Mr. w. not sufficiently acquainted with
the character of the expenditures, the Of ac
counting for the money by the officers who dsburse it,
TO be nbe TO make particular suggestions in the matter,
but the heavy amount of the expenditure, sometimes
he believed reaching nearly half million in year,
and usually from three hundred and twenty three
hundred and fifty thousand dollars connected with its
rapid increase, seemed TO call for examination at least
to see if the amount may not be diminished consistent.
ly with the safe administration Of Justice
The rule upon which he had proposed to reduce the
expenses ofour foreign intercourse, by disseminating
some diplomatic agents and reducing the grade OF
Others was that of strict reciprocity. The discon.
tinuances suggested at places from which there
was no diplomatic representative this Government
of any grade and the reductions bring our re-
representatives., so proposed to be reduced, upon
level in grade with the representatives from those
spective governments now in this country. Never
having been at all with this matter, he
had adopted this rule to present specific points
for the action of the Senate, and he respectfully in
voked the attention of the honorable Senator from
Kentucky, (Mr Cluy,l who had long been familiar
with our diplomatic relations, and also the members Of
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, to
this part of his resolution giving them and all other
members OF the body, that he should most
cheerfuy assent to any alterations, either by way of
addition or subtraction, which the interests of The pub