The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-02-25


sumed the debate on the report Of the ReTenchment
Com nitee, and spoke in favor of Eetaininsthe two
clerks with whom the committee desire to dispense.
Mr.. Briggs supported the views Of the committee
Mr.. Pickens was also in favor Of beginning reforms
amongst themselves, and advocated the removal
Of the convenient desks and easy chairs from that
Hall. which he deemed Of great importance, g i,
would tend 10 shorten their debates, and conse-
quenty diminish their expenditures; but he thought
the members should be literally paid, to place them
above Executive inhuence. Mr. Charles Brown APP
peared to think that they sufficiently paid, but
before he could state his the morning hour
expired, and the House resolved itself into COM
mitee of the whole on the state of the Union, and
proceeded with the consideration Of the civil and
diplomatic appropriation BILL The pending amend
ment was one offered by Mr.. Graham to cut off the
supply Of stationery to the members, which was, of
course, nsgatived as was also proposition strike
out the clause appropriatius $4,000 for the purchase
Of books for the library. Another amendment TO
reduce the appropriation shared the same fate. An
amendment which proposed to reduce from so, 800
to SIS, 400, the appropriation for salaries of the
clerks and messengers in the Department Of State.
was likewise negatived. The object of the mo yer
OF this amendment was to reduce the salary of the
translator and one clerk to what they were in 1886.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Fillmore wa
adopted, by which ii is provided that here
after all the job printing, binding and stationery
Of the departments shall be supplied under contract,
after due notice by public advertisement. This
may effect an essential saving and perhaps the pxb.
lie interests would still be further promotedby the
adoption of the suggestio made in the coarse of the
debate to insert the advertisements of the Executive
Departments in the newspapers having the largest
number of subscribers. That much extravaganza
has prevailed in the expenditure of the deparmea
is apparent. Mr.. Profit, who has been making
some research on this subject intimated that when
the proper time came, he would give the country
the result of his Investigations and he said they
might possibly learn that pens could be purchased
for certain Custom House-far less than 81 50 each
that paper was not always to be bought at $50
per ream-tha cast iron contracts to the amount of
$4,000 could be made for less thaa Is cents per
pound and that fishing parties, land champagne
festivities could not be held in the United States
Revenue cutters, and charged under the head of
"od junk )" and if the expenses of the Extra ses-
sion were examined, it was possible that it might
be found that some gentlemen on that floor had been
absent some six weeks receiving regular pay, and
also receiving large salary as Corporation Attor-
ney in one Of our large cities This allusion was
understood to be made to Mr.. McKeon, who. in Mr..
Profits ewn language, had "given the House
specimen of small demogogueism,tby reading from
the contingent expenses Of the State Department
suchtem as IS cents for hack hire, 81 for book.
and certain small items Of unavoidable expenditure,
occasioned by the lamentable death of the late Pre-
sident, while he was drawing large in the shape
Of his per diem for services which were never rer
dered to the country. Mr.. Profit sadhe would on the
first opportunity convince the gentleman from New
York that he ought to be very careful how he talk
ed SO fippantly about expenditures.
AT three o'clock the Committee was found to be
without quorum; progress was accordingly re-
ported, and the House adjourned $4,000 "
The House has this day sustained the loss Of Mr..
Lewis Williams, who died of bilious pleurisy, at
one o'clock, after sickness of some six and thirty
hours He was in the House on Monday, taking
part in its proceedings in his usual health to- day
he was corpse. Mr.. Williams took his seat in
Congress as the representative of the constituents
now composing the 18th Distr let Of North Carolina
on the 4th December, 1915, and he has continued
uninteruptedy to represent them to the day of his
death. He has for some time been famiiarly de-
signaed "the Father of the House, and was much
respected. MIR. ]. @. Adams, MIR. Taliafero and
MIR. Pope, it is understood were in Congress at an
earlier period than that at which Mr.. Williams took
his scar, but their memberships has been interrupted,
whilst his has been continuous. He presents the
example Of man whose whole life has beea de, o.
ted to the service Of his country in heregislatures.
After graduating at College and fitting himself for
the legal profession, he returned serve in his
8 ate Legislature, from whence he was transferred
to Congress, in which he has sat for ne ary twenty
seven years. AT the time OF his death he had not
attained his sixtieth year.
Washington, like her sister cities Of this Union,
has her lecturers and literary societies in great
numbers To the former, Professor Espy is soon to
be added, he having determined, at the solicitation
Of his friends to deliver in this city his the
Philosophy of Storms. Yankee Hill has already APP
peared in the character Of lecturer on the rise,
progress, manners, and customs of the New Eng
landers in which he acquitted himself to the salts
faction Of his auditors, amongst whom were several
Members of Congress Mr.. Hills theatrical reputa-
ton has created the impression that he is ever TO
be laughed at, bat his lecture exhibits him in the
contemplation of the magic strides which New Eng.
land has reached from being the wilderness, whieh
was the harvest aud refuge Of the red man, to the
crowded work shop Of the Union; while her waters,
not ruffled by the 1adian canoe, whitened with
the sails which her commerce employ Yankee cha.
racter-Yankee snterprise-Yankee skill-Yankee
courage, and all the other qualities Of the Eastern
people, were dilated upon, and Mr.. Hill concludes
both characteristic and humorous illustrations Of
Yankee peasantry and their pecuiariues.
The Temperance movement is pervsding all class
es of Society. The Anniversary Of Washington's
Birth Day was celebrated by series Of public meet
ings of the friends of teetotalism, which added ma
ny members to the Societies. Mr.. Marshall, o.
Kentucky, and Mr.. Morgan, Of New York, both
members of the House Of Representatives, were
among the orators Of the day. ,f4,sm
Professor MAFrrrr has left Washington to deliver