The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-30
ar. KING said that he had been speaking abcu'

, M, KING sad ,ha, he had been speaking abru'
'nf Mr 'i EVANS wa. aware of that but he max
no fur her explanation. Tbs cha ise related To thu
,,Rsr D,parme ns az we'll the Stale Department,
and there was nothing in the bill FIR contingencies f"'
all of them There was another bill which won
hereafter be br ught beture them for consideration
which made spprop la,ion far these contingencies
and if the printing was TO be done by contract
hat bill would be the most proper one IN which
to insert p'"vision FIR thai pu,pqse. his TREND
from North Carolina MIR. Mangum) had plan IN
view providing for the execution of the public print
ing in different manner That beng The case, and
as the present mode would be continued probably for
only six months he decidedly OF opinion that the
proviso might with great propriety be stricken out
MIR. KING said that the form of the original Law
was permanent and was SO regarded at the time OF
its passage; but he had understood recently that 1t
not construed and Il was subject Of COM
plant, not only in the country but on the hoor Of
Congress He would ask the Senator from New
Hampshire MIR Woodbury. whether it was not con-
sidered permanent law when he was al he head OF
the easury Depart en' In his opinion it ought to
remain so and he wanted to know whether by sri-
king out this provso the law could be evaded. AS
it was permanent law, those who were entrusted
with its execution ought to abide by it; if they did
not they were amenabie to Congress for having vlo-
lated it.. o 100
MIR. WOODBURY. could make statement as to
| the first clause. The proviso to which alluslon
| had been made inserted in the Appropriation
before exercised by the different Departments
! in relation to printing The provision, on Its
face, open to the construction OF an annual or
permanent regulation but, as there was some doubt
upon the subject, the Attorney General was consult
ed and in consequence of his decsiOn several OF the
departments advertised not for bus for contracts to
continue year, but two years, supposng that time
to be sufficiently long. Some Of the contracts were
settled and made in this way, the construction that
the law not temporary or annual, but permanent
DIT, - ,x<,l hat nf
since supposed the law to be temporary, and others
permanent. So far as regarded his own impression,
he had considered it permanent provlsion ana ac-
cordngy advertised the contracts to be taken Tor two
| years which were going when he left the Treasu-
| nv Department. He had been called on to make an
examination and what had been the operation OF
this provision, and whether it was more econo Llcal
than the old practice and after investigation, all
things considered, he found that there was saving OF
something Ike twenty per cent ms ne spoke from
his own experience.
Mr. EVANS said that he had never the
Senator's report but Mr.. Forsyth said that, SO
Tar as his experience went, the law had not
had good effect, and that IN his OPINION, II
was worthless" After some elaboration, the Com
mittee on Finance came to the conclusion to
propose the anlendmea before the Senate that
The Department might get its printing done where II
could during the remainder OF the year, and In the
meantime Congress could provide tae mode In winch
it should lie done thereafter.
| The question was then ordered to be taken on the
first part OF the provso.
Mr. MANGUM called for the yeas and nays,
which were ordered. He said that, under the law OF
1889 the provision considered as permanent, but
it had been that il not adhered to- aud the
present proviso introduced the same principle in diff
terent language which could not admit OF mlsappre
tension. heretore he hoped that The Senate would
not strike il out.
Mr. WOODBURY. said that, to avoid any diff
Guilty. and preclude inference that the law was tet
porary, plainly stated that the sta,ionery should
be furnished and the prin ing and binding executed
by contract, s'unhL otherwise ordered.""
The question was laken on sl'iklng out so much OF
the provso relates contracts, and was declued
ID the negative by the following vote:
| YEAS-Messr-. Bates, Bayard, CLoae, Evans,
Menick, Phelps, Preston. R,ves, allm adgs-9.
NAYS-Messrs. Allen, Archer. Bagby, Barrow,
Benton, Calhoun, Clayton, Conrad Critenden,
Culhbert, Fulton, Graham, Huntington, King Linn,
McRolerts, Mansuu,, Morehead, Sewer, Smith, or
Tappan, Walker, White oodbuIy, Wnghl-28.
The remainder of the proviso was then stricken
out.
The following amendment was agreed to, viz:
Cor amount due in addition TO former appropria-
ons, for compiling, printing, and binding Biennial
Register, hundred and forty five dollars and
fifty cents"
The amendment proposed by the Committee on Fl
nance to strike 1875, OU0 for the contingent ex-
pen-es of the Judiciary; and insert S475, 900,
jected
Various other amendments of The Committee were
voted upon-sJme Of which were adopted, and others
rejected
The Senate then went into an Executive session,
and subsequently adjourned.