The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-06-02

doned but he thought that it would be found not
only highly acceptable to he Senate but the com
muniiy aiiaIge. He was desirous OF proposing an
amendment the resolution reported by the cou-
mittee, and previously TO doing So he would read the
| resolution viz
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate be- and
| he is hereby authorized and directed to employ
corps Of Reporters, not exceeding five in number Tor
the residue Of the present session, and at the COM
mencement of each succeeding session of Congress,
TO report the proceedings and substance of the de-
bates of the Senate, who shall be sworn affirmed
faithfully to discharge the duties of their office, and
shall be allowed a compensation, to be paid Out oil
the fund for contingent expenses, not exceeding sixty
dollars per week for the principal Reporter and fifty
dollars per week for each OF the others. The bus-
ness of reporting shall be so conducted, that the en-
tire report of the proceedings and debates OF each
day, SHALL within tn, hours alter the adjournment,
be placed in the hands of the printer. The pubica-
ton of the report shall be committed to the publish
ers of such of the daily papers, will engage
free from all charge first, to publish the entire report
in their daily paper; secondly, to furnish proof slips
thereof to any other paper in the District OF Column
ba; and thirdly, to furnish two copies of the report
for the of each member of the Senate by nine
O'Clock on the ensuing morning.
Resolped, That a seat on the floor of the Senate
shall be assigned to the Reporter actually duty oy
the President of the Senate
Mr. b. proposed to amend the first resolution to the
effect that five copies OF the reports shall be furnished
| for the Office of the Secretary Of the Senate
| The amendment was agreed to and the question
was stated agreeing to the resolutions, as amended
| when
| Mr. SMITH, of Indiana said that he was decided
y opposed TO the scheme in all its forms and Therefore
| he would ask for the yeas and nays
| Mr.. KING said that he was in favor OF employing
corps of Reporters, that the proceedings oil the Sc
nate might be fairly presented to the country bul u
the resolution in its present form should be adopted
there would be disadvantages attending the con-
summation of the object which they had in view II
| appeared to him that the Chairman had not locked
into the subject properly In the first place, five He
porters to be appointed by the Secretary
There was no individual responsibility but each
left to act for himself In his opinion, it would be
better that principal Reporter should be employed,
with the privilege of employing four five Others,
to be under his superintendent and thus the whole
matter would be regulated by an individual in whom
could be placed the greatest confidence. Tie object
was 10 make the reports of the proceedings public
but if there printer here TO do SO, the whole
matter would fall TO the ground after mourning the
| expense of employing Reporters.
/ MIR. BAYARD would remark that there would he
no want of the responsibility which the Senator from
| Alabama appTehended The resolution proposed the
employment of principal Reporter, who, in some
| measure, would overlook the Others but this was a
matter Of detail The Secretary was to see that the
duties be properly performed, and he might employ
principal and leave the principal to employ the others
Ii any Senator should not be satisfied with the reports
Of one of the assistants, then lei him give infor-
nation to that effect TO the principal, and the den
quent could be discharged at any moment The Re
! porter to hold his office from day TO day, Or
from week 10 week, the duration of his employment
depending on the appointing officer. II was MOI
necessary, in resolutions OF this kind, TO enter
into details; in its practical bearing, the respon
sibility was included The Secretary was RESPONSE
Bile for an efficient corps OF reporters and OF course
the corps would be responsible to him. With re-
gard to other matters, the committee would not have
ventured to make report on mere conjecture, but
they had relied and made their report on the propo
son suggested in July, I64l, by Messrs Gales &
Seaon, who submitted this very project, and after
considering this as well the project Of Mr. Jona-
than Elliott The committee concluded that this
the best mode in which the object desired could be
attained IT was very manifest as his friend (Nr.
| King said that it would be useless to employ a
corps of reporters unless the reports published
Their publication by the Senate would involve an ex-
pense double that which was now contemplated, but
The proposition made on former occasion by
| Messrs. Blair and Riyes would relieve the Senate
from that difficulty; aud the project is in these
words
or. The Senate to select, by ballot otherwise,
five reporters, who shall be sworn TO give faithful re-
ports Of the proceedings othe Senate and the remarks
of the Senators 2. They will take notes in success
sion, and, when their turn is completed shall retire
from the Senate Chamber, and prepare their copy for
the printer, so that the copy for the whole days pro-
ceedngs may be in his hands within three hours after
the adjournment
| Mr. B. said it would thus be seen that Blair and
Ryes practical men, considered the object feasible
The reporters could each be employed twenty or thif
ty, hlsen or twenty, forty or forty five minutes taking
turns IN succession and writing out his notes when he
| retired; and by this means all the copy could be
placed in the hands of the printer short time after
he adjournment of the Senate. The report goes on
| to say that---
| " Blair s Rves will engage to publish the entire
| debates Of the sessions of the present (27h) Con-
gress, handed to them by the Senate reporters in
their daily paper. They will engage that the paper
shall be put to press within an hour and half from
the period that the last copy furnished and in five
hours from the time of adjournment one hundred
and four copies of the paper will be ready TO be de-
lvered on the order of the Secretary of the Senate,
they will be delivered by nine O'Clock in the morn
ing at the Senate Chamber free of all charge to the
Senate. The proceedings will be subsequently pub
lished unconnected with any other matter but Con-
gressona proceedings in quarto form, suitable for
binding, and such Senators prefer it, may have an
equivalent for their daily copies in that form"
Blair & Rives will also engage to furnish the
proof slips of the proceedings to any paper in this
District which will enter into agreement to publish
| them entire"
"The entire cost of corps of Reporters to the
Senate, which would enable full and faithful report
of their proceedings to be published the evening
of the day in which they occurred, and of two copies
of the paper containing them to each Senator, would
be $3.50 per week; $3.50 per session of three
months; $4,000 per session of six months; an ave-
rage of S4o75 per session. or per annum,'
| Mr.. SMITH, of Indiana, said that he would modi-
| fly the motion which he had made. AS good could
grow cut of the adoption of the resolutions, he would
by way of test vote, move to lay them on the table
and he called for the yeas and nays, which were
| dered
Mr.. BUCHANAN would just say that he would
vote for the proposition to lay the resolutions the
table, not because he was opposed to hem but be-
cause he anxious that the Senate should proceed
to the orders of the day.
Mr.. KING said that he would vote to lay the re-
solutions the table but as they merely required
some modification, the proper course was to pass them
over informally until tomorrow
! Mr.. BAYARD remarked that he would be per-
ectly satisfied if the resolutions should be laid on the
| table until tomorrow,
The question was then taken on the motion of Mr..