The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-01-31

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soners and to the probability Of the list diminish
ing instead OF Increasing He could not, therefore,
see ths necessity Of printing so large number.
Mr.. HERRICK said, he hoped that the House
would consent 20 print at least ooo extra copies OF
This document Al member Of one Of the commit
tees, he had seen the necessity Of such compila-
ton it.stemed TO him that Il was almost impossi-
Die for, a man, not a lawyer by profession,
to perform his duty touching these pension
laws without it. He had himself endeavorsd 10
become familiar with them, 10 far as he had had
opportunity; but he had found IL impossible. And
for all The information that was procured, sppoa-
tion'had To be made 10 the Commissioner Of Pen
sons. -.. 5000" 'et-s
He had come here with a determination not TO
vote for the printing Of a great number Of docu-
ments; but for all such as were, like this, OF real
and value, he should cheerfuly record his vote.
II there was in this country class Of men who
deserved and should receive, the attention and the
supervision Of this House, il that class Of men
who had fought the battles Of their country. Their
were various claims now before the committee OF
which he vas member--i. c. the Committee on
Revolutionary Claims-whleh could not be under
stood without compilation Of these laws; and he
insisted that the House owed Il TO lis various com
mitees even " no other considerations for the act
existed, 10 have this document printed and dis
tributed.
Mr.. YANCEY said that he was opposed to the
whole system Of printing documents for the infor'
ing and grieyous evil; and the amount OF money
appropriated for public printing was already
enormous, even II IL was not increasing. Mem
oers Of Congress had no right to call for the
printing of boolos for their particular Information,
fhe gentleman from Virgins, lMr. HorKrss,l
had sad, that there were but very few mem
bers Of This House who knew what the pension
laws were. Ii this so, Il was their shame.
And because they did not know, were they To call
upon the House TO go into a large expenditure Of
the public money merely TO supply them with doc
uments containing that which they ought 10 known
before they offered themselves for seat here Cen
remen might as we'll ask for the printing Of other
sta utes, ia order that members OF Congress, who
were too lazy, perhaps to 90 and consult the stat
ute book, might have the information they wanted
The argument was not just one. IL the House
ordered the printing Of documents in relation 10 the
pension laws, il might well order the printing OF
other matters, before the Committee the Judicial
ry, (for example, or the Committee on the Depart
ment Of the Navy, or the Department Of War, or
of the Post Office. IL good reason for this ex-
penduure, to say that members OF Congress were
ignorant what the laws Of the land were.
Ii seemed to him that the argument Of the gentle
man from Tennessee, Mr.. JosEs,l was conclusive,
that the pension list was filed up, or nearly so, by
those who ought TO be there, and that there were
very few who had yet to apply for pensions. The
roll the ordinary course OF nature, ought TO be de-
creasing; yet If was increasing, that was no reason
He had understood that the Commissioner Of
Pensions furnished blanks to all those who applied
setting forth what ought TO be done, without go
ing 10 the expense Of furnishing copies Of the
laws to each OF them. II was common thing for
candidates upon the hustings to talk before the
people OF an economical administration Of the gov
ernment--of allowing no greater appropriations Of
money than were merely necessary to carry II on.
vel we found those very gentlemen, when elected
to their seats here, constantly voting TO increase the
expenditures in order that they might be supplied
with printed documents for their own information;
when if they confess their ignorance before the
people, the probability was that they would not
nave obtained their seats here at all.
He was opposed well TO the smaller to the
larger number. Let gentlemen 60 TO the Library,
and there seek for the information they required.
MIR. HAMLIN took the floor, but yielded it at
the request Of
Mr.. HOPKINS, who desired to say a word in
reply to the gentleman from Alabama, Mr.. YAM
cEY
He (Mr. H. had, he said, ventured the sugges-
ton that members Of tho House not very ac
curately informed on this subject And although il
might be, as the gentleman had averred, "a shame"
that the fact should be so, yet he mr. II must
admit that so far he himself was concerned, it
was true And, with great Difference to the intelli-
gence Of the able gentleman from Alabama he MIR.
H. might venture the SUGGESTION that that gentle
man himself could not, from his position, be very
accurately 1nIoTUltu upon suDJeCt aDOut WHICH ne
(Mr. FL. J believed, inconsistent and contradictory
decisions had been made even by functonaries
high as the Secretaries Of War. They had differed
as TO what had been Hesitation. The opinion
Of the Attorney General Of the United States had
been invoked by resolution, as had been the aid of
the Secretary Of War, in this very compilation.
And for whom' Had any gentleman dreamed that
these documents to be published for the infor-
nation of members of Congress' If the gentleman
from Alabama supposed that he (Mr. Fl wished
any particular number for his own benefit, he was
mistaken. 1t was for the benefit of the people that
they were needed.
Ii had been said that the Commissioner of Pen
sions furnished forms when called upon. By whom
" as he called uponi BY that class of spectators
who were spread over the length and breadth of the
land. He was not called upon by revolutionary
soldiers, or soldiers of the late war. 1t for the
purpose of protecting these individuals that he
tMr. H.) would throw this information broadcast
over the country He would have copy deposited
in the clerks Office of every county in the Union.
On questions involving public expenditures, he
seldom went further than the gentleman from Ala
bama, especially upon questions of printing extra
numbers Of Documents He (Mr Fl y had but rare
" gone with those who had voted in favor of the
largest numbers. And recently it had been his mis-
fortune to differ with portion Of his friends (and
amongst others, he thought with the gentleman
| from Alabama hlmseO in relation to printing an
unusually large number of the report of the Secreta
know whether the gentleman went for the smaller
| or the larger number. 3. ....". ...
| Mr.. YANCEY said, for the larger.
| MIR. HOPKINS continued. The gentleman said
for the larger. IL, tbens he would make out an &c
count-current between them, putting on one side tn,
vote of that gentleman fos the largest number of thu
secrelary's report, and the other his lMr, HIS
vote for the largest number Of this compilation, thu
gentleman would find himself considerably th'
debtor. . ...-.-. .a, .... ..... .... =.
I He (Mr II } admitted that the number of docu
ments printed was growing evil; and no on
would rejoice more than he, If the House should b.
able to arrest it, But tit was not with the old pen
/ sioners of the government that this system Of re
form was to have its beginning He would be fount
most willing to go with the gentleman in all thes
questions involving economy in the expenditures o
the pubic money where that economy could b.
properly sppedj for he had usually voted agains
propostonsto print large numbers Of documents.
/ Mr. II, SMITH said he fsh surpsised Mt the re
marks which had fallen from the gentleman from
Alabama, Mr.. YAscEY, in regard 70 the qualifca
tons necessary for representative on this floor