The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-06-25
In CONGRESS OF THE u. STATES.
Thtrtfeth Congress Session,
THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1918.

THURSDAY, JUNE %, lSiS.
i HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
| The Journal having been read and corrected. so as to
show that Mr. FEATHERsToNs motion called up the post
route Dill on yesterday and Mr. GoGGN having corrected
a report OF his remarks upon the same bill
| FINANCES.
The SPEAKER pro tenn stated that the business first
IN order the Consideration of the reports from
gentleman from Virginia [Mr BEDNGERl had the floor
Mr. BEDlNGER said he regretted to encroach upon
the time and patience of the House, by the remarks
which he felt it his duty make in defence of the report
OF the minority OF the Committee Public Expenditures,
winch he had the honor to present yesterday and in
Ply to some OF the remarks made BY the gentleman from
Pennsylvania Mr.. STRoHM who had addressed the
House yesterday morning. The subject, however was
one OF considerable Importance both to the House and to
upon and an attempted defence Of the annual report of
the Secretary OF the Treasury He hoped therefore, that
the House would hear with patience the remarks which
ne had to make in defence OF the minority report which
! he had submitted.
The Committee Public Expenditures if not by vio-
lang their duty YET by usurpng powers and jurisdiction
poyed during nearly the whole of the winter and spring
IN preparing abored report of forty pages upon
the annual report OF the Secretary of the Treasury and
in eDdeavoDg convict the Secretary of errors dis
crepancies and blunders, which, if they really to
be found in his report, would wholly dsqualfy him for
the high office which he fills with such distinguished
ability and with such credit to his country and to him
sell his report proceeded from committee which,
until the present of Congress- had been regarded
as mere nulity; its jurisdiction, duties and powers
having been entirely superseded by the additional powers
conferred the Committee OF Ways and Means on the
It'll OF January, 1902 and by the committees on ex
pendtures IN the several departments, created the h
March, 1916 But If the powers and duties of this
committee had not been thus superseded, its original
jurisdiction did not he conceived, extend to the nves
gang and examination OF the annual report OF the Sec
MIR. b. only advcrted to this want of jurisdiction on
the part OF the committee because he had been compelled
TO inform the House, when the report OF the committee
AMI tn fbatnlf o.,rh ha
member OF that committee, he had not been that
any such investigation was actually pending that any
such report was about to be made until had been adopt
ed by the committee true, that the committee at
the rst and only meeting which he had attended, Qor
reasons that at times when he had been he
had not been able to find the room in which they were
to meet-they having, he believed, no regular room
signed to Them and at other times he had failed to find
quorum presently had appointed subcommittee, consist
ing OF three members, OF which he But he did
not know at the time, he informed afterwards
that the object of that sub committee to go into
investigation of the annual report of the Secreta
of the Treasury He knew nothing of this until after the
report had been adopted by the committee. 1t might be
said that was his duty to attend all the meetings of the
committee even II he had to procure search warrant
proceedings even if those proceedings transcribed their
jurisdiction. might have been his duty also, to
tam what the subcommittee was about all the winter,
and to participate in their deliberations and nvestga
TONS and he assured the House that if he could have
had the slightest idea OF the magnitude of the work
made an effort to have had hand in it, if il had only
Gus errors into which they have fallen in their audabe
attack upon the Secretary of the Treasury He owed the
committee apology for not having known what they
were engaged IN during the winter and ne really ie
inflicted upon the committee serious injury BY not hav-
ing informed himself Of and participated in, their great
undertaking. For, if he had been informed OF their
action, it is very probable he would, have informed
the Secretary of the Treasury, as he never could
attack any one, without informing him that he was
attacking, or meant to attack him; and if he had
N Dremsdltafed
| on his report, the committee would most probably
have avoided the numerous and "ganng" errors into
peared in almost every page OF their report and which
they had now, unfortunately for themselves, bazoned
and published to the world. For he unwilling to
believe that the Secretary he had been aware OF their
action at first, would wfully, maciously, and cruelty
have suffered them to go stumbling on from one huge
bunder to anohehere attacking tables Of the Register
and calling them the Secetarys report; there msakIng
book for anothercommitting error upon error In
rapid succession, the amount of sixty -four in
ing deliberately into the very ptfa which they had digged
for another He said the Secretary mercIfui man.
and he did not believe he would have stood calmly by and
witnessed this reckless suicide upon the part OF the COM
mittee Therefore, he repeated, he owed the committee
an apology for not having informed himself, and the
Secretary Also OF their intended attack. IN order that
erng by the generosity of the Secretary But neither the
Secretary the Acting Secretary, had the slightest m
timation suspicion of the mighty aborng OF this
The gentleman from Pennsylvania, MIR. STRoHM,]
who was the chairman of the subcommittee, had said
on Yesterday, that he did not deem It the duty OF the
committee to inform the Secretary of the elaborate attack
preparing against him. Sir, it might not have come
strictly within the pale of their duty to have done So
but generosity and courtesy should have induced them to
whom it was to have been aimed Sir, they premedi
tated serious chage-that of negligence or inca
pacty-against the Secretary would have been more
than Justice to have informed him before they made
Sir, if would have been JUST and It would have been
polite, moreover to have acted for by so'domg,
the committee would have saved, not the Secretary,
but themselves. The Preparation OF slxty-four err
| rors in thirty-nine pages would have been spared
them, and they would have saved their reputation
erous opponents There but one ground upon
which they might justify their not having informed the
Secretary of their intended attack. Their labored effort,
in truth was not against the Secretary, but against an
other and very different oce-the Register of the Treas
Iurv-wbo the committee should have known, not
appointed by the Secretary could not be removed from
Office by him. responsible to him, and whose du
ties prescribed by law different from those OF the
Secretary as the duties of the gentleman from Pennsy
4 yana MIR STRoHMl are different from those of the
Speaker of this House. as the duties OF the Committee
on Public Expenditures from those which they have
attempted to perform.
Mr. here read from the act of Congress of Septem-
Der g. 1885, entitled act to establish the Treasury De-
partment:'
SEC That shall be the duty Of the Secretary of the
Treasury digest and prepare plans for the
and management of the revenue, and Tor the support OF
public credit preParc and report estimates OF the puoc
collection the decide on the forms OF keeping
and stating accounts ard making sturn and TO grant,
der the Limitations herein established, be hereafter
crowded all OF TO be issued from the
r~Or~y,V Vxuutlc hV