The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-03-11

ter, with corrupt motives, with shameful and
shabby" conduct. They should have seen TO it.
that they themselves had clean consciences and
clean hands, before yenturing, before daring to
charge such improperly upon
For one, think fairly represent the feelings and
the purposes of the majorities in the two houses of
Congress, of that division of them to which be-
long, when say that they are ayerse TO any con-
cealment Of facts connected with the doings of the
| Administration. So far as know, every disposi-
ton has been manifested, on the part OF those ma
lorities, to give the Administration fair trial
There is no purpose of factious opposition no wish
to throw obstacles in the way of their being fully
heard. Formyself, may say that have been desi-
rous that the facts in this particular should go
before the public at once, and that precedence, in
| point of time, should be given to them over other
| matters. have voted for every call for informa-
ton which has been voted upon at this session. 1t
| was the desire of the Committee on Printing-and
| appeal to the Senator from Connecticut, (Mr
SMIrH,) who belongs also to that committee, to
| say whether do not state truly what has been
| done in that commttee--it was their desire (and
| every thing was done in good faith that could be
done) to allow the Administration to go before the
| country at once, without the least delay or con-
| cealment, to be for what they are, and to be
| judged by what they have done.
For the public printers, 10 any delay which
has occurred in their office in the printing Of this
| document, do not know that am called upon to
make any particular defence. They are capable
! OF defending themselves. But must say-and
am sure that every member OF the committee, whe-
| Their he belongs to the Administration party or to
the opposition party, as it is called will say-that,
under the present circumstances, they have been
unable and that the inevitable operation OF the sys-
| tenn which has been adopted by Congress for the
public printing has been to render them unable, to
| do the work with more expedition than has been
attained. The documents already ordered to be
printed are very large, and require an immense
| amount Of very intricate and troublesome work;
and it would be impossible, at the rates which Con-
| gress now pays for the performance of this work,
| to perform 1t more speedily than has been done.
.arfIc ttla HAta af
the public printers, they able to defend them
selves.
There is another point to which desire to call
the attention of the Senate Great complaint has
been made about the delay of public printing, not
only in this particular instance. but in others The
committee have been charged with neglect of duty,
as understand, and the public printers have been
charged with it, 1t comes from the executive
quarter. Now, Mr.. President, in view Of this,
have taken some pains to inquire into some of the
causes of delay. have in my hand portion of a
public document now in the hands Of the public
printers, and partly executed 1t exhibits very
strikingy one Of those causes of delay. The fault
lies, sir, not in either house of Congress, not with
the Committee on Printing, not with the public
printers, but with the Executive Department OF the
Government. hold in my hand some proof
of what is called the Report of the Secretary Of the
Treasury on the Finances ! find in it, sir errors
which require time-days, perhaps weeks-for
their correction; not errors committed by the
public printers, but by the executive officers
who prepared this important document. find
that, In these dozen pages, there are many gross
errors that were committed in the department
which prepared this document, before it was
yer seen by the public printers When these
proofs struck off, and to the department,
1t seems to have been found necessary. on account
OF these errors, and to make the thing Ineligible,
to make material alterations, deductions, and addi
tons, not on account of the printers work. but
account of executive blunders. Delays occa-
stoned, time is consumed, days--perhaps weeks
occupied by Executive officers in the correction of
their own errors in the retracing their own blum
dering steps. In this financial document, transpo-
slon OF the heads of columns equivalent to making
new heads, was found necessary the erasure Of
long lines of fgures-the shortening in some in
stances, and the elongaton in Others of important
statistical tables--was practised. In other instan-
ces, whole pages have been so altered, after the
printer had done his work according to the copy
furnished him, that the process known by printers
as oyerrunning" as many as sixty or eighty pages
was necessary.
All this after the printer, faithful TO his contract.
had incurred the labor, trouble, and expense of
making up his tables, adjusting his columns, set
ting up his types and striking off his proof in exact
conformity with the copy he had received; all this
because the Executive officers had Numbered in
their work. and spoiled it by their own errors And
yet sir for the delay occasioned in part, at least
by causes Of this kind, and from this source, we
hear complaints from the friends of the Admins
traton, If not from the Administration itself, that
the public printing is delayed, If the term "hug-
ger mugger" is applicable to any thing in this
connexion, think 1t is to such work have de-
sCrlDeu from the Executive departments.
forbear the use of terms which would justly char
acterize such conduct on the part of the Admins
tration, especially will refrain from using what
might be fair terms of retaliation for the charge of
corrupt motives, which such an Administration has
thought proper to make against the majorities of
the two houses Of Congress.
MIR. SMITH. II seems TO me that my friend, the
Senator from Arkansas, has attached more import.
ance to this subject than il really merits. Will
the Senator allow me TO say that five occupy our
selves with refutation Of all the SANDER and abuse
which is uttered through the newspapers of the
country we viii have nothing else to do during the
whole session. My attention attracted 70 the
article on which he has commented at the time of
its publication; and am free to say that the edi-
tors OF the paper in which il ia contained proceeded
upon entire misapp ehenson Of the true state Of
the case, when they pcnned it. There was not, in
my judgment, the slightest foundation for this inn
putation upon the Committee on Printing, or upon
the maJoritics IN the two Houses-no more founda-
dation Tor II, SIR, than there Ia in the suggestion
that the newspaper in this city called the Rspub
hc is the responsible organ Of the Executive. The
administration has no organ in this city, and has
nothing whatever TO do with the control Of the mat
ter which appears in that paper; is the Presi-
dent; or any member Of the Cabinet, responsible
in the slightest degree for this article, or for any
other article appearing in the Republic. ! beg
far ns ] can recoect, with the exception of the
paragraph to which the Senator has referred, il
conducted with decorum and with proper respect
for the two houses of Congress, and am perfectly
that paper, containing its political matter and put
them in contrast with the calumny and abuse which
daily and necessarily appear in another paper in
this city should be quite glad
Mr.. FOOTE, (interposing.) Mr. President,
rise TO point OF order. think cannot permit
the honorable Senator 10 proceed in that strain |
would suggest that il is hardly parliamentary TO
abuse one Of the official organs Of the Senate.
tLaughtcr.l We ought to maintain the dignity Of
our organs However, Mr.. President, IL the hon
orable Senators tastes different, will not press
the point
MIR. SMITH. The honorable Senator from Mssis-
sppi il but seldom heard in the Senate. lie Is not
much in the habit Of making speeches; and sup.
pose therefore, that he must be INDUCED in a sort
Of Interpolation in the speeches Of others. laugh
teri l am quite willing therefore, that he should
interrupt any remarks which may be making.
regret that the honorable Senator from Arkansas,
the chairman Of the Committee Printing, should
have thought II necessary TO do any thing more
than TO state the facts in regard 10 this matter II
is entirely true, stated by hun, that one week
ago-I believe at the expiration Of month after
this document was sent 20 the Scnatcthe attention
OF the COMMITTEES on Printing called 10 the ne
cessity Of having il printed Immediately II was
at my instance, believe; at any rate concurred
in the suggestion, with tho other members Of the