The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-02-05

has Indicated and may say that the contract have no
manner OF doubt upon the point ndw) was made win hs
executive department. o. The govsmment wan
Now, then, this committee has reported this bIl a.
have before remarked containing the Provision Of the OLD
law and confeing on The head Of the Department Of hs
Lag s x passs I'D i, UPON ss as
may see 1T. without advertising, without competition
10 any such provision IN this bill am utterly opposed
1O ;A believe thai TIE 9 oSs .s =. e
|6ded IN him lam convinced he will execute il with as
much fidelity as any other Of the distinguished citizens Of
Now sir, in order to realize, or rather to carry out
what has been The policy oil the government for several
Years pasto wit TO have a the public printing let out
at contract and given to the lowest bidder that is re.
|ued is the addition oil few words TO the last clause
|of the 20th section The last clause reads thus
sand, further the returns arc made 70 canse the
70 be classified and arranged IN this best aud
colvenient manner Tor h %, and - thousand copies
thereof TO be printed for dis'rlbniion."
Now, sir, the amendment OF my honorable friend shall
HAIL. will propose to add to thai clause these words
i will Be observed By the Senate on recurring to the
est section Of the bill in relation 10 the preparatory print
Ing, that there is clause requiring that such printing
hall be le out BY contract to The lowest bidder it is IN
"In order give despatch business the said Secre
ry shall be- autIozed 10 contract for the necessary pre-
aissoy pda!ns BY zen dass' notice. instead Of the dine
| do not remember what time the law requires, Will
|he honorable senator from Arkansas [Mr. BoRLANDl
lease 70 state what that tune isl
Mr.. SMITH. Yes, sir il requires month. Now, in
order TO expedite the printing in this particular case. the
committee have very properly altered the old law They
con contract Sn hss he secretary shall only
ured give tan days notice, that the whole al those
Who are engaged in this business OF printing those who
Pre connected with the papers, and those who are not
narfod with ho in nd fnrth
GIVE. he Senate Should DO, is simply 10 provide that
shsn The subject q printing The census comes up ne
admit the whole typographical corps in this city into
ompstition for it, and that Is all that the public ought to
Mr PrssdeS regret laI y differ with my honorable
friend the chairman OF the committees with whom am
associated in the opinion which he has expressed that
(hs work would Be deemed 70 be ncudedn the contract
submit to he honorable senator that this is not printing
Tor Congress- II is printing for the Department Of the In
faS VIII as senator s allow mel The
amendment which propose to be adopted is to order this
printing to be done BY Congress, and thus the same will
Eome within the contract OF the public printers
Mr.. SMITH. conceive not. The gentleman knows
very well that have made an advantageous contract
with these printers He knowsve well that they have
Stipulated 70 o. the public printing believe would NIT
cost them 10 do the work. When we have madeI will
call il shaving contract but il shaves mighty close
will the honorable senator claim that we can impose
Rl sorts OF public printing upon them Can we
order them to. print the acts Of Congress- or
anything beyond what was agreed upon Congress
ought not 70 do this, simply because we have made hard
hot my understanding Of the proper method Of dealing
with these people, Is il right, the very moment that
Congress finds out that they have got advantageous
(Ss form d y law DO no, know but may 5s wrong
Upon this subject and certainly there few gentlemen
whose views more sincerely respect than those Of my
But there Is another thing for our confederation There
Is member Of this body who is or can be more thor
bughly convinced than my honorable friend from Arkan
as that these printers cannot possibly this con-
never known public printing, during the ten years
that have been in Congress- either IN point Of paper OF
typography. % compare in quality or excellence with
message with the accompanying documents My friend
much more competent than am to form opinion upon
hat subjects but have seen no public document since
have been in Congress- which think well done
Die document which has been laid upon tables this
horning And now does my worthy friend believe that
hese contractors possibygo under this contract
eavyoss lido not know buthey may have very large for
understand that they are highly respectable gentle
men, who employed in the Union Office in this city
very respectable Ipresume that they may be gen
emen OF very considerable property, but il Is not at all
probable that they have fortune which viii enable them
70 sustain loss OF gIeat many tnOoednde Oh doars
Why, Mr. President, the printers Of the last Congress
Zane here demanding Indemnity, do not remember 10
what amount We have had this question before the
COMMITTEES on Printing. The printers Of the last Con
ess have here for indemnity for their losses and
the printers OF the present Congress have undebd the
printers OF the last Congress BY very large per centage
nd the honorable chairman, well myself, thor
bughy convinced that these printers cannot execute
this contract without heavy losses What is il, then,
that my friend proposes He suggests that within few
days he is going to make proposition upon this subject
Perhaps would not be proper for 10 anticipate that
proposition but would inquire Mr. President whether
he proposition is recur TO the old systematic election
of printer by the Senate and House OF Representatives
|eachs Now, the amendment Of my worthy friend pro-
|vides--
Mr. DOWNS, (nierposing) Will the senator allow
|me! In answer to my question few minutes ago, the
senator stated that at the Goth Congress MessTs Blair
Rves were not the printers Of both houses OF Congress
| have since been Informed, by gentleman who is
with the facts that they were the printers OF
both houses al that time.
Mr. SMITH As | happened to be a member OF the
27h Congress- and had something 10 do with the pro-
ceedngs Of that body upon this subject think that my
Trend must be wholly mistaken, for know that Mr..
Thomas Allen was the printer for the House Of Repre-
sentaiives, and that there printer to the two
Mr. DOWNS am credibly informed that there
were public printers, and that Mr. Allen printed the
pendulum and that some controversy arose about the mat
|M al the time.
Mr. SMITH, Tin his seat) Well, may be mistaken
Mr. DOWNS, (continuing.) While aln M, Mr. Pres
fhnr - 18th. ntsorI II -