The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-03-09

which the House adjourned till Monday.
We understand that the POSTMASTER
GENERAL will be compelled to forego the
pleasure of receiving his friends as usual
on Monday evening next, in consequence
of the serious indisposition of a member
of his family.
The President and the California Docu-
ments.
| We understand that Mr.. BoRLAND took
occasion yesterday, in the Senate, to ami
madvert upon an article in the Republic
on the subject of the public printing. We
alluded in terms of just complaint to the
fact that the answer of the PRESIDENT to
the call of the two Houses, for the docu-
ments relative to California, had not been
printed; and stated that Mr.. CALHOUN
was compelled to make his speech, assail-
ing the Administration, without the means
before him of understanding what the ac-
ton of the PRESIDENT had been in the
premises. We asked if it was the SIN
tention" of the Opposition majorities"
in the two Houses that the PRESIDENT
should not come before the people with
the facts necessary to explain and vindi-
cate its coursel If we are correctly in
formed as to the nature of Mr.. BoR-
LANDS criticisms, he interpreted this ques-
lion as an attack upon tho Committee
on Printing and the Democratic party.
This, at all events, was the view taken
of the subject by Mr.. MELVILLE in the
House of Representatives. That gentle
man is reported to have spoken in the
House on Thursday in the following man.
ner:
''Mr McWILLIE took occasion to advert to an ed
itorial paragraph which recently appeared in the
Republic, charging the Committee on Printing and
the Democratic party generally with having de-
layed the printing OF the information called for
with reference to the Presidents action in the af
fairs of California. As universal rule, he re-
marked, the charge comes from those who would
themselves do improper things. If the editor of
that paper had made the necessary inquiry, he
never would have uttered the charge. By direc-
ton Of the Joint Committee on Printing, all other
printing is kept back, and the public printers
expressly ordered to have that document ready
for delivery soon possible, and in a few days
: it will be ready. II will make a volume Of ten
twelve, fifteen hundred pages
Mr.. Neville is too fast. We did not
attack the Committee on Printing, nor the
Democratic party. We have never ad-
mitted that the Democratic party is in a
majority in both branches of Congress.
We referred in terms to the ''Opposition
msjorities" in the two branches-mean-
ing thereby the Locofocos, Abolitionists,
and Disunionists, in combination. These
constitute the Opposition majorities. We
blamed those majorities for transacting
their business in such manner that i'm
portant documents, looked for by the
country with great solicitude, and so i'm
pO,tant as TO be made the subject Of simulta-
neolis calls IN both Houses, are not printed
within sixty-fve days after the call made,
and will not probably be printed within
sixty-fve days after the call answered
On the third of January we published the
following paragraph on this subject:
GA few days since, in the House of Rep
resentatives, Mr.. VENABLE, Of North
Carolina, offered resolution calling for
information from the President relative
TO California; and on the same day Mr.
CLEMENS, Of Alabama, offered a reso-
| { l,,,.on of l,La oharoctar Tho 49,. - -
much alike, no one can read them with
{ out being struck with the resemblance.
In the House of Representatives on
{ Monday, the 3lst of December, when
Mr.. VENABLE's resolution came up
for consideration, we see, from the pub
lished proceedings, that Mr.. STANLY
asked Mr. VESABLE whether he had
borrowed the resolution from another,
mir. CLEMENs,) or whether some one
had stolen his thunder. Mr.. V. replied
il was his own thunder. This is good
deal like "fore-bearing" and answering
on the 18th day Of the month speech
made on the day afterl''
In our article we attributed this scan
dalous delay to the Opposition mojmities
Why, what state of things does Mr.
McWLLIE's statement disclosel II pri-
vate individual wanted a pamphlet Of
1900 pages printed, he must have very
little wit if he could not manage to pro-
cure il within ten days or fortnight at
the farthest But this great nation, with
an anxious and excited population Of
twenty millions calling through their re-
representatives. in the two branches for such
a pamphlet, cannot get it in two months
timel With revenue of forty millions,
and interests involved touching the very
existence of the Government, so wretch
edly inadequate are the legislative pro-
visions on this subject that Senator is
compelled TO discuss question of the
magnitude Of the admission Of California