The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-03-11
Remark. OF MIR. norlana.
In The United States SENATE, March >, 1900.
PRIVILEGED auEsTIoN-PuBLIc PERMITTING.


tention Of the Senate 10 article which appeare,
IN the Republic newspaper, of this city, few day
ago, and 10 make an explanation OF the course q
| the Committee on Printing in relation to the mat
ter mentioned III that article. i will send the pa
per to the Secretary, and request that the article
may be read.
The article read by the secretary as fol
lows:
TWO HoUsEs.-Is there any mlotire in withholding
public documents from Congress and the people
Is il the intention its enemies that the Administers
ton shall not come before the people with the iact'
necessary 10 explain and yindicate Its course! Il
MIR. Calhoun had been in possession, before max
ing his speech, Of the documents communicated t
Congress in answer 70 the calls of the two houses
on the President in relation To California, he NIGH
have thought il but an act Of justice to the Pres
dent to modify some of his views and expressions
MIR. Calhoun says:
.ssI have not seen the answer of the Executive tc
the calls made by the two houses of Congress fol-
Information TO the which it took, or the
part which il acted, in reference to what done
in California understand the haze not ye
been printed But there is enough known To justify
the assertion, that those who profess to represent
and act under the authority of the Executive have
advised, aided, and encouraged the movement
which terminated in forming what they call con.
l stitution and State
Snow we ask the American people what kind oil
justice toward the President and the Administra-
! ton they expect from opposition majorities
which make calls upon the President for official
papers, and then, if they do not answer their pur-
| pose, hugger- mugger them up in the printers
closets, There was long and loud out-cry by
| Mr.. Clemens in the Senate, and Mr.. Venabe in the
| House, for these documents. The opposition ma
jorities were hot and impatient to procure them
| from the President. Clerks were employed at a
great expense to make the necessary copies; and
when Mr.. Calhoun makes speech two months
afterwards, hc understands that The anstoGs made
hare not been printed
| "We protest against this kind of warfare. The
opposition majorities in the two branches would
have deluged the country with these documents
long since if they had been calculated to reflect
upon the conduct of President Taylor; but since
they only show that the old man has acted wisely,
prudently, and periodically, the documents can
not be printed Even Senator of the United States
cannot procure copy, to enable him TO assai the
Administration understandingly. This is shabby
and shameful
| Mr.. BORLAND resumed Mr.. President, in the
article which has just been read the charge is made,
IN general terms, against what the editors OF the
Republic call the Opposition majorites in the two
houses" 1t charges that information was called for
from the President of the United States upon an inn
portant subject, and that when that information
communicated the opposition maJorlties in the two
the expression of that paper, "hugger- muggered
them up in the printers Closets" II charges that
this was done by the majority of the two houses Of
Congress, in corrupt collision with the public
printers, for the purpose of keeping the nforma-
ton from the public. That, sir, is the charge.
If such charge had been made by any ordinary
paper of the country, do not think should have
felt called upon to make any defence of the "oppo
siton majorities OF Congress-, of the Committee
on Printing But il comes from the recognised or
gan of this Administration. 1t comes from paper
that is known TO be In the confidence, and is under
stood TO speak the sentiments, OF the Administra-
ton. Ii may be considered therefore, charge
coming directly from the Administration against
the Opposition malorites," as they are called, in
the two houses of Congress-; accusing them To COR
rupt motives; of having called for information
bearing upon the public interest with the expecta
| ton that that information would condemn the Ad-
ministration; but when the information is brought
before the two houses of Congress, and it is found,
this paper insinuates that this information, so
far from condemning the course Of the Administra
ton, sustans it, then, from corrupt motives, the
maiorities Of the two houses of Congress have con-
cealed the information. That is the charge, and
from that authority
IL is not for to enter into elaborate defence
OF the majority OF the two houses OF Congress from
such charge as this. But in this charge against
Congress in general is involved one equally grave,
and perhaps more direct, against the Committee
on Printing TO whom the question of printing this
document was referred-a fraudulent and corrupt
conniving; or, to the expression of the paper,
"shamefully and stability conspiring with the pub
lie printers for the execution of corrupt purposes
Now, sir, what are the facts? After some delay,
and after some opposition the part of friends of
the Administration, the call for this information
was made. After some dclay-necessary delay, /
| am willing to admit-it was communicated. And
pile of papers here, which will make at least
| 900 pages of printed matter Could that be
printed Immediately? Was il expected that il
| should be printed immediately ] am not in the
habit OF attributing improper motives. j am not
in the habit Of uncharitaby ascribing corrupt pur
poses to anybody, much ess to the administration
Of the Government; but when that administration,
through its recognised organ, charges corrupt mo-
tives upon this body, upon that division Of IL TO
which belong, feel authorized and justified in
inquiring little into the motives Of those who
make such charges.
Now, ask-and put it to the candor and good
sense of every one who hears me-if there was any
necessity, in answering that call, 20 make a com
munication which will fill 900 pagcsl Did the
resolution require all that immense pile Of paper
be sent here in 10 the interrogatores' What
were those interrogatories, They were, TO ascer-
tain the instructions given to the military author
tiles in California, and 10 the agents sent there 10
carry out the purposes Of the Administration. Did
that CALL in the common sense meaning Of il, con-
template every thing that had passed in relation 10
California! Did il contemplate every question asked
| and every answer given every document Of every
kind? every scrap Of paper every record every
minute OF conversation lapprehend not, sir. II
have been comprised in n much smaller space-in
a compass that could have been printed in one week
and laid before Congress and the public. At whose
door, then, does the charge of corrupt motives e'
At whose door may be laid the charge Of 'ssharne-
fully and shabbily" Withholding information from
the public, At the door Of the Senate Of the House
Of Representatives, Of the Committee on Printing;
leave IL 20 the common intelligence and the com
mon eandOr Of every man who hears me 70 answer.
The information was called for by this House and
by the other The very moment the answer was
communicated, order for the printing WINS made.
And what did the Committee on Printing dor Act
ing in good faith, 10 carry out the views in which
the call was made by the two houses. and in which
the order was made for the printing they commu-
nicated II TO the public printer and what direc-
tons did they give him. To print IL forftciLl not
TO let il lie and take IT, course in the usual order Of
first ordered TO be first printed il must have done
without a special order Other documents were
laid aside in order TO get the information called for
before the two houses, and 10 enable the admins
trstion TO be heard, that il might be known what IL
! had done. The order Of the printing was changed,
and the precedence given 20 this very document.
| Was that "shamefully and stability" Withholding
information from the public, when il had been
called forl Was Il not, in good faith, doing all
that could be done 20 accomplish the very purposes
Of the call, and 10 give the administration fun and
| fair opportunity TO be heard; and not only 10 be
heard upon the points TO which attention was called
and information asked but upon every thing
connected with its conduct-every thing connected
with the whole subject Of California-cmbraced in
a document larger than the Presidents annual
message, with the accompanying documents, But,
sir, az the chairman Of the Committee on Printing
in the House said yesterday, IL the editors Of the
I I