The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-02-14
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
DEFICIENCY BILL.

DbfIClENCf BILL
MIR. BAYLY. by unanimous consent, reported
back from the Committee of Ways and Means the
bill making appropriations to supply deficiencies in
the appropriations for the year ending June 80 lS5l
with the Senate amendments, and with an amend
ment to one of the Senate's amendments. And it
referred to the Committee of the Whole on the
state Of the Union
THE ARMY.
Mr.. BAYLY, from the Committee of Ways and
Means, reported bill making appropriations for
the support Of the army for the year ending June
30, 1852; which was referred to the Committee Of
the Whole the state Of the Union and ordered to
be printed.
MIR. CROWELL asked, but did not obtain leave,
to introduce resolution, calling upon the Secretary
of War 10 communicate to the House the report and
drawings of Captain Stansbury, of the corps of To-
biographical Engineers, of his expedition to Salt
Lake. in the territory Of Utah in the years 1919 and
1850.
CONGRESSIONAL PRINTING.
The SPEAKER announced the business 20 be the
resolution reported by the Committee on Printing,
for the relief of Thomas Richie, on account of the
public printing.
The question pending was on the motion of Mr.
BuRT, that the report be recomntted to the Com
nittee Printing, and that they be instructed to
inquire and report whether Mr.. Richie has execut-
ed the public printing, having regard to the quality
OF the work and to tiIne agreeaby to the contract,
and what cum he has lost by his contract
Mr. MARSHALL resumed his remarks from
yesterday, when he endeavorcd to show that the
COHtEdCt Was originally procured without any IN
tenton of performing it. He then proceeded to
reply to remarks delivered by his colleague, MIR.
MoREHEAD,) and said this attempt to give money
to Mr.. Richie to pension the Union newspaper
the treasury of the United States. He referred
10 a letter which he had received from Mr.. John L.
Towers, (Which read by the Clerk,) in hch the
writer stated that he was the contractor for the first
class OF public printing has performed his contract
faithfully, that there has been no complaint, and
that his bid is equally low less than the prices
paid to MIR. Richie; and therefore he respectfully
demonstrates against an invidious discrimina ton
IN favor OF one contractor over another. If this
system OF indemnity should be commenced, il
would not stop with the public printer there would
be no termination on the drain of the treasury to
carry 1t out. He opposed to the resolution
for this reason, apart from the fact that he believed
that the contract was not entered into with bona
fde intention of executing it, and that the design
was to break down the contract system. He
peatcd that the adoption OF this resolution would
have the effect Of changing the existing law, and
that no loss has can be shown.
Mr.. HOLIDAY called attention TO the reasons
for occasional delay in executing the printing;
was, that the House, at the commencement OF the
first session Of this Congress, not organized for
Six weeks; and another, that the amount Of print
ing extraordinarily large. Hundreds and
thousands Of the documents were ordered TO be
bound before delivery. the delay, he repeated,
was attributable TO Congress ITSELF and not to the
contractor. The amount OF printing which has
been delivered is greater than that executed by any
other contractor within similar period of time.
Never was there more diligence and energy exerted
Inony oil practical printers, and men engaged in
the business for the last twenty years Mr. III said
III the course oil his remarks that the fact was dis
closed that the most profitable work was withheld
from Mr. Richie, while that which commanded
the worst prices were assigned while on a part of
the printing executed, he was not paid the priccs
authorized by the contract lie pressed the adup-
ton Of the resolution the ground Of common
principles of propriety and justice.
Mr.. ASHM n, considering that lcse than three
weeks remain of this Congress for executing the
he a To had
and that both sides had been fairly heard, moved
the previous question; which seconded.
The SPEAKER took the occasion to state that, at
previous period of the day, question of order
was raised by Mr.. McCLERNASp, the Chair having
decided as irrelevant amendment offered ycetcr-
DAY by Mr.. CRowELL TO the instructions proposed
Dy Mr. BURT, further TO instruct the Committee on
PRINTING to report that the same relief be granted
and compensation allowed 10 the printers of the
thIrtleth Congress, (Wcndell & Van Benthuysen }
and on the came terms and conditions a. are al
lowed 10 the SAID william Nj Belt under this act
The question having been taken on an apneal
the decision of the Chair was sustained
Mr.. STEVENS, of Pennsylvania, moved that the
resolution be laid upon the table; and the question
was decided in the negative--yeas go na va ll0-as
follows:
fEAS.-Messrs. Alexander, Allen, Anderson
Bennett, bingham, Bokec, Booth, Bowie Briggs
ALBERT u Brown, Burrows Burt, Butler, Calvin,
campbell, Cartier, Casey, Clarke, Colcock. Cole
Conger, Corwln, Crowell, Dckey, Dixon, Doty
Duncan, Durkee. Eliot, Alexander Evans Nathan
Evans, Fowler, Freddy, Gentry Giddings, Gil
bert, Could, Holloway, Hampton Hay, Henry,
houston, Howe, Hunter, William T. Jackson Ju.