The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-12-23
THlRTY-SECOND CONGRESS.
FIRST SESSION..
IN SENATE.
SATURAY, December 20, 1851

SAIUhAl, DtCeUlUcT 1901.
Prayers were offered by the chaplain, and the
journal Of yesterdays proceedings read: $3.50.
| Mr.. MORTON presented petition from sun
dry citizens of Florida relative to Indian affairs.
| Referred.
| CONGRESSIONAL BINDING.
| Mr.. BORLAND from the Committee on Print
| ing, reported resolution sent from the House
| and referred to said committee, providing for the
| binding of congressional documents, at an ex-
pense not to exceed tweve-and-a-half cents per
COPY. pop, ,vD ..;a ,h,, r.,,.,.d III. u..
| olution as a matter Of courtesy to the branch in
which il mad originated Sull he opposed to
| the whole system of procuring public printing ana
| binding TO be done by contract Under this sy
| TEN the work had been done IN an inferior man
ner Congress and the country imposed upon by
interior work, and nobody benefited by the money
except spectators. The public printing had been
expended, suffered to get far behnd-hand, and
the practice of procuring documents bound had
still farther delayed their delivery.
| MIR HAMLlN thought that the binding Of doc
| uments was desirable for their preservation. The
congressional binders, he thought, had done their
| part of the work faithfully. Complaint had been
| made that documents were not properly bound
the reason for this was that the sheets being
from the printer damp and not properly dried, the
| leaves Of the book shrank up after binding. Be.
sides, the amount paid fur binding being only
twelve and a-half cents per copy, II could scarcely
be expected that the work would be done very
well.
The resolution was laid on the table and made
in order for Monday week.
BILLS, PETITIONS, &c. PRESENTED AND REFERRED
| By Mr. MANGUM, bill for thereiefo OF vii.
| liam A Slacum; by Mr.. SM tn, memorial Of e
Mast, IT,, and others, the subject of claims foI
| French spolatons prior TO 1870; by Mr.. HAMLIS
petition of +. S. Stone aud other citizens ofSouth
| Thomaston. Me, for break water at that place.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Mr.. WALKER, Of Wisconsin, made an ex
| planafon relative TO the resolutions presented by
him few days since, on the subject of interven
ton with the affairs Of other nations, stating thai
from an article published IN the Union, he per
tceiyed that the subject mater Of his proposition
had been inexperienced by that paper, doubt
less unintentionally the part Of its editor. III,
| moved that the resolutions, which had been taker
up, be laid the table and ordered to be printed
which was agreed to.
IRIsH ExILEs.
A resolution requesting the President Of thu
United States to enter into a correspondence witt
the British government for the release Of Smith
| O'Brien, Thomas Meagher, and other Irish ex
lies, coming up for a second reading, on motion
/ ABD.EL.RADER.
Mr.. HALE said that he hoped the same dispo
sition would be made Of his resolution, request
ing the President TO enter into a correspondence
with the French government for the release o
Abd-el- Kader. which also came up for a second
reading. lie moved that It be laid on the table
Agreed TO.
! PRINTING or JOURNALS.
| The resolution authorizing the printing Of I0l
additional copies Of the Journals Of Congress, {,
be deposited ~ the office of the Secretary Of State
came up on its third reading and passed.
BOUNTY LANDS.
/ A bill in amendment Of the bounty land nets o
lsis and 1850 came up on is second reading.
Senator suggested that the Committee on Publ,
| Lands now had the whole subject under consider
stion the bill was ordered to be printed, togethe
with amendments submitted by Mesrrs. BoRLAEI
and W,LKER, and referred to that committee.
SPECIAL ORDER.
Mr.. FOOTE'S compromise resolution came uI
in order, at I o'clock, and
Mr. FOOTE, with the consent Of Mr.. RHErr
who was entitled to the floor, proceeded las h.
said) TO make an explanation; in the course o.
which he,read from volume to show that Mr.
r. was n secfssionist in 1888.
Mr.. RHETT asked what volume the Senator
from Mississippi had read from
Mr.. FOOTE. From Niles Register, the 4Itf
| volume.
Mr.. RHETT. Does the Senator quote my
speech, or an extract from some paper
i Mr.. 90 he. IL may nave been an extract.
Mr.. BUTLER. Probably an extract from the
\ Charleston fourier.
i Mr.. RHETT said that he had copies Of his
II printed speech at home, which might show
whether he was then a secessionist or not But
that was matter Of little consequence. Il was
not until the repeal of the tariff Of 1888, and the
abrogation OF the 2lst rule, that he finally began
to despair Of the government. The Senate would
| not expect him, snd he did not now propose, TO
reply in full to the speech Of the Senator from
Mississippi, the delivery Of which had taken
three hours on each OF two days. Mr. r. said,
that since that Senator had been a member Of this
body, there had been more personal alterations
i here than ever there was before.
| Mr. FOOTE called the Senator to order he
was in order, he (Mr. + } wou like to know il,
and pursue the same course Of remark himself, in
! turn.
Mr.. RHETT said he was only stating a fact
which everybody was already aware Of. He
then alluded 10 the remark he had made the other
day that the Senator from Mississippi (Mr
FooTE had hurried Mr. Ca houn to his grave by
the speech he made on The occasion Of that states
man's last appearance in the Senate, which Mr..
F.. had pronounced "a calumnious charge. !"