The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-02-13

limiting the voa1,e. reducing the expenditure from
million aud haH TO about hall million of dollars
Again. whilst speaking Of this Documentary History
OF the Revolution, MJ. b, says
Beginning with the Documentary History which wa
down s5ooooo ohal lem at lnervsIs a. vo
n'he Is delivered each delivery being about S25 OO aud
books. sSs Hs a. s
1854 ,ss ' sa si 5 ssss Jss s snd W
1885 sums Of ssSs s4oS m 10 issS ss n
ss - sSs 4" 1887 s4.So s!5sS slSooo; 1859
=. Thus we find in 1886 the of 81 900 and S2i,-
ss N s s" Of 's "a .s' @ q w 2o' and j. s.s
IN 1919 consid-ab Bile aimed amount and now, in
ls year. 'soo boz houses. Of Congress employed Q" tho
Recurring to the Documentary History l viii here
say M ffesdent, that while the House has felt itself
has felt himself embarrassed al all by hi. part o, ,.
contract While we were denying ourselves the power
. NJ va Job" ssGs 70 siHasIsa wsS
NJ Ciaks Interest. and he has authorized to sy that
" te sena'e choose 10 terminate the contract he asks Tor
no dsmsges lie speaks for himself. he doe. speak
et Mi fo,ce who may not be willing 10 do he does
a. oihce, az hat time o. the House whom all
Mr. Clark Being officer oi the House he some
what under the control sud in the p,wer OF House
The contract with him personal; lie was do the
head work. |, was trust nor 70 be delegated
him. oifoer Of The House and an educa
cd man. to do work which required head and education
lie was 10 collect the matter proposed 10 be published 1t
personal nd negotiable assgnabe He
has assigned and gone of H. and Mr. Rives who uc-
coeded him, preends to nothing but ihe workman whose
business is to make money Of his contract That is
all he peends. and he prints manuscript as furnished
TO him. Tho whole idea which the made
left He quits i. and yet We must stick TO il Such Is
the argument, and such the practice, and such the abuse
Ho yen R s ia 'i, re- .,
Limitation upon lime or quantity bo.h unlimited
We got limit upon the quantity no, 10 exceed so
many volumes, but there is upon time period
cay Congress Is called upon for about 2S 0O pay for
new-bound volume, aud some one or two thousand dollars
TO / men,
Now sir, if do not discontinue our subscription for
this work. il will. as am informed BY officer OF the
House, as before stated. involve in expenditure Of
$780, and of this work suppose it would be safe 10
say The senator from Missouri said of the other no
will ever read il. That senator is known to have
read almost everything and ye, be says in his long pub
nc ie ne has never found Il necessary to look into this
Documentary sa,t History Tor anything.
Mr.. HUNTER. move to postpone this subject till
Tomorrow, as am very anxious to get up the deficiency
Mr.. PEARCE. beg the gentleman to withdraw that
motion We shall be able 10 dispose OF this bill in very
M Mr.. HUNTER withdrew the motion
MIR. PEARCE. have but a very few words in reply
10 the senator f,om Iowa perfectly agree with him IN
this: that the Senate has done too much in the way Of
publishing and purchasing books That consideration
has been so strongly impressed upon The minds OF the
Committee on the Literary, who have the general charge
OF tins subject, that dunng The present session have
not recommended single object oi that sort We have
had numerous ones before US bu, have in every in
declined TO recommend any further purchase or
publication OF books, and my purpose to adhere to
that determination hereafter think we have been
lavish that way The government fast getting into
OF expenditure that s foreign 10 its proper OBJ
ec We have been asked to publish works Of literature
and art having no auUsf OF connex0n with the obecs
within the scope Of the government We propose to
qui all that and certainly, far il depends upon me
and the Committee ON the Library am sure there will
be no further lavish expenditure OF the public money for
improper objects.
But how can the senator from Iowa ask us to repeal
contract TIE law is passed which has directed
Secretary OF the Senate and Clerk Of the House make
contract and they have made the contract in pursuance
OF that law. II the senator had made his objections
the lasl session. there might have been some force in
them but Is not possible for us by act OF Congress
with rights and then tear them away from Them |
rather ihilk should do dscredi to ourselves If we
should undertake to do thing Of that sort
Nor do believe with the from Iowa that these
books are vaueless On the conrary, think they
valuable, and will Be extensively read. believe no
lh. country who does not read these books They viii
furnish the only complete recored OF the debates Of the
Congress- OF The U,ed States from its origin under the
constitution down 10 the present tune. And they also
furnish the most authentic materials for iuiure history
They furnish the statesman with the best evidence he
have Of the OF legislation pursued upon any sub
lect heretofore.
Well. cir, we have published aud purchased all the
OF debates from tie 18th Congress down TO the
present time have been supplied with The debates OF
proposed to do to fill up the hiatus and complete
the series. The gentleman from Iowa remarked that he
thought was an Improper purchase because part OF
the series had been published already Originally did
not favor the psfcbase OF that part OF the series cell
thought II unnecessary; but the remark made that
II necessary IN order TO make the series complete
that IL should be added, because otherwise tie ds-
button should be distributing partial history ot the
legislation OF the country. This consideration would
to Justify the purchase OF the Annals oi The Fst
Congress and, at all events is too late 10 remedy
II II II were unadvIsabe. lhope the Senate will not
consider the bill
Mr.. DODGE, OF Iowa do not propose TO get nd OF
this any other than legal manner OF course
will be bound TO pay the publishers what may be
found TO be far amount Tor any damages they may
tain and in reference to that point thai read the
latter portion OF the remarks OF the senator IRON Mis-
sour. IL is possible. Though suppose moi probable,
that Messrs Gales Sea'on might be willing to give up
the contract But all that is matter into which the
committee may inquire the subject sent back 10 them
IL the OF The Senate to agree TO have the
publication made 10 MI up the hiatus down 10 the present
lime In other words, do mol think thai majority OF
when this subject was ordered, and now II this work
goes, The distribution will also be continued think nov
the time ihA should pause and lock into the subject
The committee might confer with the publishers and
something might be agreed upon between them. have
not proposed in the present state OF the case That the
contractors should not be paid Tor all the work done
Let take their worthless trash, although IL dupli-
cate OF what We already have, and although IL involves
expenditure OF $4,000 for that which already had
on hand, and we're giving away TO members and others
propose that my iriend from Mississippi Mr. DAvsl
and the senator from Maryland tMr. PEARcEl shall
look into the subject and cannot stop tins book
business and, with view OF testing the sense oi the
Senate upon the subject, call the yeas and nays
Mr. FOOTE have one difficulty IN relation to this
matter which does not TO have been considered BY
the honorable who introduced this proposition.
These gentlemen, doubtless have provided materials, &c,