The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-27

II Armstrong; bat &ag saem At no time 10
have been willing 70 yl4Id their position in ia
vof Of these gentlemen These facts being true,
say there does not dfem to have been bona
ne single purpose Of procuring the public work
to be done in the speedest manner, and by those
who would do it the cheapest and the beat But
there seems 10 have been but one purpose rum
ming through the whole proceedings, from the
beginning to the end, and that was to favor the
printing establishment of Donelson h Arm
strong That object TO. do not object to
those particular individuals. What object to
is this that the committee did not 20 to work
in good faith TO obtain the printing upon the
best terms, but that they made the public inter.
est secondary to the private interest Of the
Union establishment. Their position appears to
have been, that unless Donelson e. Armstrong
could be included in the contract, they would
make no contract. This, in my judgment, was
wrong. Why not contract with other parties,
il they would do the work as speedily and az
cheaply! Why did the committee, from the
beginning to the end, insist without special
reference to the speedy completion of the work,
that this particular establishment should be in
cuded in whatever contract was made! 1t wns
the duty of the committee to have given the
contractor every reasonable indulgence and if
he failed or refused to do the work, to have re-
ported TINT failure to Congress and il they
put the work in other hands, they ought to have
employed the man who would do it the quickest,
the cheapest, and the best
The HONORABLE gentleman, the chairman of taht
committee, Mr.. GoRMAN, in the course Of
colloquy yesterday. endeavored to Impress upon
the minds of this House, and so far an his printed
speech could do it, upon the minds of the conn.,
try, that there was something like an under
standing between gentlemen entertaining ex
IRENE views; or, in other words, between what
is called the Southern Ulras and Northern.Free-
sellers. An iptimation was more than once
made in the progress of the debate that there
was something like n coalition between these
extremes, and that by agreement they were
sitting in concert upon this question. No
such thing is true OF me. ! repvdiate any such
insinuaton come from what quarter it may
act here solely and alone upon my own re.
sponsibility, never thinking, never enquiring, and
never caring whether any other man North or
South is or is not acting with me,
The gentleman from Indiana Mr.. GoRMANl
intimates that he will expose these understand.
ings. For me, he is quite at liberty to begin
But before he puts my friends or myself on
trial, would advise hm'to try his hands on his
associate, the gentleman from Kentucky, Mr.
NJ hNAON'l iAo 10 y SuPit1A oupJtCt w tTdCLlCt
on | shall expect to hear him say, "RIcHARD
STANTON, STAKEHOLDER and proslavery Demo
cratic representative from the slaveholding
State of Kentucky, stand up and answer to this
House, by what warrant you were found in an
unholy coalition with TRUMAN SMITH, Free
soiler and Abolition Wing senator from Con
nectieut, voting to divide the public printing
between the Union and the Republic 2" II
would be an interesting trial, and | should
watch its progress With great interest Let the
gentleman settle accounts like this between his
colleague on the committee before he charges
coalition upon others u seems there N no ac.
cOut taken OF coalitions like theirs But If per
sons occupying such extreme positions as the
gentleman from MASSACHUSETTS and myself are
found opposing bargain made by others hold
ing quite as extreme positions rs we do, we
hear grea. cutlery about coalition coalition !!
Ii the bargain was made by a coalition, il may
be opposed in the same way. If there was
nothing wrong in the gentleman from Ken
lucky Mr.. STANTON and TRUMAN SMITH acting
together, in making the bargain, there can be
nothing wrong in the gentleman from Massa.
chuseits Mr. RANToUL] and myself acting
together in opposing it. IT am found acting
with gentlemen entertaining extreme views
against the contract, it will be found that it
was made by gentlemen holding opinions just
as extreme.
Mr.. STANTON, of Kentucky, (nterrupting.
If the gentleman from Mississippi will allow me,
will tell him the result. We succeeded in
bringing over Connecticut Wing Senator and
Aboltionist TO the support Of the compromise
press.
Mr.. BROWN Yes, sir; and when he came
over he brought with him Wing paper which
has heaped more abuse upon the Democratic
majority OF this House than all the presses from
Maine to Louisiana. It's columns teen from
day to day with abuses of members of this
House whose Democracy has never been ques-
tioned--Northern men and Southern men, When
you talk about your Freesoil ally from the
North going for a compromise press, let me
remind you that he carried you over to Wing
press, and that one the most vindictive of them
ALL The country will inquire how this was
brought about-how, with an overwhelming
Democratic majority in this House, and al
equally effective Democratic majority in the
Senate, you have not been able to choose
Democratic printer! Why was it that the Re
public was fastened upon us? Why has this
coalition been formed? These are the ques.
tons that will be asked. And the answer will
be, that Donelson q Armstrong might be pro-
vided for. That is the whole secret of the mat
ter--that is the nest in which the coalition was
Matched
Mr.. POLK, Gnterrupting) Will the gentle
man from Mississippi allow me to PROFOUND n
question to him
Mr.. BROWN. Simply question.
MIR. POLK. Will you vote to elect the com.
promise Union press to be public printer?
Mr.. BROWN. will not vote to elect any
newspaper editor public printer. said so yes
terday.
Mr.. KING. rise to question of order.
Mr.. POLK. | see the coalition is now
formed The gentleman from New York Mr..
KING,l Freesoiler, says | am out of order.
Laughter
Mr.. BROWN. | beg not to be interrupted
by side-bar colloquy.
The SPEAKER The Chair understood the
gentleman from Mississippi 10 yield the floor to
the gentleman from Tennessee, Mr.. Polk.
Mr. BROWN. | did for question, but not
for coloquy Now let MS see, sir, to what
strange reasons gentlemen of this committee are
driven in justification of their course. The hon.
orable gentleman who sits before me Mr..
UAvENl SAYS he objected to Mr. Rives doing