Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-04-17

and elected public printer--had assumed to appoint
printer for the House. This he denied The Committee
ON Printing could take away the printing from any
who had failed in every essential particular to comply
with his contract and could reject the work altogether
The committee acting under law not under the rules
OF the House. and the House could not abrogate the pow
ers Of the committee unless they should first repeal the
law
Press that there desire give that paper por
ton Of the spoils it had been termed He would ask
the gentleman from New York and the gentleman from
Kentucky if they had heard il suggested in any way
that that paper desired part of the public printing!
In submitting this report, he willing to take any
responsibility which might devolye upon him. He be-
eyed he had done right and if the House should
give directions to the committee he would with
pleasure do any thing they might desire him 70 do II
not however to be said Of him that he
ed with coalition, for he had Gideon g. Co.
until this contract was suggested.
Mr. G. then referred portion Of the work which the
contractor had executed according the of the
contract, but thought that he totally unable to
cute the heavy work. such as the Presidents the
Patent Office report, sc.
Now, the committee had submitted their report, and
what did the House desire them TO do! If he had the
power he would attempt carry out the law in getting
the printing done at as cheap rate as possible and the
committee would be responsible that should be done at
cheap rate any public printer, who response
bic and would give bonds for the faithful execution Of his
contract would agree to do it.
Mr. HAVEN remarked that it had been questioned else
where whether the Committee Printing should not be
entitled TO vote in separate bodies that was that the
three members Of the House should be entitled sepa
VOTE and the three members of the Senate should be
entitled to vote in like each branch Of the
mittee deciding for itself In to this he would
call the attention of the House 10 the second section of
the law Of 1876, which said that committee, consist
ing of three members of the Senate and three members Of
the House of Representatives shall be chosen by their
spective Houses The committee, therefore to
st Of three members from each House. making six and
thus forming the committee provided for in the law under
which this committee had acted Hence he had doubt
but that the committee had acted directly in the spirit of
the second section of the act of 1886
In reference to the execution Of work. it true that
Mr. Hamilton had done the light work such calendars
bills, reports of committees &c better than it had been
executed heretofore and he DESTROYS Of doing
public printer full justice. But the difficulty was in re-
gard the heavy work such the Presidents
the Patent Office report the report of the
of the Coast Survey and two other works of this
character which were of magnitude entirely great
for Mr. Hamilton to execute. Mr. H. then referred to
the imperfect in which this portion Of the work
done.
Under this state of things what were the committee
to dof The only thing they could do adopt such
measures they might deem necessary remedy any
neglect delay the part of the contractor
the work ordered by Congress- and to accomplish this
they took that portion of the work which the
could not do and gave it somebody else leaving him
that portion which he could do.
Mr.. DEAN moved that the House resolve itself into
Committee of the Whole the state of the Union which
was disagreed to--yeas Sc, nays 95.
Mr.. BROWN, of Mississippi, moved that the report of
Mr.. FLORENCE moved to amend the motion SO MS to
prescribe by joint resolution that the report of the Com
mittee ON Printing be referred back to that committee
and that the committee, whenever the public printer fails
do any printing ordered by the House according his
contract be instructed advertise for ten days pro-
posas to print each order in the prescribed by
the printing contract and to award the printing of each
order of the House to the lowest responsible bidder
Mr. BROWN, of Mississippi said that with the expla
nation the chairman of the Committee on Printing had
given, he satisfied that the committee had intended
to confne themselves within the letter Of the law but
he was just well satisfied that their action would
lead TO an abuse of law. The Committee on Printing
had right according to the Of 1876 to take SO
much OF the public printing from the person employed
to execute 1t as he should fail refuse execute I'm
der this authority they told by the chairman of the
Committee Printing that il proposed to take from
the printer not work which he had refused neglected
to perform, but work which the committee had kept in
their possession and submitted the printer under
the idea that he would fail refuse to execute it. He
did not think there had been any extraordinary delay in
the execution of this work
Mr. B. then referred 10 the execution Of the work when
Mr. Richie the contractor and wished to know why
be was not brought up for nonperformance Of his
tract What the action upon that subject? AT the
conclusion OF the session there found TO be large
majority in both Houses who net only ndisposed
call Mr. Richie to account but disposed lavish
upon him some sixty hundred thousand dollars
and according to his recollection it was only by paria
mentary maneuyring that this prevented. He |
knew nothing of Mr.. Hamilton had never seen him. and
did not care solitary farthng for him but he did
care for justice. He was not willing to make himself
party to transaction like this and say to one man
because you WELD party press win give you this
and then say to another man without press will l
crush you because you have lived up the letter Of
the law.
MIR. GORMAN. Does the gentleman charge that as
motive which influenced the committeef
Mr.. BROWN Not at all
Mr.. b. then said that he did believe the contract
system failure, and argued that it had been
fairly tried II he had his way he would require that the
elected TO do the public printing should have nothing
to do with newspapers that he should be what his
ton held him out to bea public printer and nothing else
In the course of his remarks be denied having sought
directly indirectly to give the Southern Press any
portion Of the public printing Before concluding, be
gave way TO motion to adjourn which agreed to-
And the House adjourned
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