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

Of REPRESENTATIVE.
MIR. GORMAN from the Committee Printing, sub
mitted the following report:
The Committee Printing, who is charged by law with
the duty Of remedying any neglect delay the part
OF the contractor to do the public printing for the Thirty
second Congress- ask leave for the information the
House. to report That they have had the subject under
consideration and after repeated conversations with the
public printer MR. Hamilton, and after examining each
piece of work job and after weighing the paper be
nished and after careful examination of the style and
texture of the material unanimously TO the conclu
sion that Mr.. Hamilton had fulfilled his contract
They therefore in the first place. made pro deduc
on of ten per cent from each bill il presented for
payment This deduction not having the effect to i'm
prove the work in the least they rejected much of the
work altogether The committee, after having Mr. Ha-
milton before them and notifying him distinctly of the
intention Of the committee, passed resolution which
will be found to be in the language of The second
ton Of The lag Of Congress- approved August 1885, fol-
low, to wit
1.-THE resolution of Mr.. GoRaAx, which win be found
in the preceding column, adopted.
The committee proceeded to designate the persons with
whom they would contract the terms proposed by the
committee shoud be accepted by the said parties Where
upon the following resolution was adopted:
ResoreG, That the committee enter ia,c contract with
Messrs Donelson Armstrong TO do much printing
ordered by the House Representatives the present
gess be remedy neglect delay Of
the "a Hamon to execute the work ordered
by this Congress- and also with Messr Gideon Co TO do
much Of the printing ordered by the Senate be
sary for the like purposes said be such
the committee and the contractors agree upon shall be
just"
The committee further directed Mr.. CONAN, by the
following resolution confer with Messrs. Doneson
Armstrong and Gideon Co. and get from them in writ
ing their acceptance nonacceptance of their propo
stion
Armstrong and Messrs Gideon Co., and get from them
in writing their acceptance acceptance Of the foregoing
proposition
To which those parties replied as follows
"WAsnrseroS, APRIL 10, 1852
SIM We accept the offer Of the joint committee of the Sc
nate and House Of to do the printing Of the
Of he of Mr.
John c. Rives for the printing Of the Congress-
the modification Of an exemption from the deduction Of sixty
nine per cent preswork numbers exceeding twenty
thousand This deduction applies, practically solely TO the
Patent Office report upon which, should submit to it, (as
the committee assuming that the number Of
copies ordered the present that ordered the last Con-
gess should incur heavy loss When 1t is considered
that the bid Of Mr. Ryes designed the
and taken whole including the would have yield
cd fair compensation the committee viii at perceive
the Of the modification propose nasmuch
the offer Of the committee does not include the
Respectfully
"DoNELsoN ARMSTRONG.
lion. WILLS A. GoRsos, chairman, &c,
We e9ncur in the foregoing
GIDEON CO."
Your committee have now exhibited their proceedings
fully 70 the eye Of the House they viii say further that
they have rsscnded or abrogated with
MIR. Hamilton. They have supposed that they bad no
such power but they have confined their action 70 TIRE
precise letter Of the Law defining powers and duties
1t is expected 20 hold Mr. Hamilton strict
blity his bonds for any which the Government
has pay the contract price Of said Hamilton The
prices which your committee have agreed to give the per
with whom they propose 70 those stated
in the public bid Of John Rves for the printing TO this
Congress This bid made when he was competing
with other bidders for this work. and is believed by the
committee 10 be just and fair in view Of oil the present
circumstances.
Your committee deem il appropriate this occasion 70
say that divers motions and propositions made
give all this printing to Donelson Armstrong in Of
the fact that they the organs Of the dominant party
but all voted down, and generally by tie vote. II
proposed parcel il in divers ways and divers
persons but all failed until the heretofore stated
inserted their association had been rejected
again and again. and any thing done until tn,
mperous necessity in view Of the interest Of the country
and the advancement Of legislation, compelled action
some sort
Mr.. GoRs1aS hoped that the House would indulge him il
making response to pamphlet which had been laid up
the tables Of the members by Mr. Hamilton, the con
tractor. This person said that he had any motto
Of the action Of the Committee Printing The gentle
from New York (Nir HAvES) and the gentleman fror
Kentucky, mr. STANTON associated with MIR g. on til
Committee Printing could rise in their places and
10 the House that this statement Of Mr. Hamiltons
wlfully and deliberately false. lie would ask his col
leagues the committee whether the public printer ha
not been before the committee different occasions2
Messrs HAVEN and STANTON both gave an afirmo
tive reply.
MIR GoRMAN said that the contractor deserved to b
turned out Of the position he occupies for the aserto
insult 10 the members Of the committee, TO tn
House. and 10 the country.
Mr. c. then proceeded to show that the printer had no
complied with the Of the contract and stated tina
the Of the white paper IL he should comply with hi
contract, would be than all he would derv
from bis contract or course then il could not he ex
pected that Mr. Hamilton would be able 70 execute hi
contract unless he was backed by millionaire
The assertion had gone before the country that III
committee had abrogated the contract with Mr.. Hamilto