The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-20
Remarks Of Hon. M. lBorIand,
In SENATE-Fr Friday, April is.
Personal EXPLANATION.

/
| PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr.. BORLAND. / throw myself on the in
diligence of the Senate while make an explana-
tion, personal to myself, in respect to my course
while member of the Committee on Printing.
The PRESIDENT. If such is the pleasure
of the Senate the Senator will proceed.
Mr. BORLAND. Mr. President, Il do not
occupy a position of such prominence before
the country as to make what do or say Of any
great importance to the country at large. For
tunatcly for myself, and perhaps more for
tunately for the country, this is the case But
what do or say is Of Importance to myself and
to my constituents, and | wish, therefore, all
ways to stand right upon the record--that IS, TO
be known for just what ! am, and responsible
for just what ] do and say, no more and noless.
IL will be reeolected that the other day
made an informal report from the Committee on
Printing, and at the conclusion of il, and theex
PLANTATION which then gave, asked to be ex-
cused from Further service on that committee.
was excused And did hope that with that
transaction all my connection with the Printing
Committee, and all my concern.- beyond a mo-
ton or veto, with the printing OF Congress,
would cease. For three years and more IT had
been my duty and my misfortune TO be chairman
Of the Committee on Printing, ] say my mis-
fortune; for, although the duties which dcyOlve
upon that committee are of no great Importance
to the general interests of the country, they did
impose npon me an amount and character Of
labor more trying TO my feelings and my power
of endurance than any other of which can
well conceive. They were not heavy cares that
Cypress, but small ones that rritate --rritate
and annoy to degree that untitled ME fer other
and more important business. That consiiera
| ton, with the others which then stated to the
Senate, Induced me to Withdraw from that com
mittee After that did hope to have nothing
more to do with it, or the business before IL.
| IL will be fecollected further, that IN my re-
marks on that occasion | expressly disayowed
any Intention to treat with disrespect any mem
Der of that committee, or to cast eensnre upon
ANYTHING they had done. expressed the
opinion that the action OF the majority OF the
committee had been wrong, and that could not
concur in it; adding, at the same time, that !
did SO without disrespect to nny member of the
committee, and without casting censure upon
its action did SO deliberately did it with
a purpose That purpose was to disconnect
myself from all matters relating TO that commit
tee and its action, SO that I might not even
seem to be involved in anything like controyer
1 sy about them afterwards. But it-seens that
am not permitted to escape, even after have
voluntarily Withdrawn, and been excused by
the Senate from further service on the CON-
mittee.
| will read paragraph from an editorial in
the Union-newspaper of this city, which appear.
ed yesterday morning in respect to my course
on the committee, connected, as it is, with the
debates of the House of Representatives, as
| find them reported in the city papers. The
editor of the Union newspaper, in commenting
i nod hx,f ha
of this city, says:
ave should not have noticed such acknow-
edgements of profigacy, had not the honorable
member from Mississippi manifested so great
an anxiety 10 his remarks lest the public interest
should fall "a sacrifice to the party bils OF the
members of the Printing Committee. That
gentleman called to his aid his friend from Mas
sachusetts, Mr. Rantoul, who declared that he
could defend his own coalitions but not those
founded on public plumber. Coalitions to break
up the Union were all excusable, but coalitions
| to execute the laws were Infamous! 1t was all
right enough to prevent the Washington Union
| from being employed as public printer, as long
as thereby the door of hope was kept open for
the Southern Press and the National Era; but
the moment the committee acted as they were
bound to do by the provisions of law, all is
wrong All was right as long as Mr.. Borland
continued TO put his veto on the Washington
Union"
In my report from the committee, and in my
remarks upon IT, made no reflections upon the
Washington Union. | said nothing about it,
exceIt to state the action of the committee in
regard to it. And yet connecting the last sem
tence of the paragraph which have read with
the other portions Of it--although II does not
40 so directly-it does, by implication and nu-
endo, place me, together with representative
from.the State Of Mississippi. Mr.. BRowS, and
Mr. RAYToUL, of Massachusetts, in the attitude
Of delaying and obstructing the public business,
for the purpose of getting patronage, or because
we could not give patronage 10 the editors Of
the Southern Press and of the National Era.
Tfit means anything, it means that.
| shall not, however, comment upon this sep
arately. I will now read, in connection with IL,
from speech which appears in the Washing-
ton Union Of this morning, as delivered by Mr.
GoRMAS, Of Indiana, on the 18Th of this monh
on the same subject Mr. GoRMAS, as chair
man of the House Committee on Printing, in
giving an account Of what the majority Of the
committee had done, and in Justification of him.
self for the course be had pursued, said
awe have only the power 10 do, what To
remedy Neglect 10 comply with the contract
TO remedy any neglect in printing the docu
ments in time. That is our business We are
sentinels placed upon the watclltowcr TO see
that your contractor has done his duty, and 10
see that You gel your public documents when
YOU need them, and in due time When The
conviction forced itself upon us that he bad not
done so, we attempted TO parcel out the print
ing, so that il could be done properly. One gen.
tleman proposed that il be done by Donel,on
g. Armstrong. Another proposed TO add the
name Of Mr. Towers, and so on, until almost
everybody in this city was proposed. frankly
tell this House, that have voted Tor two mouths
against anybody having this printing but Don
elson g. Armstrong; and when ] asked the
honorable chairman what he proposed. and
what he wanted, lac responded "he wanted no.
thing"
Il is here attributed 10 me, thai when asked
what | wanted 10 do with the public printing,
| answered, I wanted nothing; !" and the words
are given with quotation marks as the identical
ones used by me. will not comment upon
this separately but will read further, in con
| noe lion with Al pasanpe from tha refnatka of