The daily union., 1852-04-16
CONGRESSIONAL.
SPEECH or n1R. aonmAS.

Delivered IN the House Of Representatives., AprH 10,
VI 1892. on The subject Of tie public printing
MIR. GORMAN said la obedience 10 suggestion
which made yesterday Just before The adjournment !
will make report from the Committee Printing.
will ask permission read IT, il is very short II con-
ssis entirely OF facts, without argument by the commit.
tee pro or will here observe 10 the House that
especially desire 10 make remark, In addition TO what
proposed this written report, IA regard 10 the pubic
printing, and in regard to the pamphlet which has been
laid upon tables this morning by the public printer
Here Mr. q. read the report oil the Joint committee,
which has already been published in the Unionl
MIG Mr.. Speaker, in respect to the pamphlet laid
upon our tables this morning, the honor of the COM
miitee demands that the House should indulge me IN
making response to the statements made BY MT Ham
tons Our individual honor requires this also. This
man states that he has never had notice The honorable
gentleman FROM New York. Mr.. HAVEN'T upon that side
OF the House. and the honorable gentleman from Ken
ucky ar STAsTos,l associated with me. can rise IN
hs Places and now state e ths House nai os. s,a,s
it to be false, he ought 10 be branded for H. II is inamy
enough turn him Of his position, if il posi-
sibe for the House to do it state that he ought to Be
branded for it, ask the gentleman from Kentucky Mr.
STANToN] whether that gentleman has not been before
the committee upon different occasions! now ask the
gentleman from New York lMr HAvEN] If that gentle
has moi been before that committee upon different
casionsl
Mr.. HAVEN. He has, sir.
+ Mr.. STANTON. He has, sir.
Mr.. GORMAN. | state 10 the House that gave him
notice myself and he came before the committee in obe
dieDce to that notice And here this comes before
The House ana brands tne cOmmItee as
he deserves to be turned of his position 1t is an in
suit TO each member al The commttee-an insult to the
country and insult TO the House of Representatives
for whom he . doing the work He IN nd hs ,s state s
only instance where he has failed is in the character of
the material We weighed The paper, and il fell short
about ten pounds TO the The chairman Of the
mlttee [Mr BoRlANpl weighed it carefully with scales
prepared Tor the purpose, and It ell lar short OF the con-
tract price. There was not margin enough The type,
the IMPRESSION and the ink all miserable, until the
u0ff ittpaf IN IN gen as
rejected altogether, and they would not receive such
work. In the next place, The Presidents message and
tables in forty days. and here four months and more
elapsed. In addition TO that, the paper upon which he
contracted to do your public printing, according 10 his bid
and contract costs more than all ne gets from the gov
ernment Tor his printing, type, pess.work, ink, and
everything else Then, Of course he cannot be expected
to execute that contract unless he has millionaire at
his back repeat, that the cost OF the white paper, ii he
comply with his contract will than all be gets
under his bid. Allow me, while here, 10 say, that the
impression has gone before the country that have alb
roga!ed the contract OF this gentleman, MIR, Hamilton;
this Hall, that we have elected public printer by this
committee; that we have assumed TO appoint printer
desks, ready 10 be handed over to the public printer,
which Withheld because we could not get il done
according to the contract which you made with him If
as honorable men, can we give il TO man who
know has failed, in every essential particular, in
complying with his conract You say. in the law, that
when he does have right to reject the work alto
w
Of this House You have designated the Committee
pstc Printing by law, and you have also designated
their powers You cannot a5rogae the powers OF that
committee except you repeal that law.
The law reads as follows:
.There shall be a consisting ofihree members
OF the Senate and three members Of the House OF Represent
atves"
read from joint resolution passed the 81 August,
1916. II you desire TO it, you will find II in mscel-
laneous document number ihiriy-tbree.
Mr. STEVENS OF Pennsy lvania. wish 10 ask the
ppuf pma |
been any committee chosen by this House, and the law
requires that they shall be chosen wish to know if
there has been chosen at all
Mr. GoRMAN. ! will proceed with wha,I was about
to say. will read first provision OF the law in relation
TO this subject:
"a committee consisting OF three members OF the Senate
members Of the House oil Representatives shall
be chosen by their respective houses, which shall cons
is'e Committee on Piining which shall have power TO
edy any neglect delay the part Of the contractor
execute the work ordered by Congress and TO make pro
reduction ia the CON pensaon allowed, refuse
the work altogether should II be inferior TO the standard
and in all cases the contractor aud his securities shall be
responsible for increased expenditure
the performance of the contract The committee shall
shall be acted upon for work that actually executed
and Delivered and which they may require to be properly
authe enticaled"
We have only the power to do whatl To remedy ne.
gec TO comply with the contractto remedy any neglect
in printing the documents in time That is our business
We seDtinels placed upon The watch tower TO see
that your contractor has done his duty and 10 that
you get your public documents when you need them and
due Time. When the conviction forced itself upon
that he had not done attempted 10 parcel out the
printing so that it could be done properly. One gentle
man proposed that II be done by Donelson & Armstrong
Another proposed to add the name OF Mr.. Towers, and
on, until almost everybody in this city was proposed.
frankly tell this House, that ! have voted for two
months against anybody having this printing but Doneson
g. Armstrong; and when askedthe honorable chairman
what he proposed, and what he wanted he responded
she wanted nothing" found that something must be
done The public business must go on. found that |
must vote for somebody; and finally, alter two months
consultations voted for the Republic. | have since
learned from publication made in the Southern Press,
chat there was secret smobcriDg desire, made
known TO the country, TO have the Southern Press pu, in
for pait OF the spoils OF power, When that issue
WAS presented 10 me, did not see proper TO choose
The Southern Press have been driven TO do thing 10
which would have preferred almost anything else, and
side. am party man, and would not have consented
to such thing under any circumstances II could have
avoided il, until The public necessity demanded that |
should act in some way. When that mperious neces-
silly arose, and forced itself upon me, acted and am
here ready 10 take any responsibility which may be de-
volved upon me. The Southern Press published this
morning article which would indicate to the country
that they desire some OF this public printing ask the
honorable gentleman from New York, [Mr HAvES,1
who is associated with me- and the honorable gentleman
from Kentucky [Mr STAsTos,l if they heard il sug
part Of the public priniing' We never heard OF that
name as claiming asking or soliciting in any way part
OF the public printing A gentleman across the way says
the National Era would like to have little Of this print
ing Very likely; because we have some elements here
very favorable to extreme opinions butt shall 90 into
thai matter and will not be driven by side bar remarks
into anything of that kind | only wish to state 10 the