The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-15


House of Representatives yesterday. And al
this whole affair affords truer test, of politca
and party character, than anything yet before tn,
House, and presents also fine illustration o
the sort of shams and humbugs that prevail il
the government of our glorious Union, we sinai
be excused even by our distant readers, in al
attempt to make it ineligible.
The announcement that the Joint Comm Ltee
on Printing, of whom two.t thirds were Demo
Gratis, had given the principal printing OF both
Houses Of Congress to the proPretors OF the
Union and Republic, electrified and as!onished
the House. Mr.. BRowN, of Mississippi, offered
resolution denying their authority. And as
the storm rose, the committee found il expedi-
ent to come forward and make report-a thing
which ought to have been done at first, the
moment that Mr.. HAMILToNs failure to perform
his contract became 80 signal rs virtually tt
authorize its abrogation.
Mr.. German, of Indiana, made the report t.
the House, tina. the committee had adopted Thu
following resolutions
"Resolved That for so much of the publ,
printing rs may be deemed necessary by the
committee to remedy any neglect or delay on
the part of the contractor Mr.. Hamilton) t.
execute the work ordered by Congress, the per
sons doing the work, under the direction of this
committee, be allowed the same price as con
tanned in Mr.. Rves's bid for printing for the
Thirty second Congress Provided, That in nc
case shall pay be allowed for double compost
ton"
The committee proceeded to designate the
persons with whom they would contract, if the
terms proposed by the committee should be
accepted by the said parties. Whereupon the
following resolution was adopted, April 8:
"Resolped, That the committee enter into Il
contract with Messrs. Donelson g. Armstrong
TO do 80 much Of the printing ordered by the
House of Representatives for the present Con
gress, as may be necessary to remedy any neg
lect or delay Of the contractor, ca. B. Hamilton
to execute the work ornered by this Congress
and, also, with Messrs Gideon g. Co., to do so
much of the printing ordered by the Senate az
may be necessary for the like purpose. Said
contract to be on such terms as the committee
and the contractors may agree upon us shall be
just"
The committee further directed Mr. German
by the following resolution, to confer with
Messrs Donelson 4 Armstrong and Gideon e.
Co, and get from them, in writing, their accept
ance or nonacceptance of their proposition:
Resolved, That Mr.. GoRMAN confer with
Messrs. Donelson & Armstrong and Gideon q
Co., and get from them, in writing, their ac-
ceptance or non exceptance of the foregoing
proposition"
To which they reply as follows:
WASHINGTON, April l3, 1852
H. Al.
mittee of the Senate and House of Represen.
tatives, to do the printing of the House of Rep
resentatives upon the terms of the bid of Dir
John c. Rives for the printing of the present
Congress, with the modification of an exemp.
tion from the deduction of sixty.nine per cent.
on press work, on numbers exceeding 10000.
This deduction applies, practically, solely to the
Patent Office report, upon which, should we
submit to it Gas the committee are aware, as
Stunning that the same number of copies are
ordered the present as were ordered the last
COngress) we should incur heavy loss. When
it is considered that the bid of Mr.. Rives was
designed to cover the census, and, taken as a
whole, including the census, would have yielded
a fair compensation, the committee will at once
perceive the reasonabeness of the modification
we propose, inasmuch as the offer of the CON-
mittee does not include the census.
"Respectfully,
aDONELsoN g. ARMSTRONG
"Hon. WILLIS A. German, Chairman.
"We concur in the foregoing.
"GIDEON & Co."
These are all the resolutions the House por-
ton of the committee report, and it is quite re-.
markable that in this report the resolution
adopted by the committee on the 9Th inst, is a
very different resolution from that which Mr..
BoRLAND stated in the Senate, as the one they
adopted on that day, which was as follows:
"Resolred, That the committee enter into a
contract with Messrs Donelson e. Armstrong
to do the future printing of the present Con.
gress for the House, and with Messrs. Gideon
& Co. for the Senate, on such terms as shall
be agreed upon hereafter"
On this resolution, Messrs. Smith, of the Sen.
ate, and German, Stanton, and Haven, of the
House, voted in the affirmative, and Messrs
Borland and Hamlin, of the Senate, in the mega
tive.
This resolution has not been rescnded, and
we see it is an entire abrogaton of the contract
with Mr. HAMILTON. 1t gives the future print
ing, without reservation, to DoNELsoN g. ARM
STRONG, and GIDEON g. Co. This resolution
shows what the committee intended. But when
the fact transpired, and the violation of law was
obvious, the subsequent resolutions were adopt.
ed in conformity with the ,Oords of the law. Yet
the Committee say in their report:
"Your committee have now exhibited thei,
proceedings fully to the eye of the House; they
will say, further, that they have not rescinded OF
abrogated the contract with Mr.. Hamilton
They have supposed that they had no sucf
power, but they have confined their action to the
precise letter of the law defining their power,
and duties"
And hear what Mr.. GERMAN says in reply ia
the remonstrance of Mr.. HAMILTON
He says, in this statement here, that he has
performed his work, and that the only instance
where he has failed is in the character of tho
material. We weighed the paper, and Il fell
short about ten pounds to the ream. The chair.
man of the committee (Mr. BoRLAsp) weighed
it carefully with scales prepared for the PURPOSE
and it fell far short of the contract price There