The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-01-29

J.
10 do with passing 1solutlon about public
printing, and as generI charge that he is lay.
ing about so loose that cannot see what he is
at myself Laughter
The SPEAKER. lie Chair, in obedince To
what seemed TO be the Iesire Of the House, did
net feel at liberty to arrst the course Of remark
made by the geDtlema1 from North Carolina
The Chair, however, thepoint being raised, feels
called upon TO say, thati his opinion, the gen.
tleman is wandering fran the question before
the House.
Mr.. VENABLE. Think | can satisfy the
Speaker that ! am not sslndering from the ques.
ton.
The SPEAKER. The Chair is very we'll sat
isfed that the remarks of the gentleman have
been irrelevant.
Mr.. JOHN w. HOWE. Will the gentleman
from North Carolina all wv me to ask him a ques
ton!
Mr.. yENABLE. | liant first to put myself
right with the Speaker.
Mr.. HOWE. merey want to ask whether
we are to understand tbIt you will not vote for
Cass or Douglass. Laighter.l
The SPEAKER. TIL Chair decides that the
remarks OF the gentlemm from North Carolina
are not in order
| mr.. NENhbLE. And propose to show that
the course Of remark which was pursuing
Mr.. SWEETSER, (interupting) | ask for
the enforcement OF the rule. The gentleman
from North Carolina being called to order, and
the Chair having decided that1e is out of order,
he must take his seat, under the rule
The SPEAKER. The Chair decides that the
gentleman from North Carolina is not at liberty,
under the rules, to dis uss the presidential ques,
1 Lion thu nrnnN Siti Nal
and that his remarks Wore consequently irrele.
want.
Mr.. vENABLE. | hope may be allowed to
proceed in order.
Mr.. WILCOX. ] hope the gentleman will
| be permitted to proceed with his remarks, and
that the same latitude Of debate will be extended
to others.
Mr.. CLINGMAN. Imove that my colleague
have leave to prcc led in order.
The SPEAKER. Is there objection to the
proposition?
Mr.. SWEETSER objected.
| The question was then taken on Mr.. CLING
MANS notion; and it was agreed to.
Mr.. VENABLE, (resumng) profoundly
regret that should be so unfortunate in pre-.
senting my views, as that any gentleman, or the
Chair, should have supposed that was out of
| order. | was arguing to show, that my obiec.
ton to the proposition to give this printing to
the particular individuals named in the resolu.
| tion might give color to the charge that this
House were sustaining press with the view OF
| giving it weight in the coming presidential cleo.
ton; that this Congress was making themselves
party to such an arrangement, and identifying
themselves with party struggle by pensioning
press, which would be active in the formation
OF public opinion. 1t seems to me that this was
relevant, as an argument why the printing
should not be given to Donaldson & Armstrong
assure the House, however, that had no pur-
pose to say anything that was not directly relev-
ant to the subject before US. But suppose that
this proposition-as is not the case-limited the
committee to bargain with VIGOROUSLY cor.
rupt man--and am only putting an extreme
case-it would then be certainly in order to say
that the resolution was wrong, because il lin.
tied the committee to bargain with a very un.
suitable person. And that was the whole drift
of my remarks. Such press, fed by the gov
ernment out of the public treasury, might sue
coed in forcing upon the country one who was
not suitable for the object in view The COM
mttee, in no event, should be limited by vote
of this House to any particular individual, mas
much as it narrowed down the field of selection.
and must result, in the progress of events, in
system of favoritism, which neither the princi.
pies of Justice nor the good sense Of the people
would tolerate.
When called to order by the gentleman from
Tennessee, Mr. Polk, had yielded the floor
to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, [Mr.
HowE,l who asked me whether would vote
Tor G, neral Cass or Mr.. Douglas? hope il is
not out of order to be respectful 10 the gentle
man, and | reply-that drew a character for
whom would not vote; if il fits no person, il
damages no one; IL il does, il is bis fault, not
mine; but decline TO make personal applica
ton Of my remarks upon the call he has made.
have now said what intended to say relative
to the Presidency, and what have said was le
ultimately connected with the subject matter be-
fore the House. have said IL because think
il due to the country, that its representatives
should not adopt an indirect system of pen. ion
ing the press. No editors of the journals of The
country should be enabled by Jobs thrown in
their way to make fortune out If the treasury
for mere Iarty purposes. Iappeal to this House
to say whether il is proper that this job should
be appropriated in the manner which this reso.
luton proposes, merely because majority Of
this House have the power TO do il. IF the House
desires to elect public Printer, lei IL be done,
and the rates and compensation fixed. But il l.
certainly wrong to do so by indirection. Every
man snoulu nave hls Just dres. But II IL IL n
bad plan to let out the public printing TO the
lowest bidder, do not adopt the other extreme Of
letting II out to the highest bid or! If we pass
this resolution, and give the contract TO Donel
son g. Armstrong, we exclude competition and
If they will not do il at what the committee con.
slider reasonable price, you will have no print
ing done, or you will have this subject back
again in this House for discussion. The whole
matter viii have another hearing and another
discu ,son
l'trust the time Is near for us 10 have print
ing bureau, as part Of our organization, and
the printing executed by our own employees
when the whole work shall be done by us, and
the entire matter be under our own control
that the time is near when we shall get rid of
this Job work-this bleeding the treasury in or.
der to obtain the means Of propagating pnrticu
lar political doctrines, aud for the purpose of
controlling public sentiment We have already
had good deal Of experience in this matter. |
have lately seen at least one article published In
an organ, and editorally introduced, us possess.
ing the entire proportions Of the original publ
cation, when, in fact, one half OF the original ar