The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-01-29
IN CITY, THURSDAY, JANUARY 90 1852.

which have protested for more than thirty
years, because of MY dissatisfaction with any
individual. My principles are Independent Of
individuals. They are founded upon the con.
victions Of my understanding, the appreciation
of my conscience, and the cordial acceptance of
my heat From my intercourse with my gal
liant friend, shall be proud to act with him at
all times but shall never act either with or
without my friends, under circumstances by
which ! shall forfeit my sef-respect
Mr. GORMAN. | have no fears that my
honorable friend will ever be called upon to act
with any other organization than that great and
glorious Democratic party, that has borne the
banner OF their country always. They a,e al
ways for their&ountry. am proud to say to-
day, before God and my country, that am for
that country right, but in the last resort, right
or wrong hope that may not find my hon
orable friend, who has differed with US upon
certain questions, which have agitated the coun
try from centre to circumference during the last
Congress, going up to the Washington Union
and saying, 81 hold you responsible for your
opinions-you shall not share in the patronage
winch can bestow, because you differ with me
upon these subjects" My friend, when he says
that he will prescribe such opinions, could only
expect to be prescribed in turn. hope that no
such necessity may occur.
Mr.. VENABLE. Will the gentleman allow
me to say, that | proposed TO open this subject
to free bidding everywhere. | said that they
had no claims upon me Individually do not
proscribe them, but open the bidding to the
printers of the United States, SO that we may
have fair and free competition.
Mr.. GORMAN. This resolution proposes
to leave this matter to the committee. 1t is
not a questi, to be left to Donelson g.
Armstrong. Ii is question which our friends
are called upon to leave to the committee which
you have constituted in this House. We call
upon you to leave the reasonableness and pro-
priety of that. contract to the committee. Are
you willing to do it! Have you confidence in
their integrity and purpose of character to dis
charge that duty!
Mr.. EVANS. | will ask the gentleman be-
fore he is done, to tell this House why il is i'm
proper to let this printing by contract, and why
1t is the contract system is now to be aban-
doned? The instance the gentleman gave was
in lS4I, before the contract system was entered
into. Now, want the gentleman to state how
much this printing will cost. ] am informed
that il will cost about million of dollars.
Mr.. GORMAN. am authorized to say,
upon the authority of the very best printers,
that it will not cost half of 100000. These
divisions upon this occasion have led me off
from some Of the facts in this case.
Mr. EVANS. Speak to the contract.
Mr.. GORMAN | was about to speak upoT
the question of the contract system 1t is
known to that gentleman, as he remarked yes
terday upon the floor, that the contract system
had led to difficulty, and frauds upon the coun-
try enormous in their character. The contract
system lets in evory individual TO come in and
bid as low as possible, and their ruling motive
seems to have been that after while they were
to 90 before Congress and ask that they might
be released from an onerous bargain Such is
the experience such j. the language of my
friend from Maryland, Mr. EvAEs.l He used
that language then, and presume he will use il
again. / appreherd that this system of letting
this work ont by contract to the lowest bidder,
is the groundwork of the most stupendous sys
tenn of fraud ever perpetrated upon the people
Of this country.
Mr.. EVANS. Not if you furnish them with
paper.
paper, type, and presses, 1t will not do Every
Committee on Printing have found Mt the bot
tom of this contract system all sorts of pri.
vate understandings and bargains for the purpose
of fleeing the government. The Committee on
Printing have found this in their experience now.
Shall this matter be rCeonsidered Why refer
1t TO the Committee of the Whole on the state
of the Union? What do you want to discuss
Do my friends who differ with me upon the
subject OF this contract want TO gel up war be.
tween us upon the compromise measures, wheth.
er they are proper and right! | do pray you
avert such an eTil. / am frank 10 say that such
calamity to the Democratic rarity should be
avoided and the man who undertakes to mr..
raign any one here for the purpose of making
an additional sore, which is now in fair way of
being healed, is stabbing the party that gives
him power. can say TO my friends who voted
against these measures, that feel proud of their
association. | feel that went further upon
hese great Southern questions than any man
north Of Mason and Dixon's line | feel | can
say to gentlemen who are not with us upon the
compromise measures, Peace, be stllr' Does
that voioe--does That warning come from Dem.
ocrat who has wayered? Does that voice come
from Democrat who has ever yet thrown
FIRE brand into the midst Of his Southern friends
Does that warning come from one who has ever
turned to the right or lief; upon the great eternal
principles of non.interventon Then say to
them that the prolongation Of this discussion
will run my friend from North Carolina, mir
VEEABLE. my trend from Virginia, mr. Bo-
pl,I II.
BERs, into dilemma. hope if they love the
union, harmony, and organization Of that great
party that brought them into power, that thew
will heed the voice of warning.
Mr. BOCOCK. ask, what do not often
ask upon this floor, that The gentleman will WELD
me the floor for one moment ask this be-
cause of my very sincere respect and regard for
the gentleman from Indiana, Mr. GoRmAN.1 /
do not often ask any gentleman who is speak
ing to allow me the privilege Of introducing one
word while he is speaking While the gentle.
man from Indiana is proclaiming peace 10 the
Democratic party upon one subject, ask him If
he does not know that there arc other subjects
upon which the Democratic party are divided (?
ask if he does not feel in that loyal and honest
heart OF his, that there is as much need of har
mony upon those other questions as In relation
to the compromise And | ask him, il he ex
poets us here to say peace, when his frends--I
do not say hm--prbcaim peace only upon one
subject and give us war to the knife upon other
vital SUBJECTS Lask him IL it will do 10 tell me