The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-04

will renquish that Of secession. When botf
ern fanatcism
Speech Of Hon. A. w. Venable, Of North
Carolina,
On The Public Printing. Delivered in III,
House Of Representatives, April 10, 1852.
CONCLUDED
But, sir, to return to the proposed disposition
of the printing. | wish to be understood dis
tinctly, that am a awabdng man, and that as
long as you have upon your statute book law
that the printing shall be given out to the low.
est bidder, comply with it, or repeal it. 1t is a
reproach TO this House, as il is reproach to the
government and the people, that you should
have statute upon your books, and that you
should legislate adversely to that statute from
day to day, without repeating it, Gentlemen
tell me that the plan OF giving the printing to
the lowest bidder is bad one. Admit that to
be true then introduce bill before the House,
let it be discussed, and, if advisable, repeal it.
If it is a bad law, let it be repealed but let us
have fair test of the question. Do not repeal
it practically, by indirection. Do not let us set
the example of violating our own enactments
while they are in force upon our statute book
| IL is bad exampe--an evil example to all those
| departments under our control. Ifyou demand
strict compliance with our enactments, you will
hear of no more deficiency bills you will hear of
no more violations of law by your bureaus and
departments, and of excess Of expenditures be.
yond appropriations. Ii there is a law upon our
statute book, and we daily violate it ourselves
| if we have law clearly indicating how this
House should net, and disregard it ourselves
how can we demand of others to execute any
L., ,,l,
| actments!
1t is said, and have heard it said more than
once, that the course now recommended, and the
votes recently given by this House, are cnlculat.
ed TO cast censure upon the Committee on
Printing. Mr.. Speaker, vote upon every sub
stantive proposition precisely as it is presented
| feel that if my censure is just, | have done
nobody wrong. If it hurts--if it strikes any one,
| it is his fault, not mine. | have no censure to
pass upon the committee, except to say that
do not approve of their recommendation and
their resolution, and that according to my ideas
OF this resolution, they give to the Union aud to
| the Republic the printing for time past and to
some-all this is behind, and all before. And it.
has been strongly illustrated by my colleague
Mr.. CLINGMAN, that under that arrangement
Boyd Hamilton may see all the valuable public
printing pass from his hands into the hands Of
/ Donelson d Armstrong on the one side, and the
Republic on the other
But Mr.. Speaker, it is not my purpose to re-
fleet injurious upon the Committee on Printing;
| for when the resolution was introduced by my
friend from South Carolina Mr.. ORa,] who
stated at the time that he introduced it for the
purpose of avoiding anything like an appear
ance of censure upon the Committee on Print
ing, and requested my friend from Mississippi
Mr. In yN1 TO cfrily tho T,,1s
mittee, and insert the Printing Committee, it
was accepted and approved by the gentleman
from Tennessee, Mr.. Polk, who said that he
was gratifed at it, BECAUSE as the resolution
then stood, it was an apparent censure upon the
Committee on Printing. | concurred in it,.
felt no disposition to place the gentlemen on
that committee in disagreeable position before
the public. was not disposed to force them
to an explanation which might be painful to them,
and which might not be ineligible to any body
out of this House / was willing that the report
might be referred back to them. What, sir, is
the succeeding history of it? When that pro-
position was made, it met with great favor in
the House. When the question was to refer the
resolution to the Committee on the Judiciary,
there were many members Of this House who
voted against it, not desiring toappear to cast GEN.
sure upon the Printing Committee. Gentlemen
haveso told me. voted to refer it to the Judiciary
Committee, not with view of censuring the
committee, but with the view of getting sys.
tenn of printing with which should be satisfied
AS soon as the proposition to refer it to the
Judiciary Committee was voted down, the chair
man of the Committee on Printing rose in his
place, and said. q quote from recollection, not
having his printed remarks before me,) al hope
now that the House will unanimously send this
back to the Committee on Printing united
in the general expression of the House,
agreed !" agreed !" Just at that moment
the gentlc man from Tennessee, Mr.. JONES,
arose and raised question of order, hat this
House had no right to send it to them, because
the Committee on Printing was joint commit.
tee of the two Houses. A vote was taken
whether it should be sent to the Committee on
Printing or not and, to my utter establishment
the chairman of that committee, and every
member Of it upon this floor, voted against a
reference back TO his committee of which he
had approved, and which was proposed for the
protection of the feelings of those composing
that body
When they expressed themselves satisfied !;
when the House was willing to send it back to
the Committee on Printing; when the gentle
man from Indiana, Mr.. GoRMAN, the chairman
of That committee, said 81 hope the House will
unanimously agree TO send it there" when there
was agreed" "Agreedw on all sides of the
House in order to avoid any sort of appearance
of casting censure upon the committee, | con-
fess my establishment when saw the commit
tee themselves voting against the proposition
Now, sir, that is so far above and beyond my
comprehension, that cannot understand it. II
they we're willing to take it back if the
House were willing to send it to them, not wish
ing even an implied censure upon them, why
J did they oppose it? That question was fair
presented the chairman said that he hoped
f there would be no objection. J. also, hoped tina
there would be none. But the courtesy Of tn,
gentleman from South Carolina Mr. ORR hat
been made available to keep it from the Judiciary
, Committee, and save the committee from cen
sure, and ! suppose had performed its office
The Judiciary Committee was rejected by tina
courtesy, and reference to the Committee OF
Printing was to be disposed of on a point O
order. To one uninitiated in mysteries, this il
not easily understood. refer to the record
and find that am sustained in every Statement
that have made, and gentlemen leave this un
explained, and tumble upon the naked. unsus-