The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-01-30

that even the very able and excellent Secretary Of the
nleror shall do Cannot my honorable friend from
Indiana walt for ak monhsl For within that period
venture cay these returns will be completed Cannoi
be wa all the close OF the present session OF Congress
For bl can be passed any time for printing these re-
tgsns Co., II they should not be completed daring me
present session OF Congress- cannot the senator from In
diana waii u the opeRlng Of the next session mosi
senuousy resist this extraordinary manner OF doing
business. When an important document is TO be made
oaa document tha 10 10 go down TO posieriy-a docu-
thai 10 coniain facts and statistics, 10 say nothing
about population. 20 regard 70 our great industrial ana
agricultural Interests which trust and hope, and am m
ened 70 believe, viii be made out conecty-l insist lha
4 would be ~ the highest degree rash Tor us, without
knowing what Il is 10 commence the printing OF some
potion u and what portion. IN the name oil Heaven
lhe beglnnlns, middle, o. end-no human being knows
Bat. slf, have an0ihef point 10 make and that is
lhat Ihs resolution VI passed. would Ia my opinion, be
sneruaehmen The functions and duties oi the Ex-
ccaiss. and would fact be asurailon OF Executive
power II H. doubt eompeteni Tot Congress to order
he printing be done and 10 fix the number OF copies
We may, perhas say that certain parties shall execute
The wosk, o. that shall BE- let 70 '1e lowest bidder
Cosgfess may doubtless prescribe the eonduon and
terms but having said for example, ha shall be exc
eaed b. Douelson Armstrong can Congress take upon
themselves the making Of contfsctl And can they by
Il foml II do so who 10 10 attend TO the exc
euon Of the e0nirartf Who Is 10 determine whether
DoGeson Armstrong have OF have mol conioimed 20
the terms of the eosifseil To whom the work to be
delivered Who Is 10 ray for ~ VIII my honorable
friend tell whether ~ 70 be paid Tor out OF the con
tngeni fund not Is printing for the Senate Is II
printing toE the House OF Representatives Oris print
ing 20 enable us 10 perform our legislative duties My
honorable friend, iof that will be directly ap.
paen,, wil hardly contend that this q congressional
printing | ask, then, who is 10 attend 10 the execu
lion OF ihe contract and from what fund Is il TO be paid
There - doubt that Congress can provide Tor such
printing necessary for the performance Of the duties
OF both houses, either house But IS this congress
sonal printing My honorable friend said, the other
day. that ii not and therefore not obliged TO
give !, 10 A. Boyd Hamilton. must acknowledge, MIR
President, that very mature consideration have come
10 the conclusion that IL s no, congressional printing
and not within the contract ct A. BOYD Hamilton II IS
not printing lor either oi the two houses OF Congress- II
Is not printing 10 enable 10 discharge our legislative
duties; but il is printing for the government and for the
country admit that either OF the two houses OF Con-
gress has right. BY committee otherwise, TO make
them to discharge their leo gsatye duties But Con-
gress, through oi the committees OF either house,
arroga,e TO itself the power OF making contracts Tor other
printing than such required for that purpose Will my
honorable friend from Indiana Nc BkiIrl contend that
should take into hands the business o making
contracts for the printing Of the various departments OF this
government Has Congress the right OF power 10 en-
bark in The business OF making contracts generally IT,
through the agency OF the Committee on Printing, we
can make contract for printing that does not aPpeain
70 OUT ieg.slsye duties aes,e 70 Inquire oi my hon
mitlee on the Post Office and Post Roads make
contract for the transportation OF The mail Why not
so ase as 90 s q
committee naval Affairs, and make contract for the
constr oction Of rga,e shpof.ihe. line Why not
OF This government Mr. President, you know very
well that the public prInerihst IL, the printer employed
by the two houses of Congressis considered an offce
OF the two houses He s oicer OF the Senate, and
officer Of the House OF Representatives. And why
Because he is employed IN doing certain work Tor thai
is necessary TO enable US to discharge our duties Now,
il we adopt this resolution will Messrs. Donelson a
Armstrong be officers OF the two houses ol Congress
Appointed Tor what Not TO print Tor the Senate OF the
House. but TO print Tor the government, and or the pe, pie
My honorable friend from Arkansas, mir BoRLAsp ]
when he the floor the other day, objected most
s,renuously TO devoving this duty upon The Commit.
tee Printing, insisting that IL should be given TO the
Secretary OF the Senate and the Clerk OF the House OF
Representatives because as he truly said the resolution
called upon iha, committee 10 discharge executive duties
All executive duties Then why are We providing TOT
the discharge OF executive duties by joint committee OF
the two houses OF Congress We have JOINT Commit
Tee the Library, and, library an important essb.
shment to enable properly TO perform our Legislative
dutIes charge with the duty of purchasing library
for But shall we charge II with the duty OF pur.
chasing library for the Attorney General Tor the Sec
retary OF the Treasury for the Department OF the Interior.
or for the Post Ofhce Department. maintain. sr, Thai
this is entirely out OF the range OF our legislative duties
IL is an executive duty, which must be discharged u
properly discharged by the executive department of the
government and cannot be discharged By a committee OF
the two houses oil Congress.
now come TO the last objection which shall urge 10
the passage OF this resolution IL has been the policy OF
Congress for years past 10 open the public printing
10 competton and thus prevent It's being eonered on
the political presses matter OF fayorisr and the
question for the consideration OF this honorable body
is whether the connexion which formerly existed
shall be renewed The proposition submitted BY my hon
orabe friend from Indiana is precisely this that we shall
confer the printing OF the returns upon one OF the
political presses in this city Here desire 10 call the at
enon OF the Senate TO the first introduction OF the ex
istng policy, and believe highly sauiary policy. II
will be found in provision introduced into the civil and
diplomatic appropriation bill, which passed the two
houses OF Congress, and approved May IS, isl2,
published in the tenth volume OF the acts OF Congress,
page lso. II is as follows
For incidental and contingent expenses OF the Depart
OF State including the publication aud distribution Of
the laws $685. Prorded That the Job printing, station
cry and binding Of each Of the ereeuiive departments
SHALL until otherwise directed by law, be furnished by con-
tract proposals OF which shall regularly be advertised Ia
the public prints and the character and description Of
printing specified In each adverscmen as far a that can
be done, Ii being made condition In all cases, nnlrks
Otherwise specified In the advertisement, that the work
shall be done in the city OF Washington and the contract
shall in each be given 10 the lowest bidder whose bid
sh all be panied with the proper testimonials al hs
ability Of the bidder 10 lul0l his contract"
Here, for the first time, introduced into the egs
aon of the country the provision that all The depart
mental printing should be advertised and put out 10 the
lowest bidder and that remains the law OF the land 10 the
present hour But Congress continued, Notwithstanding
The passage OF that law, TO confer the printing for the tSo
houses OF Congress upon the political press in this city
and in this respect admit tha, there has been no diner
ence between the two parties. The Twenty seventh
Congress passed the law Of lSt2 10 which have refer.
red but they at the time gave the congressional
printing TO the political press. Then came the Twenty.
eighth Congress. The Senate was one way, and the
House of Representatives the other. The printing OF the
Senate was conferred upon the publishers OF press IN
this city entertaining views IN accordance with major.