The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-07
The Public Printing.

The Public Printing.
According to promise, we append few
extracts from the debates of Wednesday in the
House, on the printing question. II seems to
q cool observer that the committee are disposed
to carry matters with very high hand, and that
they assume very lofty position when they
attempt to override the manifest wishes Of the
body that created them, and raise points Of per
sonal etiquette which have nothngto do with the
matter. Instead Of members Of that committee
displaying indignation, we think the body thAt
created and should control them has the better
right: for the committeeihas proceeded to carry
out its own plans in the very teeth of the senti
ments of the House:as manifested by repeated
votes No later than yesterday a very emphatic
indication of this was given on the vote adopt
ing Mr.. CLIscMAS's resolutions of instruction
without call for yeas and nays.
And yet members of the committee rise in
the House, put on an air of injured innocence,
and intimate that the natural curiosity of the
House on this subject amounts to a personal
reflection on them. Now, so far as we have
seen, and know, no personal assaults have been
made on these gentlemen. The whole matter
has been 80 much enshrouded in mystery that
no one positively knew, or does know to this
day, exactly what the committee has done, or
intends doing. An approximation only to such
knowledge can be made from their own repre-.
sensations and admissions in Wednesdays de
bate, which were by no means clear or explicit,
and from the comparative statement of the diff
ference between Towers's bid and the CON-
mittee's prices, which was furnished to us, and
which we still believe to have been correct at
that time. BY reference to the Southern Press
of the 30th ult. it will be seen that on This
particular part of the printing, to which Mr..
GoRMAN's remarks must have had reference
as it was under consideration-the prices did
not very materially vary, but on other portions
Of the printing they did: and this, we presume
will not be denied.
Mr. STANTON admits that the committee took
Towerss bid as the bass-but made il higher.
While Mr.. German insists that it was "sub-
stantially" adopted, though "not identical in
all the items" Now, the identical items are
the very things the House wants to see and if
the committee would only report fully their
proceedings, great expenditure of time, talk
and temper would be saved by it. Facts and
figures are the things wanted not flowers of
rhetoric or general remarks apropos to nothing
With regard to this discussion, we believe
Mr.. EVANS expressed the general sentiment of
the Honse when he observed:
"There ia one thing which rejoice at, as the
result of all this discussion: that we have, at
last, single fact"
We give portions only of the remarks of the
different speakers.
Mr.. EVANS. The honorable gentleman from
Wisconsin, Mr.. DoTY, has introduced for the
consideration Of the House bill not quite perfect
but (which may be made 80 by the House, by which
you can have the printing executed in one week.
do not know what my friend from Indiana
Mr. GoRMAN has done, but know one thing
he has not done, and that is, anything corrupt'
l am quite certain that the honorable GENT eman
from Indiana, MIR. GoRMAN,] the honorable
gentleman from New York, mr. HAVEN'T or
any other member of the Committee on Print
ing, would not consent to any proposition which
they thought was wrong. Yet the action of
that committee will strike various minds differ
emily. II appears to me that they have over.
looked (though know nothing as to what thew
have done) John T. Towers, the only contractor
who executed his contract during the last Con-
gress' when everybody else who had contracted
20 10 'Ge printing violated their contracts, ms
no one knows better than my friend from In
diana. With all Difference, / conceive that
however honestly they may have acted, they
have not done what ia richt '
Inc gentleman 10 acquainted with the whole
history OF the difficulties in relation n tbe mini.
ing AZ the last Congress. Contractor. then
violated their contracts and notbipc w.s so;d
about 1t. There was no taking aWav Of a.
public printing from the VIOLATING cont, ."e
then; no reletting to other parties | hs,;au.
the Presidents message and accompanying &c.
ments were not delivered until long after tho,
were required. John 4. Towers wen, ON ano
executed his contract faithfully-to the letter
although he had underbid the other contractors
who we're DESTROYS of having the contract fol
the printing of all the classes If the committe,
have passed by him, John G. Rves, and othe
faithful and honest men, who can give good sc
curity, and given the printing to Donelson &
Armstrong, or Gideon e. Co.-wbom beliey,
TO be worthy gentlemen, and against whom
would be sorry to say anything-at a higbe
price, 1t Is due to the House that it should b.
reported. The gentleman should not rupnres,
the facts, nor should he, when asked ouest;or
by member, as TO what had been done bv N.
committee, have moved the previous ouest;on
He should have communicated the whole nro
reedings OF that committee. We should bav,
known tho price of the bid, and how much hiehs